Okay its been a couple of days since my last post so theres a couple of things that I need to update you on...

The first thing isn't really an update as such, more just letting you know about something that happened on Friday...
I usually go home on the weekends and this week was the same with one exception. I walked home from Kidsgrove town centre, which is about a mile or so from my house and it was cold, really cold. I kept myself warm with thoughts of the furnace like, door-frame warping wave of heat as I open the front door. Did that happen? Did it boot. My gran had been in the house during the week and turned off the central heating. And the hot water. And the freezer. And left several windows slightly open. Instead of a wave of pure heat greeting my arrival I was instead greeted by a wave of water and ice.
So after an hour or so of rearranging furiture, throwing out now soaked carpets and turning on the heating etc I settled down to watch a DVD in front of a roaring (gas) fire. It then got to about 11 o'clock and I decided to retire so I left the living room expecting to find the rest of the house a similar pleasant temperature, but no, I was thwarted again. The house was still freezing. Puzzled by this I checked the radiators and they were indeed on, but not as hot as I used to remember, recalling the many times I've reached behind them to pick up a pen dropped behind there and smelled my own burning flesh. I put it down to them not being on long enough and went to bed. I decided, in my infinite and ever expanding wisdom, to leave the heating on all night to be on the safe side. Two hours later I wake up and the house is still cold. At this point I was thinking of causes, such as evil curses put on the house by native Eskimos because our house is built on their sacred burial grounds or, the more likely candidate, Gremlins. I decided to get up to see what the problem was and I had to get dressed, including coat and scarf because it was so cold. I decided to take a look at the boiler which is situated behind the fire in the living room. I stumbled bleary-eyed and shivering into the living room and to the fire. I pulled down a little flap on the front of the fire and.... the thermostat had been set to "Brass Monkeys" (I kid you not!). Grumbling at my family's stupidity, I trudged back upstairs to my bed and slept. I woke up an hour or so later and poked my warm face out into the now warm air and slumped back into a contented and finally warm sleep.

The second bit of news is that Rachel and I are back together after talking things through this morning. :)

Anyway I'm off now as I'm exhuasted from doing Richmond's job for four hours (It'll only be a couple of hours, Richard. Bah!)