You know, local elections always bring out the worst in some people, and parties.

Returning home from Farnborough yesterday, myself and Kit noticed that we were passed a sign for one of the 'issue' political parties (the UKIP, I believe), poking over a fence insisting "Say NO to unlimited immigration".

Being wishy-washy Guardian readers, we were both annoyed by this but Kit was the one who broke and commented on it first:

Kit: "You know, no-one's actually advocating unlimited immigration. At all."
Me: (picking up the theme) Say NO to misrepresented issues!"
Kit: (immediate) "Say NO to straw men!"
Me: (thinks) "Actually, that's what both they and us are saying - but we mean very different things by it."

And by then the car was well past the sign and the conversation changed.

Hold everything - we've just set the fire alarm off!

Apparently turning the blowtorch off can do that...

And lo, the new hot water boiler is shafted.

Matey the plumber (aka John Hurt) has been on the blower to the manufacturers, who're sending people tomorrow morning ((am they say) to repair and make good.

*Then* he can finish off the job. Assuming they don't try and quibble about anything and delay things.

Grump.

The Plumber has gone off to get some more bits (unspoken: and to have a lunch break) and will be back in an hour to re-rejig the piping already installed so that we can have cold water at least this evening.

Right, better go cancel my appointments for tomorrow then.

Bugger.

And then someone from another flat turned up to complain that *their* hot water had just stopped.


And he bloody goes away to sort them out! Hey, I had to wait weeks for my hot water to go this far!

At least he's back. I assume that means that the flat below us isn't parasitic on our hot water supply. <grumble>

(Let's just put this in perspective - I can't use the taps *or* the toilet or leave the flat 'till he finishes here. I'd quite like my job finishing first.)

And this breaking news just in...

<clacketty-clacketty-teletype-sound-effects>

Our hot water tank leaks. Pah!

Not badly enough to flood the place, I hasten to add, but badly enough that we have to keep the water turned off when we're not actively using it.

However, this bummer is offset by the fact that:

I now have an electric drill!
Yay! (and <BZZZZZ!>)

-- Oh, and I hasten to add that the above two facts are not related, before anyone asks. ;)