Cold comfort convent

We woke up this morning feeling a tad chilled and realised before long that the boiler was up the creek. So, it's three days before Christmas, we have our lovely sista k turning up tomorrow, Margaret coming to stay, 15 coming to lunch on Christmas day, we can't get to our woodpile at the new house because the drive is water-logged and no plumber is going to answer a call-out.

L called Maintenance Thermique who have been our boiler geniuses for the last 5 years, knowing that this was a step-holiday-crisis too far but hoping we might get a post-Christms appointment. The receptionist disappeared for a while. "Between 4 and 6?" she asked. "Je t'adore, " said Lizzie. Cue howls of laughter. Our hero turned up and changed a sprayey-thingey thing and right now I can hear the boiler puffing up.

So while our fingers will be crossed very firmly over the next week we can only thank les messieurs et madame de Maintenance Thermique who bothered to come out and try and sort out our problem.