Monday 20 November 2023
I still can’t quite believe we moved into our house in Scottish Borders just over a year ago. I am so happy that there is no unpacking to be done. For the first few weeks here, I remember feeling a bit broken – I was going to say physically, but probably mentally too. I am very, very happy that a year on and we have no not-coal to be dealing with so there aren’t bits of black dirt in my fingernails or about my person.
But the chimney, ugh. On Saturday night, just as we were about to set off for dinner at the home of two friends in the valley (it’s such a novelty to say that, that we have some friends here and that we went out for an evening!) when Chris noticed water under the multifuel burner. It would appear some water has come down the chimney. It has rained quite a lot but it’s definitely rained more and worse over the previous year so I can see no obvious reason why recent rain was exceptional to have caused water to come down the chimney. I have Googled rain down chimneys. Unsurprisingly, all information I have read so far has come from individual chimney sweep businesses. We now have the name of the chimney sweep our local friends have used and we’ll be contacting him today. Our list of tradespeople is growing. I did not anticipate the need for so many service providers to be employed.
Chris and I walked along a forestry trail above the house late afternoon yesterday. I thought I saw an enormous hare with ludicrously long legs but eventually realised I’d scared off two deer, the first time I’ve seen deer around the house in-person. In-deer.
As I write, there is a hi-vis-clad Openreach worker setting up a long ladder against our fibre broadband pole. It’s taking a long time to get the broadband working, so long that I have stopped assuming it will happen.
Tonight, we’re going out again. I know, twice in a week! Whatever next? The flood blocking our road is happening more frequently and it is a massive problem, obviously. The local pub has suggested a meeting tonight at seven. Our friends, who have lived in the area ten or more years longer than us, suggested how things might go at the meeting. I can see they are going to be right, but I feel a need to go. Chris less so, but he’s agreed to come along with me. He’s never been into the local pub. I suspect it will be a first and last visit to the pub, it’s an – unusual? – pub. I am wildly hoping it will be an exciting evening.