Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Season's Greetings.
I feel a bit like the snowman in the picture because our boiler has decided to take it easy and leave us without any heating for a few days. This led to the rare call I needed to make to British Gas who we have our homecare, boiler care insurance with. It always seems like such a terrible waster of money until this happens. Of course, I have yet to have the conversation after the repair when sometimes you are told that your particular problem isn't covered.
My calls to them are rare because although I have never missed a monthly payment on this plan in the 16 years it has been running, I can think of only two previous occasions in all that time that I had to call. On one of those occasions I was told that the service I needed to make my heating whole again was not covered in the plan. The moral of that story is that even when you think you have everything covered, well, maybe you don't.
In making the call, I was also greeted with another subtle reminder of how bad most services you receive these days have become. I reported the problem, with my chattering teeth going full steam ahead, on the morning of the 17th of December during the worst freeze we've had here in a good few years and their "emergency" repair booking was set for the afternoon of the 21st of December.
This incident reminds me that no matter how secure your life seems to be in one moment, it can all change in the next. My house is very old, built in 1810 so when it goes cold, it really goes cold and the expression "ice box" doesn't even come close to describing how it feels.
All said, I do not consider my boiler issue a major problem, more a major inconvenience as, fortunately, we still have an open fire or two we can use to keep us from hyperthermia and a back up hot water system. But I found myself thinking, what if we didn't have those back ups? What if we weren't considered "in danger" but didn't have a back up or the money to get a back up source of heat in play.
Whilst the absence of convenient and ever ready central heating is nevertheless a shock. Were I older, less able to cope with the cold and the horrible situation, I could be in serious trouble and I hope if you know anyone that could be in that situation you give a thought for how they would cope if their heating was suddenly taken away.
The net result for me whilst I wait for my boiler to be repaired in two days time (assuming that it can be repaired on the day) is that it reminded me to check up on everyone I know that might be more vulnerable at this time of year and to make sure I am doing what I can to be there for them should they need me to be.
Enough of that...
I hope you are keeping healthy and warm and that you enjoy your Christmas holiday and that 2023 becomes everything you could possibly hope it will. And finally, thank you for continued support and for taking the time to read my messages throughout the year.
All the best, keep warm and keep well.
John
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