Let me tell you a story about some guttering .....part II

New Fence.  Smart!

We had a busy day on the Saturday, putting up a new fence after Storm Doris hit the week before and then we were going out at 17.00hrs for a late Valentine Meal with Vintage Trains.
At 16.00hrs scaffolders turned up to erect the scaffolding .......

Scaffolding up all across the back
 of the house

After a lot of discussion, mainly because we did not know anything about this - the scaffolding company thought that Adams Askey had informed us - but, as we were about to learn, they never contact their customers to ask if all is ok? ....like.... is there access?.... is someone in the house?.....is it convenient?

We arranged for the scaffolders to erect the frame, they promised to be gone by 17.00hrs so ...... true to their word they were finished by 16.50hrs, really pleasant guys who worked without stopping, or damage to our property.  All bodes well.

Small portion that causes the problem

The photos are not great but I hope they help to show the work involved.                                                           

Goodbye trouble........

On Tuesday morning, Adams Askey turned up at 08.30hrs, just like that!  
Came to see what was needed, had a look then went off to Stirchley to fetch parts, will only be five minutes.  As they have just turned up I had to cancel my arrangements but PJ continued with his day.  About 10.30hrs, John called round to tell us that the roofers had to order the parts so would not be back today!!  Really!!  Good job you came and told us!!  

New Fascia board

We arranged for the work to be done on the Thursday but asked for a phonecall first, just so we know.

See the difference!

True to form, on Thursday the roofers turned up at 10.00hrs and started work, the old fascia came down, up went the new .....
...... the old was left hanging, not joined smoothly, about a two foot from our boundary.

Leaving it like that?

I asked why.  

"The plastic fascia pieces are not made to that length" .....!?!?!  

Gunged up 'finish'

So after much complaining and trying to make the roofer see how awful it looked, him telling me that is what the surveyor told them to do, me complaining a bit more, him phoning office, he eventually went off and bought some more pieces.  
The result was that he joined the new piece of fascia to the last piece and said that was the best he could do.  
About this point our neighbour came round to ask if he could give him a quote to do his guttering and after much conversation, the neighbour left.  The roofer then informed me that he could not complete the job because it would flood my neighbour's garden!  
Excuse me!  
We are paying for this job to be done and you are not going to complete it!!!!
They left.
I fumed.

Let me tell you a story about some guttering .....

Some years ago our guttering was damaged by a heavy downfall of snow and our back room was flooded out.  This happened while I was at work and, as you can imagine, came as quite a shock when I arrived home.  I arranged through the insurance company to have new guttering put in place and my back room furnishings replaced. The roofer duly came out and fitted new guttering, a really good job done.  After the next downpour my next door neighbour came round to tell me that she had flooded out in her back extension and it must be because of my guttering. 
I called out the roofer and he went up and had a look as he knew he had done a good job.  He couldn't understand what was happening but when he looked into it .... we were carrying the water from the other houses in the block!  As they have extended their kitchens they have removed the downpipes from their guttering and connected it to mine, but now my guttering had been repaired the water was backing up into their own guttering and dripping over.
Over the years, two of my neighbours have replaced their down pipes so that we are carrying only the other two neighbour's water.  Even though we have a smaller amount of water running along the guttering, it started to leak whenever we had a heavy downpour and over time the fascia started to rot causing that section of the guttering to drop ..... we flooded again.  This time we couldn't claim so while we saved our money to pay for new guttering and fascia we held discussions with our neighbours.  
We are blessed with good neighbours.  Both the neighbours were up for fixing their guttering so we didn't flood anymore, the next door neighbour even offered to pay for our damage to be rectified!  Good neighbours you see.
Eighteen months later we have enough money, we think, to pay for our guttering etc. to be repaired.  We notify the neighbours what will be happening, reminding them that past history may mean that their back rooms will flood.
All is in order, we contacted Adams Askey back in beginning of January (6th) to call in and give us a quote.  We are using this company because we used this company to make a repair to the garage roof after the police damaged it (another story!).  The workmanship was very good and the guys were polite, friendly .... perfect workers, couldn't be faulted on any level so back to the company we went.
We arranged for the first visit to be on the Monday (9th) evening.
John turned up a couple of hours early, but we were in and so we talked, John took notes etc. Quote was written out, deposit paid and we both agreed that we would let him know when work was to be started and then he left.
We now had to sort out when it would be convenient for the men to start the work.

For various reasons, which I wont go into here, we could not give the go ahead until 2nd March but when we rang it was agreed that work would start the next week.......

You have mail ......

... well, me actually!
I received an email from Creative Stamping on Wednesday to say that I had won a prize .... £50 to spend at Craft Stash.
I went into shock .. I have never won anything in my life!
I read and reread the email ...... then took a trip over to Craft Stash ...... one of my favourite stores..... and placed an order.
I placed everything I fancied into my basket and then whittled it down to £50 worth..... took me about two hours but what a wonderful two hours!
After I hit the checkout button I discovered that if the order went through before 15.00hrs it would be sorted that day .... it was now 15.17hrs..........
I received my prize THIS morning .. how's that for service?!?!
What an exciting three days ..... I am jumping up and down... frequently ....... big smile on my face ......

The prize ......

I chose three dies and four matching stamps plus some sentiment stamps.  

To be honest, I had lots of fancy stuff in my basket and then found the Island Blooms stamp. When I went in for further details, Craft Stash mentioned that the stamp co-ordinates with Sumatra Die so I had a look at that.  In the end I had sorted out three dies with matching stamps, and there's more yet if I decide to have birthday presents ......

Now I have to exercise self control as I have a busy day tomorrow but come Sunday..........

Slowly Vanishing ......

....green and pleasant land.
I have tried today to contact my local Council but I think they have the day off for the Local Elections.
I am incensed at yet more destruction of our locality.
Our Local Councillors' manifesto is 'The protection of our Bye Laws' to keep our green verges green....... but they are not in their office when they are needed.
We are watching the destruction of their green verges today ...... all for the sake of the great god motorised vehicle.
This young worker has been ordered to complete a run up to the front garden...... he is digging up the grass and laying slabs.  
The young couple who bought this house have already cleared all the frontage and block paved the lot.  All the water runs off and soaks into the grass verge so we are saved from more flooding out front.  But now it looks like our drains will work overtime  ....... and the folks next door to them have lost access to their driveway for the time being.  (He has now parked his van on the roadside grass verge ........)
  
I have been onto the Council for help but there is non available ..... so sinks our 'green and pleasant land' deeper into the concrete ...... and there is nothing we can do to conserve the greenness and the oxygen and the .....
....... so I rant and rage but feel so helpless.  
It is alright the government and councillors going on about preservation of our rights, greenhouse gases etc. but where are they when needed.
I shall contact my newly elected councillor tomorrow ..... watch this space!!