(Josie Sayz: I cannot upload any of the pictures right now, because the Windows 11 update has destroyed my laptop. First it needed 2.81gb of space, which I made for it. Then it needed 3.31gb, which I made for it. Then it decided that it needed 4.5gb, which is impossible, because even when I deleted everything from it, I never had that much space. Now it wants 6.89gb and my laptop now has 0gb, so I can't upload photos. I also cannot enrol to keep the Windows 10 security until 13/10/26, because the Windows 11 pending update has taken up too much space. I keep trying to delete it via c\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Downlaods but my laptop crashes, because it doesn't have the memory space to wipe the folder. Thank you, Windows, for breaking a second laptop. The last forced update destroyed my last ASUS laptop. Why do new Windows system updates require more space than laptops come with?)
Goodness, it has been a while, since I have
done one of these. I definitely know that I need to do one. Cal, I am sorry
this is late. I know I did promise you an update, with some pictures.
So, I have moved into my maisonette. I moved in on Thursday 11th
September – oow, that is just over a month ago! At first, I didn’t have any gas
or electricity. British Gas came and were able to update the gas meter, but the
electricity meter is still a difficult one. Above the box where National Grid’s
part ends, but below where an energy supplier’s part begins there is a metal
box, where the electricity is divided to the four maisonettes, in the block.
Well, apparently, this part is outdated, and a regulation was passed that
states energy suppliers can no longer carry out works to old wirings, such as
this, as it is no longer deemed safe. The leaseholder won’t outlay the money to
upgrade it, and if they are made to, they will pass the bill on to me. It is
safe to use electricity from it, but it isn’t safe to change the meter. My
meter is different from the meter that British Gas have on their system, because
they are incompetent and didn’t keep it updated, when the previous owner got
put on a pre-payment meter for not paying the bills, then when the top half of
the meter was taken away, because she got into so much debt. I have to be with
Briths Gas, because that is who the previous owner was with, and for some
unknown reason, British Gas has the property registered as off the grid and
with pre-payment meters, where it is not off the grid and has credit meters. As
the property is registered as off the grid, no other energy company can switch
me over to be with them. I am, finally, in talks with someone in the UK, thanks
to my local MP, and baby steps are happening. I am allowed to use both the gas
and the electricity now too.
My boiler was dodgy, and my plumber (who is also a certified gas technician)
said that it would have been fitted illegally. It would have cost over £1,000
to have him try to make a fix to the boiler, to make it safe, but that wouldn’t
guarantee that it would last the month. The plumber is a friend of my mum’s,
and he agreed to fix my water waste pipes (the washing machine and sink were
using the same pipe and it would have damaged the maisonette of the man below,
if I had used it, as it was old and broken) and fit me with a new boiler for
£2880, which was incredibly kind of him. My new boiler, and all of the pipes,
look a thousand times better than the old one. I know it is safe. It was fitted
with someone that I trust. He even had to brick up an old flu pipe, that we
didn’t know was there, which was dangerous to leave open. So, I have a brand
new boiler, which means that I have hot water in my bathroom sink and bath (my
shower is electric and I have nothing in the kitchen). Oh, and the towel rack
is gas and that dried my towel, when we tested the radiators. I have already
had the pipes replaced to two of the radiators, so they are all working okay. And
I have had all of the water pipes lagged in the loft. I will share a picture of
my old boiler and my new boiler:
I have had a new front door fitted, but there are problems with that too. I
paid £2,450 to have my flimsy wooden door, with a hole in it, replaced with a
fire door. It is a legal requirement for all maisonettes to be fitted with a
fire door. I found a local company that manufacture fire doors (it kind of has
to be local, or you get charged a huge fee for them having to drive halfway
across the country with a very heavy door). So, the guy who came and did my
door quote said it would take two hours to fit my new door. It actually took
them seven hours and they had two of my lights on the entire seven hours and
they constantly used my electricity to cut the door and door frame down and use
my vacuum to clean up the mess. Not only that, but they fitted the door to the
wrong side and are 100% adamant that they didn’t. Lucky for me, I have a photo
of the door before. They still don’t care. The door isn’t properly fitted as a
fire door, because it doesn’t slam closed on its own; I have to close it
myself, which is against the regulations of a fire door. To add to that, I got
locked in on the first night, because the latch wouldn’t open, from the inside.
It was so stiff that the only way to open it was with a pair of pliers and all
of my strength with both hands. I was so incredibly lucky that I had just
bought a tool kit two days earlier, otherwise I would have still been locked in
now, and this was three weeks ago! I was so scared, because there is a communal
front door, that needs a key fob to get into, so even if I called the fire
brigade, they couldn’t help me. There is an intercom, but mine has never worked.
I have contacted the leaseholder, who said they had asked an engineer to
contact me, but no one ever has. Oh and to add to that, the door company have
said that they will only refund me £300, which is what my manager says it would
have cost him to fit my front door (as it not fitted as a fire door) so they
know they have ripped me off. The door company said that if they come back to
put the door on the correct side, they won’t fit the fire safety chain on the
inner hinges, because that is an inconvenience and a danger to his engineers. How
infuriating! Oh, and I was promised, when I received my quote, that they would
leave me with the RAL colour paint pot to do touch ups to the scratches, but
they never did. It is a better front door than I had previously. I can still
smell the cannabis, from the young couple, who live diagonally downstairs, but
at least the door is a lot safer. Anyways, here are the before and after pictures
of my front door:
On a positive note, I do have all of my belongings in my maisonette now. I
still don’t have a kitchen or a living room, but I am getting there. I had the
ceiling lights fitted for my bedroom and hallway on Monday. I found out that
the previous owner, also, did a botched job with her light fittings, which is
why they were swinging from the ceiling and didn’t work. I only have a light in
the bedroom and the hall. My electrician had already fitted a bathroom-safe
light in the bathroom for me. I won’t be able to have my lights fitted in the
living room for a while yet, but that’s okay, because that is still a construction
site, as is the kitchen. Here are the old and new lights:
My bedroom is kind of cluttered, because I have my desk, bookcase and craft
trolley in it, and they are supposed to be going in the living room. Oh and I
bought a giant frog plush to sit on the settee, but he is currently sat on my
desk chair, at the bottom of my bed. I love him. He can cuddle me back- how
cool is he!
My electrician is going to fit my kitchen either the middle of next week or the
middle of the week after, so that is exciting. I can’t wait to have a kitchen.
This will be the first time, in my entire life, that I will have access to a
kitchen! I cannot wait to cook food, and learn to cook things, and learn to
bake – my partner’s sister said she will teach me how to bake, as she is an
amazing baker! I am really looking forward to that.
Guess what – I’m not a secret! That message is for that one person who occasionally
reads my blog and you know who you are.
I have, finally, managed to get the painted on wallpaper and the thick
wallpaper paste off the ceiling in the living room, after a lot of work. I,
also, managed to remove the wallpaper from the accent wall, in the living room
too. That is all I have managed to do, at the moment, as the living room is
kind of a storage area, until the kitchen is done. Here are a few pictures of
the progress.
I really just want all of the renovating bits to be over with, so I can,
finally write stories, like I have been wanting to for the past fifteen-plus
years, and cook dinner for myself and my partner. He has a very unfortunate
living situation, where his diet is restricted for him, by his housemate, so I
would very much like to try to help him out, by cooking for him. At the moment,
we have just been having takeaways, so that he can, at least, eat somewhat
normal food, while he is out of the house. It’s definitely not healthy though.
I can’t wait to cook lots of pasta dishes!
Erm, I think that might be all. I can’t think of anything else, right now, but
my brain is currently mashed potato. I currently have laryngitis again, because
I screamed in my sleep, last weekend. I have an incredibly dry, sore throat and
a cold with it, just like I always do. I have been very shivery and no matter
how warm I get, it isn’t enough. Both of my managers said that I could go home
yesterday, but I powered through and stayed at work all day. I am currently listening
to Scott Bradlee’s ragtime piano music, because it is very soothing for me, and
I just find ragtime piano music so much fun. If I ever became the luckiest
person in the world and somehow Moonstone Fortress became published and turned
into a film, Scott Bradlee is going to cameo as the pianist in the Wreck Age
Inn.
I will leave it there for now. I daresay I have missed something, because there
is a nagging part in my brain that says that I have.
- Josie -
