Maintenance - prep for autumn

We woke up this morning to rain beating against the windows and an outside temperature of 15°C. Inside it was a more cosy 20°C but with no sun it still felt a bit cold and damp.
Jan's injured ankle & foot mean she can't run around in her usual fashion and sitting still she felt a little cold. So we decided to run the central heating for a brief spell, just to warm away the damp.
I popped down to the cellar and turned on the heating. The pump started but not much happened, the pipes didn't warm up and start ticking like they do in winter. I was a little concerned and went back upstairs to find all the radiator thermostats were turned down. That was a relief, the basic system was working after all. I adjusted the thermostats and warm water began flowing into some of the radiators. The others needed a little maintenance, which my blip shows.
Unscrew the outer part of thermostat.
Use the pliers to pull the central pin out a little. (That's the slightly blurred central pin in the bit of the thermostat still on the pipe.) If that doesn't have an effect push it back in and pull it out several times.
If that doesn't work hit the thermostat in the  pipe, with a hammer (or the back of an axe in this case.) Protect the paint/chrome with a piece of wood or cloth.
Eventually you hear the water starting to roar through the pipe and the radiator gets warm. Success!
Replace the outer section of the thermostat and adjust the temperature.
The problem occurs because the thermostats are thirty years old and the spring-loaded mechanism inside the pipe is somewhat gunged up. A little discreet hammering has always solved the problem so far. Most of the thermostats then work as they should for the rest of the winter. A couple of them require this treatment every few weeks. All part of the joy of living in an house a little over 100 years old, with a heating system at least 50 years old.
Many thanks to the YouTube plumbers who shared this trick.
If you are thinking of trying this at home I take no responsibility! I'm not a plumber!One added point is that in some thermostats (not these ones) that central pin can pull right out and water squirts out after it.
Having got the whole system up and running an hour later the sun came out and it suddenly felt very warm. We turned the heating off once more, and let the sun warm our house and the surrounding forest.
Later I went out and picked the last of the blackcurrants bushes. A final two litres of blackcurrants into the freezer.
There are still many blackberries waiting to ripen but I picked the ones that had ripened and they also were added to our winter supplies in the freezer downstairs.