The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire

I'm currently sitting at my dining room table (which is conveniently placed in the center of the house - like ground control to monitor workmen) watching the painter as he walks around with a single paintbrush loaded with paint occasionally dabbing at the walls, then striding across the newly laid carpet to another spot.

Having just received an estimate of over 1000.- to protect the slate floors it's all I can do from launching myself across the room and smacking him over the head with my computer. But I love my computer too much.

So I have decided against doing that. I woke up deciding that my new years resolution would be to acquire some Grace. Lucy2012 will not only come with an infant strapped to her hip but will also 'Graciously' discuss flaws and errors with suppliers instead of barking at them. Maybe it will get me further?! It's my new years resolution but I think I may need to start this one a good few months before the new year begins to give it a chance in h*ll of sticking.

If all else fails I can always close my eyes, zen out and pretend I am in the Bahamas. I can do this quite easily as our house is of about the same temperature. This is due to the PAC (Pompe a Chaleur) (which for those not in the know) - is where they drill 150m down into the earth's bedrock and install 2 metal pipes which draw the heat from said bedrock up to heat the house through the central heating system.

However... we either live above a fault line and are accessing a bubbling magma chamber... or there is a problem with the setting. I've had it seen to once already but somehow nothing has changed and I find it impossible to even wear socks in the house without my feet steaming. I thought it might just be me and the extra insulation that comes from being pregnant but then we got the cat's in and it started to become clear that the floor was too hot even for them to lie on. I keep finding them in random places - lying on a coffee table, under the dishwashed, in the shower. I guess it's the wise choice between getting wet or having singed paws...

So my next task from 'Ground Control' is to call the heating men and ask if they could change the setting from the 'Bahamas' to 'Mallorca in Early Spring' and see how that goes. If it still fails at least we know that though the installation cost was weighty at least all our heating is free - and we never need to travel to hot and exotic places because we are permanently living in one!