Send up the heat

What a fine morning to explore treasures in the flea market. This takes place just along the road from me on the first Sunday of the month. I perused all sorts of odds and sods, including fox stoles with heads and feet intact (mmm…Christmas present ideas), a row of coat hooks made out of deer feet (tasteful) and all manner of other artefacts. I wondered what gems might be hiding amongst all the bric and brac if only you had the eye for it.

I returned to the house for coffee and scribbles.

Brunch was served in a traditional English breakfast stylee at L’Enfance de Lard and we feasted on Lincolnshire sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, baked beans, mushrooms, potato cakes, fried bread and toast washed down with plenty of frothy bucks fizz and tea. Even a bottle of HP sauce and a pork pie was available. Absolutely delicious – honestly, you can’t top it.

This afternoon turned out to be quite a historic time for me. Unless you have spent more than a few days in a cold house you can not appreciate how obsessed with warmth one can become. I was obsessed. During brunch I had learned that by dialling 3103 on the telephone you can check if there are any messages. Curious to see if I had any, I did this when I got home and heard a message from the person from the estate agent who had arranged the sale of this house back in the summer. She had intervened to find out from the previous owner how the heating worked and left me a series of instructions which I immediately put into action and eureka! The boiler burst into life and heat began to fill the house. Oh joy! I gradually began to remove the layers of clothing I have become accustomed to modelling.

I watched Pedro Almodovar’s ‘Talk To Her’ on my laptop. Such a beautiful and moving film. Then I made a few phone calls to tell all the concerned parties of my good fortune with the boiler and parties broke out across the land. Spent the evening writing without shivering and put the winceyette nightie back into mothballs.