Time flies

It's more than a year since we returned to Cumbria; how time flies! In that year so much work has been done on the house - new doors and windows throughout (only the garage doors were spared) - the roof was stripped back, rotten wood replaced, insulation laid (for the first time ever in the parts of the roof space that couldn't otherwise be accessed), new roof felt and, finally, the slates and coping stones were relaid - all internal walls repainted, door frames and skirting boards varnished - new floor coverings laid (what was there, even the new carpets we'd laid three years earlier when we decided to rent the house out while I was working in the south of England, was just too far gone) - all the electrics updated and white goods replaced - and, luxury of luxury, a completely new bathroom. We just have to agree on new curtains now which is proving to be more difficult than anticipated.

The most frustrating part was sorting out who supplied our gas. We thought it was E.ON and had set up an account with them (so we thought) and then along came British Gas who insisted that they were our supplier. When we checked back with E.ON they denied supplying us with gas so we went with British Gas. Then E.ON came back and insisted they were our supplier. It dragged on for most of the year but in the end Bristish Gas backed down and sent a bouquet of flowers by way of apology. Everything was confused by the old farmhouse, of which we own part, being further sub-divided, new meters being installed and allocated to the wrong properties, a new billing system at British Gas, duff information on databases and wrong postal addresses being used. In short, a total mess. A third utility company got involved at one stage so that at one point we had three utility companies arguing over which meters were in which properties and which belonged to whom. Remember the line from the introduction to each episode of Soap - "Confused! You will be." E.ON came out the winner but only on points - it was they who finally sorted everything out, but only after British Gas and E.ON were shamed into talking to each other.

Contact with the Church in this area was re-established and, as before, I attended Carlilse Branch for a short while before being asked to go to Workington. Workington is what you would describe as a happy branch, lots of smiling people and welcoming hugs. A lot of good work is being done there and it's a joy to be part of it.

Just one final thought, I've so much work to do, so much to read, so much to write that I haven't missed being employed - not once! Retirement is so good.