Brrrr!

Firstly well done to an ole pal Sir Steven for completing his 4th Dan at the weekend. Not that I know much about any highly specialised martial art and the mental and physical disciplines it requires, but I do know that once you're working for Dan it gets a shed load tougher! He works bloody hard for it and that takes dedication and a strong will. Congrats fella, it's an awesome accomplishment.

Anyway, It's cold!

Well technically today, it isn't that cold however we are now on day 4 of no heating and it's been a frosty experience for me. I'm not usually affected by the cold. I like the cold weather and a good frosty morning. I don't have my central heating on 24/7 and it's never roasting hot in my house. BUT I woke up on thursday morning (the morning of predicted snow chaos which failed as ever to materialise on these marginally warmer shores) with no power!

No. The rest of the street twinkled merrily in lights it was just my house in darkness. Great thinks I. So I get up, put 6 layers on and go downstairs to check the fuse box, lit only by the light of the Mini Maglite.

Switch everything on, hmmm. Eliminate things it definitely isn't, which leaves... the central heating. Damnit! Go to do a check and sure enough you switch the heating on to constant or via the timer and back into the dark ages we go.

And it's -5.

It's disconcerting seeing your own breath in you house, or when your house is actually COLDER than it is outside.

Anyway, no hot water at all, no central heating. So after a mild panic that i'd have to buy a new boiler (OHHELLNOPLEASENO) and a suggestion from Grumps that I should turn it on to the summer setting and try the water I find thankfully it's fine, Hot Water 1 - Central Heating 0.

So i think the timer is broked. And I really hope the man coming out to day can fix it or I might cry. Saturday the temp didn't get above freezing so I had Al, Dad and mum and myself wearing 67 jumpers each and ripping out the bathroom - a trip to B&Q wasn't really to pick tiles it was to get warm! At least though the bathroom is underway and we have at least got a bath - I am NOT getting in it until that radiator is working but hey, at least I can wash when the time comes. Next week it's the shower and the loo and new sink with storage maybe!

You don't realise how much you miss central heating til it's disappeared. Last winter was really mild so I didn't have the heating on at all until february when we had two weeks of cold snap (oh yeh which is when it was last broken I must have bad boiler Karma!) but this year it's been much chillier and without it my nose is constantly cold and colthes don't dry, they go stiff and just freeze! I don't know how my nan managed to bring up 6 kids without heating in a massive pub. Maybe my mums generation were just harder than us?

Fingers crossed for the man!

22 weeks pregnant this week. I'm feeling great, could eat for england and am now getting weirdly large (not huge yet tho) and it's very odd. I stand there and all of a sudden realise my belly is poking through my jumper. And Bean is a good kicker. Al's fave hobby is poking him when he kicks to get another kick back heh. Make me realise how much he's moving about (favourite game this week is kick mummy's bladder) and how little space there will be to do that in the next month or so :S

Still it's got to happen and I don't care as long as he's safe and warm in there! Good news (some finally) is that hopefully by friday Beans room will be decorated and that'll mean ALMOST done. WOO HOO! now that's exciting!

Right, back to map making!