At the moment my living room is piled up with the contents of my kitchen. “How did this happen?” You say to yourself.

Well I have been down on the list to get a re-furbished kitchen from my landlord. Around three weeks ago the crew turned up to take the measurements and etc. and printed out a very nice plan of what it would be like.

They told me I would get a letter fixing up a date for around three weeks time..

On Friday the 18^th I had an Email from the Alliance Housing assistance officer, she said she had heard from the kitchen people that Health and Safety (The appointed nose pokers of Official Circles) had said I must have a perfectly clear access through my hallway and to the kitchen. Therefore the work which they had scheduled to start Monday 22^nd Feb. could not take place.

Now I am almost overflowing with reference books and so have two small bookcases there. This was the first notification I had of all of this. What you might ask had happened to the letter telling me when they would start? It got lost in the files of Health and Safety presumably.

I immediately sent a reply to the Alliance officer saying it would be cleared and the kitchen emptied by Monday Morning.

Friday I spent clearing the two bookcases and stacking the contents on other shelves. 

Saturday and Sunday I succeeded in moving the kitchen contents to the living room.

Now my family is not content to be relatively long lived but we also have a streak of obstinacy in bred into us as well. I was buggered if I would ask for help.

I managed with the fridge and tumble drier but the little freezer had me beaten. I asked a neighbour to help me by lifting it onto the little platform it lived on.

All was ready.  Came 8.30 Monday morning no workforce appeared, I gave them until almost 9.30 and then rang Alliance. What was happening I queried.

The officer Emailed me back almost immediately, she had told the surveyor and he was getting in to contact with the workforce.

Later that morning there was a knock at my door two people had arrived a lady and a gent. She explained that they had had no confirmation from Alliance that the flat was ready to have the work done.

The gent looked at the emptied kitchen and I explained about the puckers etc on the wall caused by the leaking pipe that was concealed by the bath in the room abutting the kitchen. “That will be dealt with” he said. I then asked “When will the work commence?” 

I asked because having never being told by them previously by letter, Email or spoken word I was curious to know why I had not been told by them about the Health and Safety worries.  

“In around three weeks” was the reply.

So for three weeks and another one to get the job done I am landed with the situation.

Got stuck.

How awkward when things go wrong. I was rattling away this morning on a crossword when one of the words I was using just would not work out. It gave me no connection whatever to any word on one of the down spaces..

I had to completely change and opt for a different one. Having already chosen 4 words that incorporated letters in the forbidden one I had to refrain from using some options because they had an I or a U. as an ending to the word suggested. 

However all's well that ends well.

Managed at last and can now watch my saved tele programme from last night.

Made up for the delay - did one complete in a fraction over half an hour.