Missing in Action
The day before we left, however, holiday vibes were destroyed by an email indicating that notice to terminate the rental of our temporary accommodation on 25th March was being served and that if we believed our own home was not yet ready for occupation we should contact the loss adjuster, who presumably had authorised the service of the notice in the first place. It was perhaps unfortunate that I only got round to checking my emails in the evening because the chances of rousing the loss adjuster on a Friday night were non-existent.
So off we toddled across the Pennines, panicking in the knowledge that our home still had cut pipes all over the place, no floor, no heating source etc.. Then malaise set in: the weather was awful; cold, damp and dull. Grandotty entertained and we swam, frequented the local pub, had a spa visit, walked, although not as much as usual because of the conditions, and totally forgot the problems at home. When they came to mind, we covered ourselves with another email to the loss adjuster pointing out the work that must still be completed but then avowed to use the deadline to keep pressure on the contractor.
Of course upon our return, just after Storm Eowyn, we checked the house to find the inevitable display of ineptitude. Remember my earlier complaint concerning the total disrespect by the workmen for my bathroom? They had sought to avoid a repetition by arranging for delivery of a new portaloo. Except, according to our neighbours, it had arrived when the wind was at its fiercest. Needless to say, it had ricocheted across our driveway and taken out a drainpipe. I'm seriously beginning to wonder what I must have done in a previous life to deserve all this hassle.
Since then it's been shoulders to the wheel and although there's still no heating in the house, we do once again, courtesy of a local plumbing firm, have pipes that are connected and can provide water, as well as a boiler in place in the utility room, awaiting only an electrician to install the controls, before it is fired up for the first time. There's now a very tight timetable in place and ever the optimist I have booked the date for the removals company to return us to our humble abode. Fingers crossed that it will actually be habitable!
For the last three weeks, Mister E and I have been operating at an industrial level. Did I ever say how much we now feel our age? Still there have been some pleasurable parts like choosing floor tiles and new cabinets for the laundry area not to mention treating ourselves to new bedroom furniture. You can't beat bouncing on mattresses in a showroom however old you are. Alternatively perhaps we're just ready to find the joy in anything that doesn't smell of kerosene or has "contracting clown" written across its back. Being able to have a good giggle is still the best form of resilience I've discovered.
(Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay)
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