Had a oil filled radiator on in my bedroom last night...

...it was bliss, yes we have the MVHR system and its ok but its lovely when you have some real warmth when its so cold, especially when the snow is falling and you can hear the hail bouncing off the windows.

Mr Tigs has taken his medicine and as long as he is comfortable and not in pain I am happy, he doesn't do very much other than sleep and walk around patio then back. He has had to adjust to a tray and I have spent a small fortune on cat litter. One of the trials of this disease means that he recognises that his body needs vitamins and minerals which he isn't making himself so its common for them to start eating the litter to try and replace what their body wants. Needless to say this is not good especially if its the clumping sort, so we have worked our way through the shops and internet to find something suitable which won't be either appealing to eat but still suitable for his needs. Success with a wood pellet formula, nothing nasty in contents in way of chemicals also not appealing to eat. He was actually a little disgusted with me for taking his original away but needs must and he has decided better to use than cross his legs. Prior to this little set back I had looked into the fact that Cat Flaps can be fitted to Passive houses, they are relatively expensive around two thousand to maintain the sealed unit and still let cat pass not that I will be following that idea up but for anyone who is thinking about building a Passive house I would if you are or likely to want a pet incorporate or at least think about it prior to building, I suspect that route would be much easier. I managed to sleep until around 2am this morning before

Yay! Heating is working

the lounge is constant more or less and it can be described as adequate heating, I still prefer a boost in bathroom and when really chilly my bedroom also as my asthma is affected by temperature change resulting in that night time cough. On the whole all is good heat wise.

On the personal side not good at all, my foster cat was taken to vets and has been diagnosed with Leukemia, needless to say I am devastated. At present he is on much medication and I realise as time goes I am going to have to make that dreaded decision, but when the time is right for him. Its very depressing to see a seemingly fit healthy and playful animal go to a withdrawn, constantly tired with everything being an effort mode. Hence I will have more on my mind than efficiency of house so will be sporadic in feedback at times in future I am guessing.

And no if anyone is wondering the car park is still a mess.....

Still lots to unpack

truth is we brought too much with us, amazing how possessions add up, then using that popular latest term to' declutter', well just how do I know what I won't use again? thus results in my overly packed house.

Following the Christmas period where the decorations had to come out (this was mandatory I was told) I am now getting used to having my lounge back and still I have little room, I have come to the conclusion that a much bigger shed is needed, so that will fall onto the next purchase list. Having both had the seasonal infections we are only now starting to look at getting straight. Much of my furniture is still too big for this bungalow, its a fine line between function and space and everything has to have maximum storage potential.

Got up in night only to find temp plummeted again, 19 degrees had to play with the thermostat again, now have managed to get to 20.9 in about 5 hours, I will have another look tomorrow at the instructions I was pretty sure I had followed them but had set temp to 23 as knew we were going cold. I have and am prone to chest infections and the only way I can breathe is to have warm air in lungs, when propped up.

Will have been in 6 months on Feb 23rd so will take meter readings and compare with last years at old house with gas central heating and electric bills. I shall have to bear in mind that it is a different heat though as it would have been much warmer overall temperature.

New mattress arrived today so hopefully a better nights sleep - I have to say it is lovely and quiet here compared to living in central town. Overall I have to say I love my new home, my neighbour is lovely and I love my garden.

Oh I did get chilly...

It was decidedly chilly the other night, I did get cold, enough to decide that although most people may be warm enough I need more in the way of back up heating (yes mental note to phone Ben back but given my problems at the moment this will have to wait - sorry Ben B I will call you back) The thermometers all read 19-21 but my bones were still cold, and started to seize up thus resulting in more pain, may be its to do with my medical condition feeling the cold, anyway I now have installed a small oil filled radiator in bathroom and a larger one in bedroom, will see if this helps and what costings work out like. Its likely to get warmer again the forecast says but we haven't had our cold snap yet.

We are still struggling with storage space, the fridge/freezer being stuck out in middle of the lounge really throws me off, how to arrange the lounge without noticing is difficult, especially with a wheel chair and leaving room to get through, most difficult. We did try without a table but that didn't work, you do need to have comfy space to eat. I am going to go on the idea of putting a fridge under the hob space (will attach a plan, if anyone of you has a bright idea then please feel free to message me, ideas appreciated!)

Of course the measurements are not showing as correct the inside of wall on far right of picture is actually 4.42 mtrs, not as stated.

My fridge freezer is the second left square from the sink, and as per above statement the measurements on these plans are out, the lounge from wall on extreme left side to fridge/freezer is actually closer to 2.5 mtrs.

I will post my layout so far with my ideas once I can transfer to this computer.

First Energy bill is in....

Your electricity use so far £247.52

This is for period 18 August 2014 - 30 December 2014, its hard to compare at the moment as I am used to having a gas and electric bill. Also the period we had a very mild September, October and November only turning cooler in December. I will monitor and report back the next three months which will give a fairer idea I suspect. I do know that the amount the supplier quoted as anticipated use is no where near, initially asking for £114.00 per month, this has now been reduced. We are not overrun with gadgets and I only use the tumble drier occasionally, at the moment. The little radiator which has been remounted in the hall has been on a couple of times and I have a coal effect fire for glow in the lounge occasionally I will tweak the fan on but this is few and far between. The warmth given out by the glow is lovely, one of those ones you could fall asleep to, because the rooms are small and mainly white or pale in decoration this is needed as a focal point of some sort.