h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well with upcoming 30% hike in the price of Gas/Electric, we have managed to raise the money to have a new boiler installed in our house.
Thanks mainly to those great people at SSAFA (a charity that helps ex service folk)as they have raised two thirds of the price for us.

The heating engineer, who got the contract, after SSAFA had read through all three of the quotes we supplied, at their request, has said that he will also replace all our radiators as well!

This will make all the difference and will keep us both cosy this coming winter, as no two rooms are the same temperature just now, and we have to use electric converter heaters, as the radiators don't heat the rooms up enough? This means that Mk2 has to use her nebuliser every time she goes into a different room?

We had planned to get a bank loan to pay our part of the bill, but the engineer, who has his own company, said he would give us twelve months interest free credit, so that made all the difference to us!

He says that this new Combi boiler is far more efficient than our existing one, and as we will only be paying for the water we use, rather than heating the 45 gallon tank all the time, it will save us a Lot of money, cutting our existing bill by half

So here is to a cosy winter for us now, and we cant wait until next week when he comes to do the job

Smudger.

That's great news Smudger I hope all goes well and smoothly.



Websailor

Bloke has just phoned, he is coming early on Thursday morning, to make a start on the job, we are well pleased with that

Smudger.

Very dear ~Smudger,

I am soo sorry that I have not replied earlier to your good news. I am really getting very scatty and put off things which is not a good idea.

It is thrilling news about your new boiler, and it will make such a difference to both Mar2 and yourself. WE have known one another for a long time and |I always remember with great pleasure all the writing that you used to do about your life in the Navy and on the oil rigs. You have such a great gift for writing you syhould really wrote about your experiences.

I have had a long day. I went to visit Keith where he is now in a lovely sort of familyh home and where he is very happy.

82 miles from here. In fact he had been brought here on Saturday and spent the weekend with me which was marvellous to have him home again. I am oretty whacked so will end. I promise not to leave you so slong again

much affection to both you and |Mark2 p you will both be pleased with the new heating sdystem.

''Christiane
Tuesday 4th Octobert 2010 10.-8 GMY

Hi Christine, many thanks for your post, I seemed to have ran out of stories about my life in the Navy and oil industry, so I started writing about observations that I make while I'm out and about.

Mind you, that's not very often these days, as Mk2 cant be left alone, and her family...well lest just say they are not as helpful as they could be

Good news about your visit to Keith, its good to see that you are still getting out and about

Smudger.

Hi Smudger,

Nice to get your news. Today is the day for the boiler I think. What a difference it will make to your lives.

I cannaot tell you how happy I am that K. is happy where he is living. It is such a relief, as like Mk2. he cannot live on his own. I do miss him though as he has such a happy temperament.

Enjoy your new heating system, and just start writing about the Navy and the oil rigs again. Have any ideas about what happened to that one that blew up? What a tragedy that was and how much damage it has done to the shoreline in the States.

Go well.

Christiane
AR80
Thursday 7th October 2010 6.10 GMT

Thanks Christine, I wasn't on line last night as I was clearing up the mess left by the bloke that installed our boiler and radiators?

We sill don't know how to set it yet, as he left as soon as he got it going, so we have been experimenting with it?

It has made a vast difference though

As for the writing, I think I've dried up on stories of my past, however I did know 8 of the folk who died on that Piper Alpha explosion, in fact during my 14 years in the oil construction business I knew i8 workmates that lost their lives in one way or another

Smudger.

I hope you get to control it now it is fitted. Is he coming back to go through it with you, it seems a bit much to get it going and not check things out with you.

It is very warm and humid down here at the moment. PHM is cold and we have the heating on but I am too warm

Websailor

Are you warm yet with lashings of hot water

Ah! thanks for your posts folks, much appreciated

Yea! all is great now, just takes a bit longer for the water to get hot from the kitchen sink tap.

The heating is working great, and he came back today and took us through all its workings, and checked it out again for us, nice bloke

I have since filled all the holes it has left on the walls, (the old timing device and thermostat and so on)

Also, with the new radiators being a lot smaller, it has left bear patches on the walls, but Mk2s lad is going to decorate them for us

WELL DONE

I am so pleased for you Smudger. I am so glad things have gone well for you, and you will have a cosy winter whatever Mother Nature throws at us.

Websailor

Cheers folks, we are still having problems with setting the timing and the thermostat, but at least can operate it manually, so will soon get the hang of it

Smudger.

Very dear SMudger,

I am appalled that the death rate is so high on oil rigs - I had nop idea. They come down the Channel occasionally, and I used to be able to see them with my binoculars. k
Anyway you two will be nice and cosy now. Let's try and leep on touch - we have been friends for such a long time.

With affection to the two of you,

Christiane
AR80
Monday 11.X.2010 24.34 BMT(?)

Aye! no problems with that Christine, we are still trying to get to grips with setting the right temperature, as Mk2 cant breathe if its too hot, and with me being so thin I feel the cold?

So we have now managed to turn the bedroom radiator down, so at least she has one room where she can bolt to, when the need arises

As for the oil industry thing, it was probably because I spent 14 years doing that, and being a subcontractor, I moved around the UK a lot, both on and off shore, so I worked with a lot of blokes.
Also, met a few more when I worked in Russia, Turkey and Egypt, so maybe that's why my list is so high.

Its nice to be back in touch with you again, but I must admit I dont spend so much time in here these days, as most of the folk I know have left

Smudger.

I'm still here We have the same problem in reverse - PHM feels the cold and I get too hot and bothered It's difficult to find a balance which suits us both, so I escape up here when it gets too much.

Websailor

Hi WS, good to hear from you again

The bloke who installed it all for us, said it would cut our gas bill in half, as we used to heat the big 45 gallon tank, 24/7 as we had a weird heating system which meant you couldn't have the heating on at all, unless the hot water was on

Smudger.

Now that is worth it then! We don't have that kind of system, but we got rid of our immersion heater and tank years ago, it is such a wasteful system, of water and electricity.

Websailor

Aye! and with the new radiators it will save us even more money, as they are so efficient, that the house gets up to temperature in around 10 mins

We really have SSAFA to thank for it all, as they gave us two thirds of the total price for us, they really are good people!

It was one of my cyber mates from that Ex service site I use, who put us onto them, as they help out a lot of ex service folk, I cant thank them enough

Smudger.

It's good to know there is help out there for ex service people who need it.

Websailor