And there it was... gone!

So, this is the fireplace today. Isn't it lovely?

So - day one of central heating refit - all the radiators have been stripped out, the back boiler and fire removed. New radiators are now wall mounted as well as a beautiful towel rail in the bathroom. The new boiler and hot water cylinder have arrived in the airing cupboard. By the time the guys left at 7.15 this evening we even had hot water (by immersion heater) and the gas had been turned back on so we could cook dinner.

There's dust (oh, so much dust), and the place is in a bit of a pickle, but no disasters on day one.

Thanks so much for all your kindly comments and reassurance over the past few days. You're right - it is all worth it - and I expect the anticipation is so much worse than the reality.