Z is hot under the choler

I went down to the church in good time today, because I knew there would be a lot of setting up to do. I said, a few weeks ago, that we were using the meeting room built on to the church for services for a couple of months, to save heating the church. We didn’t have a service there at all last week as it was in another church (and I didn’t go anyway) so when I went down there yesterday with the Sage to move a piece of heavy furniture, I was surprised to find that it was not absolutely freezing. I checked the timers on the heating and each day was set, correctly, for no heating time at all. So I supposed that I was just feeling the difference from outside’s temperature and thought no more about it.

Today, the church felt even warmer. I felt the radiator and it was warm. I went to the heavy doors which lead to the extension and they were unlocked. We used to leave them unlocked until, several years ago, all our tables were stolen so since then, although the church itself is never locked, the extension is. As it was when I left it yesterday in the early afternoon.

This isn’t the first time it has happened, but I’ve never been able to find out who unlocks the door and doesn’t lock it again. Several people have the key to the place where keys are kept and I’ve asked around and sent emails but no one has owned up. This time, evidently, someone had unlocked the door, switched on the boiler, which takes several hours to heat the church and, later, switched it off again but not locked the door. It must have been overnight or early in the morning, as I should think it was switched off by 9 am. I can’t understand it at all – why do it? It’s a person trusted with a key, so not a random wanderer who needed a place to sleep and thought a heated church would be a nice place. In any case, the church room is carpeted and much warmer.

So, I went to start setting up the room for the service and found that the things I’d left out had all been put away. The table which we use for putting out the hymn books etc was folded up, or so I thought. When I put it up, I discovered that it was too long and that it had been swapped for a slightly shorter one. I had to move everything off that and swap them around again. I’d expected it to take a long time, but it was much more work than I’d anticipated. I didn’t have time to practise the hymns. Fortunately, I can sight-read pretty well on the clarinet, so it was fine.

I would not wish to be the sort of person who puts up signs and notices telling people what to do. But it makes me feel a bit hmm that it doesn’t occur to someone, if they move something, to put it back afterwards. It seems obvious to me that if I didn’t do that, someone else would have to.

It was a lot colder by the time I came home than when I went out. Ro has just been to the petrol station to check the air in his tyres and he says the roads are glistening with frost. Fortunately, Al has kindly arranged that Tim will come in early to the shop on Monday and Tuesday so I don’t have to, so I’ll have an easy start to the week. I’m planning to cycle in every day (except Tuesday, when I have a morning meeting 20 miles away) but I make no promises.

Oh, and I’ve bought wool. Six balls, enough for Ro and me to make a scarf each (the mark of a Fine Resolution is when your child says “good idea, I’ll do that too”). Actually, I have little idea how much wool one needs, but if there’s some left over we can always make a hat. Or pool our wool and make a striped scarf for the Sage. Dilly found up her late granny’s knitting needles, of which there are an impressive range, so I will cast on this afternoon.

15 comments on “Z is hot under the choler

  1. Dave

    You don’t suppose there’s a disgruntled luddite who’d rather be worshipping in the church, and is waging a subversive campaign to undermine the use of the room?

    Oh no, I forgot, it’s a church, and things like that don’t happen there.

    Reply
  2. Z

    Dave, you and I had the same thought. I disgruntledly left the outside door to the church open for half an hour so that no one would comment how warm it was. And someone else, when I told her, said “has *N* got a key?” with exactly the same idea. *N* hasn’t, by the way. No one commented on the church and most people came in via the back door and didn’t come in through the church, so I guess we must be more Christian than my jaundiced mind supposes.

    Reply
  3. Z

    Could be, Simon. I’ve done 4 rows so far, maybe we’d better see how this one works out.

    Ro hasn’t succeeded in casting on yet. He refuses help.

    Reply
  4. Z

    He has looked at the ‘Big Book for Nifty Knitters’ which I bought him when he was about 8. I have shown him. He hasn’t quite got it yet.

    You do appreciate, on that bag website, it was Al making the bag so adeptly. Ro took the photographs.

    Reply
  5. PI

    Could it be an intruder who used a hair pin and thus couldn’t re-lock it?
    I’m glad you are taking up knitting. I don’t like the idea of you sitting with idle hands:)

    Reply

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