Pause to catch breath
Jan. 31st, 2009 12:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stephbgYesterday did not end well, nor did today start, but I am beginning to feel I've turned the trend around.
For a start, I got myself to the gym this morning, although not for the Body Balance class for which I'd hoped. But, did make it to the pool for the first time in aaaaages, and while the distance actually swum was modest, the journey itself was great.
NEWS FLASH: PERSON GOES TO GYM IN JANUARY. JUST.
Meanwhile, back at yesterday, my scheduled recovery from food colouring poisoning was not going to plan. In fact, by the afternoon I had a pounding headache. I was aware of a whiff in the kitchen, but thought the scraps bin was just suddenly overdue for a purge (icky job = Husband). By early evening there was a sewer-like stench which I could now tell was coming from the kitchen sink.
Charming.
Obviously, something got disturbed when the sewer breather pipe some 2 feet away was replaced that morning. Fortunately my strategy to pour several buckets of (recyled bath) water down the sink seems to have fixed the problem, but not before I flirted with nausea to go with the headache.
I was in a delicate state by that point, having already had depressing discussions and quotes from various people re drainage, windows, painting, mould, and termites. This morning I took a closer look at the suspect windows from the inside, and found more termite sign in one of the skirting boards. This was the site of a known damp problem fixed long ago (with actual crumbling plaster), and I'm *hoping* it's just old sign. That was missed over the years by multiple inspections :-(
So, end of Act II, our heroine reaches her low point. She's had to shell out thousands already, is looking at thousands more, was faced with plumbing bogeymen (her greatest fear if you'll recall from an establishing shot in Act I), and her brief taste of health has been snatched away.
So, anyone want to buy a house? Location, location, location. Owner keen torun screaming sell.
Once I got home from the gym... Hang on, let me say that again: "home from the gym" :-)
*happy sigh*
Once home (from the gym) I resumed my inspection of the west windows, those most threatened by damp and bugs. Partly because some bright spark installed full length windows with wooden frames, right down to the ground. The windows themselves are actually aluminium replacements, but a bit too small, hence the retention of risky wood bits *headdesk*. I can't help but wonder if the fact that they're *mostly* aluminium caused them to be overlooked at various inspections.
*not so happy sigh*
However, it occurred to me that rather than fiddle about with stripping, repairing, painting and termite-and-damp-proofing these horrible things, I should just replace the suckers. Properly. Time for more quotes, but at least for new things, rather than running-to-stand-still things. This idea makes my brain happy. I like it when that happens.
Which led me to a tour of the other still-original wooden frames on the other side of the house, with subsequent spider-web removal. Oh, and I removed the screen door from the laundry. We never use that door anyway, and the screen door was the most fragile and cheap-and-nasty of the breed, so poof, gone now, much better.
I'll keep the house.
For a start, I got myself to the gym this morning, although not for the Body Balance class for which I'd hoped. But, did make it to the pool for the first time in aaaaages, and while the distance actually swum was modest, the journey itself was great.
NEWS FLASH: PERSON GOES TO GYM IN JANUARY. JUST.
Meanwhile, back at yesterday, my scheduled recovery from food colouring poisoning was not going to plan. In fact, by the afternoon I had a pounding headache. I was aware of a whiff in the kitchen, but thought the scraps bin was just suddenly overdue for a purge (icky job = Husband). By early evening there was a sewer-like stench which I could now tell was coming from the kitchen sink.
Charming.
Obviously, something got disturbed when the sewer breather pipe some 2 feet away was replaced that morning. Fortunately my strategy to pour several buckets of (recyled bath) water down the sink seems to have fixed the problem, but not before I flirted with nausea to go with the headache.
I was in a delicate state by that point, having already had depressing discussions and quotes from various people re drainage, windows, painting, mould, and termites. This morning I took a closer look at the suspect windows from the inside, and found more termite sign in one of the skirting boards. This was the site of a known damp problem fixed long ago (with actual crumbling plaster), and I'm *hoping* it's just old sign. That was missed over the years by multiple inspections :-(
So, end of Act II, our heroine reaches her low point. She's had to shell out thousands already, is looking at thousands more, was faced with plumbing bogeymen (her greatest fear if you'll recall from an establishing shot in Act I), and her brief taste of health has been snatched away.
So, anyone want to buy a house? Location, location, location. Owner keen to
Once I got home from the gym... Hang on, let me say that again: "home from the gym" :-)
*happy sigh*
Once home (from the gym) I resumed my inspection of the west windows, those most threatened by damp and bugs. Partly because some bright spark installed full length windows with wooden frames, right down to the ground. The windows themselves are actually aluminium replacements, but a bit too small, hence the retention of risky wood bits *headdesk*. I can't help but wonder if the fact that they're *mostly* aluminium caused them to be overlooked at various inspections.
*not so happy sigh*
However, it occurred to me that rather than fiddle about with stripping, repairing, painting and termite-and-damp-proofing these horrible things, I should just replace the suckers. Properly. Time for more quotes, but at least for new things, rather than running-to-stand-still things. This idea makes my brain happy. I like it when that happens.
Which led me to a tour of the other still-original wooden frames on the other side of the house, with subsequent spider-web removal. Oh, and I removed the screen door from the laundry. We never use that door anyway, and the screen door was the most fragile and cheap-and-nasty of the breed, so poof, gone now, much better.
I'll keep the house.
