I HOPE WE’RE ON THE RIGHT ROAD!

Our new fuel contract starts on 1st October and part of the deal was that we had to have new smart meters fitted - and this was due to be done today.

I’m not actually advertising the company that provides our gas and electricity, but I have to say we can’t fault them because they have kept us up-to-date with what was going to happen today by email and text and in fact Ian the technician who fitted the two smart meters was bang on time.  

Interestingly, when he arrived just after 8 o’clock this morning, I did ask to see his ID despite the fact that he was driving an OVO green van and wearing a bright green OVO shirt! I told him that we were quite savvy about asking for ID, and having watched something on television on Friday evening when a lady had let some bogus water officials into her home and ended up murdered, we felt that we needed to check that he was who he said he was!  Of course, this caused much laughter, as you can imagine.

Ian was very thorough and explained all that he would be doing, which of course involved turning off the electricity and the gas, but he was very quick and efficient, and the job was finished just after 9 o’clock.  Oh that all workmen were as efficient - on time and did a good job!

He didn’t want a cup of coffee – despite me boiling the kettle just as he arrived – saying that he only lived in Swindon and hadn’t long had his breakfast!

Ian has left us a small device which tells us how much electricity and gas we are using, but I don’t want to get hung up on this and feel I can’t even boil a kettle or use my tumble dryer!

Mr. HCB is now out pottering in the garden and I have made a few more of my cards, so the rest of the day is now our own.  

I’m delighted because Mr. HCB has just brought in his Mum‘s basket filled with rhubarb, courgettes, cucumber, runner beans, raspberries, spinach, chard and tomatoes, so as well as hopefully saving money on our fuel now, we will be saving money in other ways!

I managed to find a photograph of Oxford House, my derelict Blip from yesterday, before it fell into disrepair, so have put this in as an extra so that you can see what a lovely property it was – and hopefully can be in the future.  I also found out that the owner, who is a Chartered Accountant and says he is "very sick" put in a planning application to knock down this property and the one next door and wanted to build flats on the land - but the application was rejected - which we are glad about because it would alter the whole feel of this lovely area.

Hope you all have a great week, whatever the weather throws at you - it’s definitely more Autumnal today!