Home Improvements

Not mine, it must be said.

I was awoken, at about 8.30 this ante meridiem, by the sound of hammering. And drilling.

Having ascertained that this was not some bizarre assault upon my property, I decided I might as well get showered, get dressed and start my day. I needed to stock up on fizzy drink and snacks anyway, so why not?

Upon leaving the flat, I found two workmen out on the mezzanine, fitting a new door (and frame) to the flat next door. It's a nice wooden door... but seemed to be unpainted/untreated and, frankly, I would not choose a wooden door myself, if only because of the petrol stains I found on the floor beneath the carpet by the door, when it was all taken up to lay the wooden flooring.

Not that a plastic door would be much more use to me in cases of arson, but hey.

After my shopping, during which I realised I did not, in fact, need to buy cereal because I have a box of muesli in my cupboard, I got off my arse and phoned the Managing Agents (still no news on the roof, but my contact is aware of the increasingly desperate state of it... and the process of taking the ground floor businesses to court over their service charge and - in a couple of cases, it seems - also their rent is "in the hands of the solicitors".

Meaning "expect glacial progress"

He did encourage me to write a letter, detailing the state of things, in an attempt to encourage the Landlord to make some decisions and take some kind of action but, having had to fix a burst sewage pipe above the entrance hall, the funds available for the roof - already inadequate to the cost - have been substantially reduced.

On the upside, it does appear that things aren't getting worse, except perhaps in similarly glacial terms.

I also spoke to the National Insurance helpline, to ascertain my options as a currently-unemployed individual. They suggested I might try to sign on for Jobseekers' Allowance, which would pay those contributions, but that the Pension system has changed, such that one needs only 30 years' worth of payments for the full state pension, so I'm in no immediate danger.

Next task: Lunch, now that I have the fixin's in my cupboards and fridge. After that... Washing up and then possibly a trip to Uxbridge. Depends on whether or not I still feel like potentially spending money on luxuries while I have no actual income...

I actually received a message from one of my eHarmony matches a couple of days ago so, in order to respond, I had to sign up fully (another expensive luxury!). The upshot of this is that I can now do a more detailed psychometric profile, and see photos of the folks they've matched me to. Coincidentally, the message came from the one I was most keen to contact... she has only one photo and, unlike the extensive photo albums on offer from some other members (which, it must be said, often give a glimpse of character that doesn't come out in their self-written profile) the most obviously discernable detail in this one photo is that she wears cool earrings...