Date: 2009-08-01 16:07 Subject: Warning!!!! Security: Public Tags: ceramic stove company, osier stove, wood burning stoves

For quite some time now the house renovation has proceeded very slowly. I have been quite discouraged and depressed because the stoves I had installed have not been what I expected and what I was led to believe they would be. They work in a fashion, but not as effectively and safely as I was expecting them to do.

I first read about the stoves from this company in an ecological magazine. I foolishly took the article as a recommendation for the stoves. I thought the writer knew about these things. I also thought that people involved in the selling and producing ecological products would be trustworty and do good work.

As things stand now I have stoves that are not safe, have broken parts, are not in all details built according to the rules and regulations governing these kinds of products, do not work as they should etc. The magazine does not accept any kind of responsibility - customer look out. The company refuses to refund any money so that I could put things right and refusies to take responsibility for all the faults. They also refuse to come and put right the parts they agree are their responsibility until I agree not to pursue with my compaints about the other faults.

I shall get back to this later on when I have energy and time. I just wanted to write a brief warning now so that others will not get taken in.

Date: 2006-10-10 10:37 Subject: Pari vaikeaa viikkoa Security: Public Location: At home in South Wales Mood: drained

What a couple of weeks since I last wrote here. M was brought home from college on Thursday September 28th as per could not walk unaided. The muscles of legs and arms really weak. I took per to the doctor on Friday. M was examined properly and many blood samples were taken. Per stayed home the whole of the next week. Last Friday we went to the doctor again. The blood samples shows that everything was fine apart from one sample which showed some inflammation. The doctor thought it was probably caused by a virus. To make certain M has to have another blood sample taken in two weeks time. If the high count has gone down it means that it was some kind of virus. If it is up there is something more serious the matter and per would need to see someone else. Good thing was that all the samples showed that M did not lack any nutrient. I was pleased about that because I have been worried about M's diet from my cooking point of view. I have never really enjoyed cooking and it shows. I do not think of my cooking as proper cooking. Particularly now that I am doing so much work on the house I have no energy to think of what to make for dinner. M and I sometimes joke that I need a wife.
I felt quite lost as to what to do and say when M on Sunday said that per wanted to drop out of college. Per is not very clear about what per wants to do with pers life. The courses per is doing are not what per originally wanted to do. Unfortunately per was too young for what per had thought of doing. M is interested in the courses but feels that they are not really right ones for per. So we went through the whole process of discussing and talking about the possibilities. We made plans for M looking for work. On Monday M went to college. I had told per that I would like per to continue for a couple of weeks while thinking about the next step. Anyway, M came home saying that per wanted to drop out now. So new plans and some action. The end result M is going to stay on and take the AS exams at the end of this academic year and then take a year off.
I feel totally emotionally drained.
Now I have to try and get the house ready for the winter. It is getting colder and there are things that need doing to prevent us from freezing. I have ordered some materials I need. And will need to order some more. Hopefully we shall be reasonably warm this winter. And do not need the electric heating like last winter. It was a very expensive winter.

Date: 2006-09-28 12:46 Subject: (ei otsikkoa) Security: Public

V & D and their dog have been here now since Monday. I met them at the station. It has been a little like a holiday for me. V has done most of the cooking. Per has done cleaning and both of them have done washing up. Nice to be served for a change. And their dog has been kept off the furniture, apart from their bed. So our dog has not got into the idea (again) that it is ok to go on the furniture.

Date: 2006-09-22 20:03 Subject: Elämä iatkuu Security: Public Location: At home in South Wales Mood: drained Music: M's music, some good some not so. Tags: building, chatting, dog

And the work continues. It is quite fiddly to do anything in this old house. The walls are not really straight and the corners are not 90 degree corners. I suppose it suits me and my way of working and building. I have started building these cupboards in the kitchen corner without actually knowing how they will end up looking. So far so good. I have not enough materials to finish them but what I have done so far looks quite good.
Had a chat with A in Barcelona - a three way chat with M here at pers computer and me on mine. It was really good chatting. Wish I could see per soon again.
V & D are coming on Monday which is great. They are bringing their dog with them. I am a little anxious about that as their dog is allowed on furniture. Last time when they were here our dog got the idea of going on the furniture. I have just managed to train it not to go on it. I do not like dog hairs on furniture.

Date: 2006-09-20 10:09 Subject: Lady of leisure? Security: Public Location: Home in South Wales. Mood: contemplative Music: kaffilaulu Tags: mother, motherhood

Just finishing my breakfast cup of coffee - bit late at ten in the morning. You might be excused in thinking that I am a lady of leisure. But I am not: lady - never, leisure - I wish. I did wake up later than usual at a quarter to eight. Usually I wake up before seven. At eight o'clock I woke M up with a cup of coffee and came down to have my breakfast while watching the news. Or so I thought. M came down saying that I was to help per to write pers cv which per was going to take around to potential employers after pers only lesson at college today.
Mother's work is never done. It is the ultimate full time employment: 24/7 for the rest of your life without the usual monetary remuneration. Even when a mother is at a paid employment full time all the responsibilities of the motherhood remain and need to be attended to. If there are other close people to share the responsibilities and the pleasure, giving love, encouragement and understanding to the children and to the mother, and doing the practical things like washing and cleaning etc and really listening, those responsibilities would be so much lighter to bear. Even so, I would not be without my children.
Must finish for now and get to the work on the house.

Date: 2006-09-19 22:13 Subject: All in a day's work Security: Public Location: Home in South Wales. Mood: optimistic Music: Nothing at the moment.

Continued the work in the kitchen: one more upright on the wall, a small cupboard between two others - a bit fiddly that one as the two shelves were not quite the right size after all.
The problem with the computer persists. It seems that BT has decided that some web pages are not for us. I sent an email to my service provider. Well, another one. Sent one yesterday. Today I gave them a little more information.
M went to bed early. All is quiet now. I was about to turn off the computer and go to bed to read when I thought of checking this web site, mainly to see if I can get to it. BT seems to have decided to let me in (M said that per was not able to get in yesterday) so I set my account and am now writing this.
This feels a little strange. Well, I'll see how it all goes. I have thought often that it might be fun keeping an account of the work on the house. Should have started it when we first moved in to this house. Record of M's reactions on the holes in floors and walls etc. M was quite nervous about it all at the beginning. The fall would have been quite a drop into the cellar. That time when the floor was up just inside the front door when M came home from school was perhaps the scariest for per. Per had to walk on the joists which I had managed to replace just before per got home.