Maybe I can call our little part of the world a Rose Garden. Makes a change from Jungle or Weedville.

Well so far we have survived the boiler service. The chap turned up and to be fair to him, he did use a mask and gloves. He did confirm that it wasn’t me being a muppet. It had fuel. It was turned ON. He explained that it was the oldest boiler he had seen in ages. Possibly over 40 years old. It’s poor motor had finally died. Unbelievably he found a replacement motor in the van that just about fitted. So with a hefty bill winging my way he departed. Apparently after all those years it is still working at 90% efficiency. Wish I was that good at 40.

The thought of an outsider entering the house sent son into an anxiety meltdown. Unplanned visitors is not easy at the best of times for someone with Aspergers. But during a pandemic…..

To try and keep a lid on his anxiety we agreed a decontamination protocol. Thankfully this was carried out to the letter.

  • The service person wore masks and gloves,
  • He only entered the house via the back door,
  • He only ventured into one room,
  • After he finished I quickly disinfected the room and the door he used,
  • That room and that side of the house was then closed off for 3 days,
  • As was the path which the serviceman walked across,
  • I than had a shower and completely changed clothes.

It might seem OTT but to our son this was the bare minimum which was acceptable to him. His way of protecting his safe place. He will be much less stressed out when that part of the house comes out of lockdown. Later we had a chat about all things pandemic and his anxieties. Clearly we won’t be dropping our local procedures for a considerable time. Putting aside the merits of homeschooling debate, I just can’t see how he cope function in a public environment any time soon. Certainly not in a crowded school at the start of September. Thankfully the concerts we were due to see have been cancelled. (The Who, Whitesnake, Foreigner, Europe, Aerosmith, Hollywood Vampires). We are down to just two in October now. Deep Purple and Ozzy. But I just can’t see them happening as well.

So maybe we start to adopt a mindset that actually our enforced house and garden lockdown will last into 2021. Will need to think about that. What additional things do we have to put in place to ensure that we both can continue to enjoy life for all those months. Maybe that industrial sized ice cream and slush puppy machine is not such a far fetched idea……

51 thoughts on “Service”

  4. I don’t know a lot about Asperger’s or Autism except that it makes life very hard and very stressful, so it doesn’t sound OTT at all. I am glad you were able to agree on a plan. Wouldn’t it be nice if governments could work this way. Hah.

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  5. What a great series of concerts that were cancelled. Sigh. You might consider a shaved ice machine. Makes a great treat, you can get a wide variety of flavor syrups, and once you have the ice shaver it is a very economical treat.

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  6. Go for the ice cream and slush puppy machine Gary.
    I’m glad you got the boiler fixed and a guy who was sensible to wear a mask and gloves.
    Hate to say it, but I think you’re right about this carrying over to 2021.

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  7. My cable tech took the same precautions & all went well. The virus numbers are spiraling out of control, so being extra careful is a good thing. Ice cream is also a good thing!

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  8. All’s well that ends well! The important thing was that you could discuss it with your son and agree on a procedure he could just cope with. I think that deserves an ice cream maker.
    PS I have one and it’s on non-stop during the summer making vegan and non vegan ice cream and sorbets. It was expensive but it’s over 30 years old and still works a dream.

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  11. I am sure that you sticking to the plan and doing what was promised and confirming that your son can fully trust you will help him, in the long run, to slowly take him out of the current anxiety. I have no experience with Aspergers but I am sure that building up trust is the most important rule.

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  12. I’m sorry it was such an ordeal for Son. It’s great that it’s over (almost anyway… 3 days of lockdown is a small price) we only had Hella Mega tickets for July. It’s been canceled. Maybe next year…

    Staying safe in your Rose Garden is good! I dont know if ice cream or slushies will be wanted in December… maybe a popcorn machine?? For movie nights😉💌💌

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  15. Love all those bands although never heard of Hollywood vampires. For some reason I thought the boiler man was coming next week so sorry I missed that. Great that it was managed and your son copied with it. I think having a plan and rules and then those being adhered to is a real positive for him. He can see that not everything is out of his control in this situation. He gets to decide how something happens if it has to happen at all. That’s really very important for him I think. You are fab for allowing him that space and control. 😁x

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  16. I am sorry the visit was so hard on your son. It is apparent you have some tough decisions to make. I am not sure what we are going to do either depending on our options. They seem so limited!

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  17. Yes… I was watching QVC or HSN last night and learned we all NEED home ice cream machines!!

    I hope you find rituals that work without too much inconvenience!!

    As fast as I posted my last comment, about doing things before they close, I started seeing news about all the places that are re-closing.

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      1. I had one for awhile… the kind where you froze the big drum then a machine rotated it for you, making LOTS of noise in the process. I used it exactly once. I don’t if it’s buried somewhere in the house or went to charity.

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  18. Listen, my friend…. I know i joked yesterday re the Plan B up here for education if needbe. But I also said to my younger girl, that is no education, and frankly I’d not put any child into that distorted version of the Handmaid’s Tale you are paying taxes for, unless it is plan A. It will all come right. You are both of you too wise for it to do otherwise. Hell, take heart from your boiler in a way in terms of how things were found. (Having a smile re that cos way back in another life, another house, ours broke and they guy fixed it with a bit from an old aircraft…. You should have heard the noise it made every time it startd up. )

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