Wednesday 18 October 2017

#285 Living in a cursed house

Yesterday the oven stopped working. It lit up and the fan blew but my pie had gone in expecting to come out golden brown and to its dismay, it was still cold.

This would be surprising except that it occurred under the roof of this house. The house in which no lifeform or object behaves in exactly the way it should.

I think the pipes leak. I can hear them. I hear dripping noises. Two weeks ago, someone was having a shower upstairs, except I could hear it downstairs. Upon opening a kitchen cupboard, I was treated to the spectacle of what looked like an Asian monsoon. Not only was it raining in the cupboard but there was some kind of smoke, or steam or... I don't know, I just closed it again. I never used that cupboard much anyway.

It almost makes me miss the infestations. The Dulwich house was cursed too but in a more biblical sort of way. We had mice, ants, beetles and most annoyingly, mites. Generally speaking, the smaller the creature, the harder it was to get rid of. For the mice, we called pest control. For the ants, I think we used flour. They wouldn't cross it. We made a white ring around the outside of the kitchen. Even the cat knew to step over it. For the beetles, I think we worked out they were coming from a gap under the bathtub, so we sealed it. The mites required some serious dryness. The letting agent gave us one dehumidifier for each room and after a day or two, they were gone.

At least the boiler's working now. That was the worst.

I don't want to live here forever.

15 comments

Profound Familiarity said...

This post has been reposted due to a temporary issue with its date. Comments have therefore been reposted too.

Fizzfan:
I liked your approach to solving the problem of the monsoon in the kitchen cupboard :D
I’ve had mice in rented accommodation. Think I’d had enough when I woke up and found a pellet on my pillow :((

On a similar note my cat got fleas once as she had some sort of super fleas that had become immune to the flea prevention I was giving her. Couldn’t believe how hard they are to squish. Had to change her treatment and all the carpets and rugs after I’d read their eggs can last dormant for 18 months.

I hope no one ever opens that bath tub up, and the mites sound terrifying.

PS What became of your pie?.........I’m off for a scratch

Profound Familiarity said...

Super fleas! Love it. Jeez, 18 months that's insane. They're so tiny, what can possibly be going on in that egg that takes 18 months?

When the pie found out that it couldn't get the tan it wanted, it felt fed up to the point where nothing mattered anymore so it threw itself into the bin.

I think I've upset Cath again. She made a well-meaning comment and I deleted it. Sometimes I feel like a male version of she who must not be named.

A scratch?

Profound Familiarity said...

Fizzfan: I’m really laughing. Your take on the 18 month gestation period of a flea:D Now they would be super fleas!

Suicidal pies eh? Was it from Essex?

Ooops for whatever it was and really? for the rest. Hopefully all will be good again soon.

Yes. Don’t little nibbly creatures make you itch?

Profound Familiarity said...

The Essex reference was lost on me I'm afraid.

Yes really.

Oh, yes. Yes they do.

Profound Familiarity said...

Fizzfan: Much to your credit really........Only Made In Essex.......your pie couldn’t get a tan.......:)
No I don’t watch it but......anyway.......

What with dodgy plumbing, noise intrusion and small creatures, are you sick of sharing? (Living quarters)
I know I grew to hate it.

Profound Familiarity said...

I've just repasted these comments due to a problem with the date of the post.

I consider sharing more or less necessary for me at the moment, so it probably doesn't do me much good to dwell on it.

Fizzfan said...

Good point. In fact although sharing had its problems, it was the noisy neighbours below me that really used to drive me nuts.
One couple were in the RAF and used to have parties every weekend. They were loud.
Mercifully I knew the landlord well as he used to live there, so I persuaded him to let them go :)

Profound Familiarity said...

Do you consider yourself a persuasive person?

Fizzfan said...

Not really, but rage does make me more so:)
How about you? You always seem quite measured.

Profound Familiarity said...

I don't think I'm much of a persuader.
There's anger in me. It surfaces sometimes.

Fizzfan said...

I think persuasion smacks or coercion. I’m not a huge fan. I’d rather let people make their own mind up. I’m sure it’s more valuable to them. Probably why I’d make an horrendous salesperson, and I’m always very unkeen to talk to them.

I think anger gets a bad rap sometimes. I think it’s an entirely natural and honest reaction to adverse treatment. It’s only when it becomes violent or abusive that it’s bad.

Profound Familiarity said...

Yeah exactly, a person has to think for themselves.

I'm quite good at directing my anger either internally (unhealthy) or onto objects (which don't feel pain) although if I could intervene before it got to that stage, it would be better still.

Fizzfan said...

Yeah I try to internalise too. I have gone out in the car for a drive just to have a lone scream occassionally. It’s surprisingly effective. I guess it’s just letting the pressure out. Thumped a few cupboards in my time too.
I don’t think I’m very good at talking things through and mostly try to ignore irritating people, which in turn seems to make them more insistent on their purpose of annoying me, then eventually I blow. At work it’s just a sharp verbal nip once a blue moon, but once in while at home it’s quite a lot more.
I actually hate arguing but some folks are natural agitators and I’m a bit of a reactor I guess.
I have toyed with the notion of buying earplugs and discreetly popping them in before things escalate but know it’s a stupid concept. Generally I’d say left to my own devices I’m pretty chilled and mostly very happy. It’s them there others!
(They may disagree)

Profound Familiarity said...

It's amazing that you can just scream in your car. I often look for a place where I can talk with nobody being able to hear me and there are surprisingly few places, if any.

Hmm, yes dealing with other people is very difficult. Sometimes impossible.

Fizzfan said...

You’re right about finding solitude. It’s a something I need but very seldom get.
When I’m actually alone it’s like a super treat in the way other people think of a weekend break in the Caribbean.
I think it’s an introverts ‘thing’
Other people? I quite like most people I happen across for some reason or other. Block those I really don’t, and really like and love a very few......Dealing with them all, sometimes quite a challenge, yep occasionally impossible..... I guess they think the same.