I love being there. I like some parts of 'village London' too. Have a friend who had a flat nr Highbury Fields; so vibrant and so many great places to eat and great food shops. But after a while I long to get back to the peace and quiet of lovely rural North Bucks.
Morning all, by the way. Looking better than yesterday- couldn't be worse! Please to report no aches or pains from the swimming yesterday. It was great to be in the water. I was a bit nannied though. The people who run it are untrained volunteers, and they seemed to be a bit paranoid about me just getting on with finding out what I can and can't do myself. I suppose they have to be- woudn't want anyone drowning on their watch. I couldn't convince them that I have no fear of water. I think they sensed the rigidity in my legs and took it for fear rather than the fact that my legs don't move too well- I'm effectively spastic now. Was disappointed my legs and hips didn't loosen up at all though. Will certainly go regularly.
Good news GG. After my six weeks in plaster I could not move my foot at all. Physio three times a week, when I thought she was trying to break it off, slowly got things moving. Swimming was recommended for me also, but it did take a while to get real movement again. Sure that a lot of the things she told me to do at home, though simple, did help. As w_y says, it might take longer than you wish for, but every little helps.
Swimming is a great exercise so hope it does help to "loosen your legs" in time - pretty good news though
Am shell-shocked. We had a blocked drain/downpipe problem during the week, which was admittedly fixed promptly by the plumber I called. As an afterthought, I asked him to clear out the guttering as well - not quite a hour's work all told. Got the bill today - £300 That's him off the Xmas card list.
http://www.causes.com/actions/1753328-state-funeral-for-drummer-lee-rigby This has just come my way....
I would suggest BB that a decent plumber would charge between £30 and £50 per hour for labour, plus materials. I had a bathroom completely replaced recently by a plumber and his young apprentice - took a couple of days and the labour charge was £680 plus VAT. You should certainly query this bill.
We had similar experience with a plumber supposedly repairing a leaking kitchen tap. It leaked again six months later so I bought new tap and told him to replace it. He broke the seals, couldn't shift the granite surrounds, couldn't remove the old tap, had to repair it again...first time we turned it on the down pipe leaked all over the floor. The asking rate to cover the two visits was near £400. Needless to say I refused to pay until he'd been back, repaired the damage, replaced the warped shelf and agreed the second job should not be charged at all. Just about restrained myself from asking him how the Bentley was running and whether the villa on Mustique was still to his liking...
£400 for 2 visits is very definitely exorbitant - even with a call-out fee. That would equate to 9 hours @ £40 per hour plus £40 call-out.....to change a tap! Sadly there are many plumbers (I won't say most, but they know who they are) who will take advantage of the ignorance of their clients on plumbing matters. In my experience, if you know the basics of household plumbing (and this goes for electricals for that matter), even if you don't do the work yourself, you can discuss the work to be done with him/her. You are then less likely to be ripped off. You should also try to get the plumber to quote for the job (labour and materials) even if it is just to repair/replace a leaky tap, which should take an hour at most. Tip 1: If, when you describe the problem, there is the familiar sharp intake of breath through the teeth a shake of the head, followed by a long-winded diatribe filled with lots of technical terms then politely but firmly tell the plumber that you will look elsewhere...... Tip 2: Some knowledge gleaned from a good DIY book will pay dividends in dealing with plumbers, electricians and their ilk. You should know how your hot & cold water systems work, where to drain and how to undo a tap and waste etc. even if you have no intention of ever doing it yourself. Tip 3: Let the plumber know that you will be looking to replace kitchen/bathroom/toilet etc. in the not too distant future and will be on the look out for a good, reasonably priced plumber (even if you're not)........decent tradesmen like repeat business that comes to them.
Good advice, Vicrij...though when you live in a small village there isn't much choice of plumbing services. Fortunately my negotiating skills are better than my plumbing knowledge!
