Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Ralph is THE most splendid cook.

We have beef, which he gets from an old-fashioned Family Butcher in Nottingham.

When Ralph is cooking, it's a sight to behold. He fiffs & faffs, smells the food, prods it, bastes it, tastes it, seasons it, warms the Yorkshire Pudding dish (you have to warm the dish, apparently) da de da.

Eventually the great moment arrives - the beef is done. Now a peculiar thing happens & Ralphy swears this makes sense.

When he gets the meat out of the oven, he insists it has to "relax". I kid you not. I enquired, of course. "It's all stressed when it finishes cooking Tony, & it will be tough, but if you let it relax, it unwinds, & goes beautifully tender". Eh?

But I tell you this - no person alive cooks more beautifully tender & tasty beef.

Beef, saucer-sized Yorkshire puds, peas, world-class roasties, & proper gravy in a gravy boat. Magnifique.

I had three helpings. Three Yorkshire puds, three lots of meat, 3 lots of tatties. The perfect meal. Afters was Xmas Pud with cream.

All the while, Ralph & me are prattlng on about this & that. But the dark cloud was over my head. My home is ruined.

I was probably very bad company, but I did my best. I was shaking, inside & outside, mentally & physically in turmoil.

I usually loan Ralph a bunch of books at Xmas, & vice-versa, but of course I forgot them in all the hoohah at home, but Ralph gave me back last year's books, & loaned me some, too, a book on Hi-Lo Omaha, & a book about Paul Raymond. Both will be terrific reads.

Eventually, we said our goodbyes, & I left to face the music. Or more precisely, the water.

By the way, this is not a tale of woe, not at all, quite the opposite in fact, but I have a need to write it down, I just do. It all ends happily ever after.

[technolog]

Thank goodness for that. I was worried you wouldn't have up-to-date insurance!

[tikay]

I needed a torch. You ever tried buying a torch on Christmas day, in the evening?

I started at Trowell Services, on the M1, no luck, & eventually, 6 garages in Derby later, got one. OK, back home.

It was worse than I remembered, but the water had stopped flowing. It was still dripping everywhere, through the light fittings & ceiling, but just dripping, not running. Just "laying water" escaping from the loft, & upstairs.

I discovered the problem - some botched plumbing in the loft, when I had some work done by a terrorist plumber a few years back. At least I know the cause.

**** **** ****

I was totally bemused, what to do? I needed to clear my head. I sorted a few things, then left, & drove back to my London Hotel. God knows why, I could have rung any number of friends & bagged a room for the night, but I don't want to impose on people's special day. I was not thinking straight, but it gave me a few hours to work out where to go from here.

I was distraught, utterly distraught. I felt like running away from it all, what a nightmare.

More than anything, I was worried about the folks next door, too, I live in a semi, & I did not want my problem spreading to them, which it easily could. I can handle my own probs, but I'd hate to cause them to be affected as well.

I reached London at about 11pm I think. I fired up the Lappie, cleared my e-Mails, played some Hi-Lo distractedly for an hour, then went to bed. You cannot make up the way my mind works. Playing cards while all that stuff needs sorting. 

I never slept much, just tried to work out what to do.

By 7am (Boxing Day) , I had a plan, & I was back in the car at 8pm after making a few puff Posts for next door, to drive back to Derby. 3 hours, & plenty to think about, but good productive thinking. Think, think, think.

The physical shaking had stopped now, I was over the "shock", & now let's get sorted. Slightly embarrassed that it "hit me" so hard, but from now on, it's OK. I have a plan.

The drive passed in a flash, & after diverting into the Co-Op, & stocking up on bin-liners & garden sacks, I went back home. Next door seem to be away, but I looked for clues to see if they had inherited my problem. No steamed-up windows, hopefully they are OK. They were still away, it seemed.

OK, I better face the music in my place. Externally, the only clue was the windows, all running with water (internally), but inside, total carnage. Everything is totally ruined, end of.

Hey-ho.

[Claw75]

bloody hell tikay.  i'll bet you keep all your money in a biscuit tin under the bed too don't you?  Hope it was in the front bedroom!  Good to hear that Angell is ok x

[EvilPie]

Great attitude Tikay.

Everything's ruined. Meh let's sort it out.

Plenty of people will be in similar situations with burst pipes and flooding houses and others will be in even worse places with much more to worry about than a bit (lot) of water.

Oh btw. Next time you need a torch in an emergency try sending a text to a friend or 2 in the area. We're not all pissed up and full of food. I was just sat at home with Ronnie and could easily have helped out.

Believe me if it was an inconvenience I'd have told you to sod off so don't feel bad asking.

Good luck sorting it all out.

[tikay]

I have lived there for about 30 years.

I doubt if I have ever thrown a thing away, I'm an OCD hoarder. Clothes, letters, bills, receipts, bank statements, Access bills, Leccy bills, trinkets, junk, I've never thrown ANYTHING away. Ever.

And I'm ashamed of the mess my house was in - & that's before the flood.

So the solution is simple. Throw everything away, "blind", don't try to salvage anything, just bin the lot, & start again. I needed to do that really, so now I will. So that's a positive.

It's Christmas, too, so not much "business" to attend to, so I have a few days to myself. Another bonus.

Retirement, voluntary or otherwise, can't be far off, & for some time, I've been thinking that I need to prepare my home for my final years, make it nice & comfy, so I can vegetate away in the comfort I think I've earned. So now I can use this as the moment to sort out the house properly.

The electrics needed renewing anyway, the wiring had gone all brittle, merely changing a light bulb was an issue.

I needed a new bathroom suite, too.

The sofa & armchairs, home for the cat, Angell, & before that, Charlie, are well past their best, too, so they needed replacing.

Decorations? I like it simple, plain emulsion does me. I could date when I last decorated by a strange event. I was with Wendy at the time, not living together, but she was a big influence on me, helped me to do things by gently nagging & prodding. "You really ought to decorate" she'd say, & I'd go & do it.

I was also spread-betting with IG Index at that time, & one Sunday afternoon, I was decorating the Lounge, & at the same time watching Arsenal away to Man Utd. I had gone for Arsenal supremacy at £500 a goal. My memory filters out bad memories, but I know the score was either 5-1 or 6-1 to United. OMG. I could have "got out" by taking a loss at 1-0, 2-0, or 3-0, but I was stubborn. Ugh. So whenever Man Utd last thrashed Arsenal 5 or 6-1 on a Sunday afternoon was the last time I decorated. So yes, I was overdue to decorate.

Papers? Sheesh, mountains of them, all sodden now. Bin the lot, don't even look. Luckily, my Share Certificates are with the Bank, but they are not bearer bonds, so not a problem.

Clothes. Suits from when I was working, & all my golf gear from when I was Club Captain of Royal Ormonde.  Clothes by the wardrobe-full, never used.

My books were a big worry, but I got away lightly. Most are in 2 or 3 bookshelves, but you know how it is if you have a lot of books, little piles develop here & there. Maybe 50 books were lying around, & most were ruined. Luckily, mostly "light" books, Clarkson etc, which is no big deal. All my antiquarian books are fine & dry. What a result.

So, after a night's thought, & 6 hours driving, I'd got my head in the right place. This is a great opportunity, & the timing was as near perfect as it gets.

In fact, a nice little challenge.

[tikay]

By Noon, I had filled 40 - FORTY! - bin bags. Wow, I felt good.

I went & got another 20, & filled them, too. The feeling was strangely uplifting, throwing away all that history, & almost no regrets.

It was 3pm (Boxing Day) now, & my back was giving me some gip, & my tummy was still a bit off. So that'll do for one day.

I booked a few nights at a Days Inn (£30 a night, how good is that?), & showered & cleaned myself up. A good day.

This is all very rational, really, & I was pleased I'd got my head together, after the early panic. It's all coming together nicely, & I was as happy as larry.

And then I did one of those thing so stupid you could not make it up. I drove all the way down to Luton to play the £100. How daft is that?

But I felt good, & I needed to take a break from fretting & stuff, so it worked for me. What I never anticipated was I'd be there so late, & it was about 4.15am when I eventually left Luton. £800 better off, & very tired.

I had planned to start work on "Flood Relief Day Two" at 7am, but it was 11am before I was back home, as I overlaid badly. Ah well.

PS - I am getting some texts & things, from special friends, "why did you not ring me, come stay at mine etc?". I mean no offence, please don't take any. I have to work these things through on my own. I'm a bit funny like that.

[ForthThistle]

But I felt good, & I needed to take a break from fretting & stuff, so it worked for me. What I never anticipated was I'd be there so late, & it was about 4.15am when I eventually left Luton. £800 better off, & very tired.

You run good Tikay...

[doogan]

sorry for the misfortune, but it sounds to be a blessing in disguise. Hope you enjoy the tidy up and all goes well.

That chilli bloke will have tons to do now and i'm sure Geeves will be called into help.

[byronkincaid]

did you manage to rip up/shred the bank statements? if not pm me your address and i'll be up to have a rummage through your bins

must be blondes who could sort everything in your house for you, can think of an electrician and a plumber and i could project manage it all for you for a mere monkey a day. you live near dtd and has got teh internet right?

re the heat allergy thing might wanna google omega 3 and vitamin D. they cure just about everything apparently



 

[tikay]

So, at last, a Christmas ro remember.

I love Christmas. Ish.

I have half a mind to go to DTD tonight for their £20k Guaranteed, but I'm prob a bit late now. I'll prob head back down to Luton again. You could not make it up.

Tomorrow, Day Three of the clear-up will sort most of the remaining mess. I've cleared most of the kitchen, all of the lounge (ecxept the furniture), the bathroom, & half of my bedroom, just leaving half of that to clear, & the back bedroom, which was unaffected, but an utter junk-heap. I'm gonna be posh & clean & tidy soon.

All the carpets - which date from when I last decorated, & so are well overdue for replacing - will need pulling up & binning, too. And all the furniture & kitchen units will have to go as well.

I tried to order a skip today, but everywhere was closed. I reckon I'll need 2 or 3.

I'm going to develop a Project Plan, (I have to fit it in with my work, of course), & a proper budget. I think I'll set up a Bank Account especially, & deposit a lump of money in there, so I can control the spend. I started off thinking £10k, then £15k, then modified it down to £10k, then £5k, but as of now, I think maybe £15k should cover it. Hopefully, insurance will cover everything, or most of it (minus "wear & tear", which will be most of the capital sum!) but I won't let insurance stand in the way of what I'm gonna do, I can do without arguing with them right now. They'll pay, or they won't, but it needed doing, & I'm gonna do it.     

I had "Mortgage Protection Insurance", but I finished paying the mortgage about 2 years ago, so I have a niggle in the back of my mind as to what I'm covered for. I think I'm covered, but I'm not 100% sure. Oddly, it's not bothering me one iota. Money is not the problem really, I need to get myself "settled" again, mentally more than anything. I have not always been sensible with money, but I've been a lot better recently.

I can but imagine what it must be like for those poor souls who have had the same experience, & have kids, & no money.

Whatever way I spin it, I think I've had a result.

I can do without any more shocks & surprises, though. F*** surprises, I don't like them.

I gotta go back to London on Wednesday, to do the Show, which will "break up" the week nicely, then I'll have Thursday, Friday & Saturday back home on the house, then drive down to do the Show again on Sunday. Not sure when New Years Eve is, but anything which swerves that is fine by me.

I'm going to have to neglect my day job for a few days, but I'm sure they will understand. I don't have contracted hours, just reponsibilities. I mostly over-deliver (insecurity ftw), so I'm sure I have a bit of goodwill in the bank, so to speak.

PS - Did you know that water-sodden books triple in bulk? It's amazing how big they "swell"!

[tikay]

Not sure why I felt I had to write all that guff, but I feel better for doing it somehow.

I am a rather odd creature, though I doubt anyone noticed.

[Claw75]

don't go storming ahead too quickly before reporting it all to the insurance company and getting them to take a look.  they'll sort getting the place properly dried out for starters, and would imagine will cover the other losses, but not if you sort everything out before letting them know what's going on.

DTD started at 5.  See you at luton later

[Big_D]

Nice to get it written down and off your chest at times Gramps.

Puts things into perspective at times when you hear a story like yours.

Glad your turning this experience into a positive one, as I knew you would anyway.

[tikay]

But I felt good, & I needed to take a break from fretting & stuff, so it worked for me. What I never anticipated was I'd be there so late, & it was about 4.15am when I eventually left Luton. £800 better off, & very tired.

You run good Tikay...

It was one of THE weirderst Tourney's I've ever played in. You could not make it up.

I could write reams & reams about what happened at Luton last night, it was that weird. Really, really, fascinating to observe human nature at the poker Table. I'd quite like to write a book about those sort of things, or at least a few articles.

I shared Tables with positively THE worst player I've ever seen in my life, (no, not Chompy), some nice peeps, a pair of blatant colluders, plus several actors & Oscar nominees. I hope I find time to write about it, it was awesome.

I really enjoy playing poker these days, I have very much found my comfort zone, though I've no doubt the usual suspects would rip my play to shreds. It works for me, though, I'm too old to change, & I don't feel I need to.  I make a nice little profit, play well within my financial means, & enjoy it immensely. Few can say that.