When you've been in the business as long as I have, Mr. Spiggott

round up the usual suspects

My heating has been on the blink since Sunday, though I didn't notice until Monday because - despite the Arctic conditions - I am well hard and my life is a giddy social whirl.

I couldn't get anyone round to look at it on Tuesday as I had to go to Brian's funeral so I booked up an engineer from British Gas's Local Heroes to come yesterday morning.

Thee are no words to express how proud I was when he confirmed my own deduction that the problem lay with the Grundfos Alpha2 domestic circulator pump. I hugged myself in my mind as I marveled at my perspicacity.

Unfortunately this morning there are still no words; but today it is  to express how frustrated I am not to have received a quote and timetable for replacing the bleedin' thing.