Forever Replacing Household Appliances

Our central heating boiler is over ten years old and we expect to have to replace it any time soon, probably in the middle of the coldest winter since records began.

We recently replaced the washing machine, the previous one was over ten years old, and we've had the tumble drier for about nine years (it occasionally leaks).

The kitchen was renovated five years ago therefore the oven, hob, extractor hood, dish-washer and 'fridge-freezer are that age too. The oven has always leaked condensation through the door, requiring constant clearing up, and the fan button needed fixing a couple of years ago. The extractor is rarely used. We had to buy new pots and pans to use with the induction hob but it has been brilliant - until recently when, through no fault of its own, the top shattered when a heavy object fell on it. Apart from having to replace this, most of the appliances should continue to work well for some time (except the dish-washer, which is making clunking noises) and the kitchen still looks good. The 'fridge-freezer has been mostly trouble-free except for the ice dispenser which is constantly blocked; we won't be buying one of those again.

Small appliances have been replaced several times since the kitchen was fitted - we're on our third toaster, our third kettle and our second coffee pod machine.

To summarise, it seems that the cheaper the appliance, the shorter its anticipated life expectancy:

• Boiler - up to 15 years
• Large white goods - up to 10 years
• Small appliances - approximately 2 to 3 years

Financially organised people will need to put aside £50 per month into their 'household appliances replacement fund'.

h/o

Releasing Green Belt Land for Housing

What really bugs me about this is that the ordinary citizen who wishes to build a modest individual home of tasteful design on a quarter of an acre plot in a quiet, non-estate location has to fight tooth and nail for permission. Yet, completely spoiling acres of beautiful countryside by cramming in as many ugly cloned homes as possible seems to happen frequently.

Does it make sense? You can't build a single house in a field as it will spoil the natural beauty of the area but you can pile tons of bricks, tiles, concrete and tarmac in a field with inadequate infrastructure for the influx of families and an average of an additional vehicle per bedroom.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that affordable housing is necessary. My point is that the individual who wants to undertake a self-build home can rarely find a decent plot with permission.

It would be great if the Letchworth principle of individual homes was applied to a portion of the acreage released for mass new building. Seeing rows of regimented housing is quite depressing.

Twitter: join in, be nice!

I'm following over 300 accounts on Twitter. Some because they're entertaining or informative, others because we share some common interest. I can't control who follows me, currently almost 300, and haven't tried to analyse our followers!

If I see a tweet that made me smile, I 'favourite' it so that I can easily find it and smile again another time! What I enjoy about most using Twitter is interacting with friendly tweeters but this isn't as simple as it seems because many tweets are statements that do not invite or encourage responses. For example, some of my tweets provide links to blogs I've read or written, therefore the response is more likely to be in the form of a comment posted on the blog rather than a reply-tweet.

However, amongst recent tweets, I've specifically invited responses. It all depends, of course, who is on-line at the time and their particular circumstances: time available, cheerful mood, etc. In response to "And why do so few people respond to tweets? (here's your chance...)" there was nothing although a similar tweet "while we're on the subject of blogs, what does it take to encourage people to add comments?" did receive an amusing response from a local pub-restaurant account, Twitter.com/RadcliffeArms.

I like to respond to tweeters who are reaching out but the mind is a complex mass of What-ifs, such as: will they take my comment in the spirit it was intended? Am I being intrusive/ presumptuous /original? Will they think I'm stalking them or will they become a hanger-on? And so on.

Anyway, please respond to tweets and be nice!

Film Review: The Watch

Not to be confused with The Watch in the Discworld novels. 

Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Richard Ayoade and Jonah Hill.
Synopsis: four men form a Neighbourhood Watch group, the local police are rude, there are aliens.

Two of us watched this film and had contrasting opinions. It began with the CostCo night-watchman irresponsibly getting drunk then murdered, the police didn't take it seriously. His manager and friend, played by Stiller, appeals for help to find the killer and the other 3 co-stars turn up to half-heartedly form the Watch, the police didn't take them seriously. The Watch members get drunk but not killed, although someone else does, which is when the Watch discover an alien.

At some point, there's an orgy and a separate episode involving a teenage daughter and her gross boyfriend. The film ends where it began - at CostCo. I won't describe how it ends as the last half an hour was the most engaging of the whole film and, should you watch it, I don't want to spoil it for you.

Summary:
Him: "after the first half hour, it was quite good".
Me: "75% was total rubbish, the end bit was OK".

♬ In the Summertime When the weather is...

HOT! School's out and so are the BBQs.

We have temperatures to rival the Caribbean or other exotic destinations so if you are planning a gathering, here are some ideas for a themed gathering:

• Reggae Party - fruit punch, goat curry, Bob Marley music & dreadlocks
• Aussie Barbie - jumbo shrimp, the amber nectar & cork hats
• Arabian Nights - decorate your gazebo as a bedouin tent

Which theme would we choose? Easy! Because of the music, it has to be a Caribbean party theme!

Here, Stevie Wonder sings about Marley, party, Hotter than July: Master Blaster (Jammin) 1980. Enjoy!



Everyone's feeling pretty
It's hotter than July
Though the world's full of problems
They couldn't touch us even if they tried
From the park I hear rhythms
Marley's hot on the box
Tonight there will be a party
On the corner at the end of the block

Didn't know you 
Would be jammin' until the break of dawn
I bet nobody ever told you that you 
would be jammin' until the break of dawn
You would be jammin' and jammin' and jammin', jam on

They want us to join their fighting
But our answer today
Is to let all our worries
Like the breeze through our fingers slip away
Peace has come to Zimbabwe
Third World's right on the one
Now's the time for celebration
'Cause we've only just begun

Didn't know that you 
Would be jammin' until the break of dawn
Bet you nobody ever told you that you
Would be jammin' until the break of dawn
You would be jammin' and jammin' and jammin', jam on
Bet you nobody ever told you that you
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')
Would be jammin' until the break of dawn
I know nobody told you that you
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')
Would be jammin' until the break of dawn
We're jammin', jammin', jammin', jam on

You ask me am I happy
Well as matter of fact
I can say that I'm ecstatic
'Cause we all just made a pact
We've agreed to get together
Joined as children in Jah
When you're moving in the positive
Your destination is the brightest star

You didn't know that you
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')
Would be jammin' until the break of dawn
I bet you nobody ever told you that you
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')
Would be jammin' until the break of dawn
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, you
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')
Would be jammin' until the break of dawn
Don't you stop the music, oh no, 
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')
Na, na na...
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')
Nobody told you Oh, Oh, Oh, you 
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')
Would be jammin' until the break of dawn
I bet you if someone approached you 
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')
yesterday to tell you that you would be jammin' you would not believe it because you never thought that you would be jammin'
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh,
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')
jammin' 'til the break of dawn
Oh, Oh, Oh, You may as well believe what you are feeling 
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')
because you feel your body jammin'
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')
Oh, Oh, you would be jammin' until the break of dawn
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')
(We're in the middle of the makin's of the master blaster jammin')

Beebopalula

A Wedding on the Horizon

After Christmas, my weight crept up to 12 stone so, in January, I determined to diet - but only Mondays to Fridays, rewarding myself with a relaxed attitude to dinners with friends on Saturday evenings and Roast dinners with family on Sundays.

I set myself a target of 1000 calories per day during the week, meticulously writing down everything that passed through my lips. There were often one or two days each week that the calories were closer to 1200, but that's all.

In six weeks, I was under 11 stone and we went on holiday so the diet was put on hold. Two weeks later, at 11 stone, the diet resumed and it was another month before ten and a half stone was achieved, which brought us to Easter - and chocolate.

However, enough is enough! I stopped the incessant calorie counting whilst keeping to a similar eating routine and continuing to weigh myself every Saturday morning. At the end of June, my weight is the same. I would like to lose some more before a major family wedding in two weeks' time but I think I've left it too late to make much difference.

Oh, well, the dress fits!