The last repair man

Of course when the repairer came and switched the boiler on, it didn't make the about-to-explode thumping that it treated us to when we got back from holiday last week. He serviced it anyway and tested it by switching the heating on. That was an unexpected treat.

He spotted the earliest of his stickers inside the boiler door. 
'Did I really service this in 1999?' 
'You really did.'
'I may be retired next time you want it serviced.'
'You said that last time you repaired it. If you're going to retire we'll need you to tell us who to go to.'
'Ach, people don't do this work any more. Even the manufacturers are stopping making the spares. Installations yes, but no-one repairs things now.'

I fear he's right.

Our landline's packed up too and I don't think it'll be very long before this technology, created over 200 years ago for telegraph communication, disappears from above our heads.