Just as one of my neighbours was ordering a spare part for my fuse box in the communal kitchen some workmen came by and glued a notice to the house door. Another neighbour explained to me that it was the National Grid – they were coming to upgrade the electrics in the house – well… Read More »
Ever since I switched over from summer to winter, the air-conditioner has been failing to pump out much warm air. I have had to leave it on full blast all day just to keep the place warm. So it wasn’t a big surprise when my whole flat was plunged into darkness. After consulting my neighbours,… Read More »
I have written here about the terrible water and electrics these old lanes houses have and I’ve been pretty fed up of the constant power cuts recently. There is a designated neighbour whose job it is to fix the electrics and what he does it strip off the plastic covering from an electric cable and… Read More »
When I moved into this flat there were candles on every surface. Candle holders of all shapes and sizes held a vast array of cheap Ikea candles. I initially assumed that they had been bought by a romantic previous tenant. It wasn’t until the first winter came that I realised that they were more practical… Read More »
I wrote recently that I was suspicious about the frequency of my electricity bills. They seemed to come more than once a month. Well, today I finally got to the bottom of the mystery. I got home yesterday to find that there were two envelopes pushed into my door frame. (This is how I receive… Read More »
The water bill is easy to fathom. Mr Xiu or another neighbour comes knocking on the door and then I have to take their torch, get on my knees and read the meter under the sink. When all the meters in the building have been read, someone divides the house bill up according to what… Read More »