the local tradesman cometh

Don't you just love those local handymen who come over and fix your appliances cheaply?

So much better than big organisations which charge a foot and a leg, then inform you that "It's a busy time, and we can't come over for 2 weeks."

Most winters I have repaired sections of our central heating ducting, as it collapsed under the combined pressures of age and poor installation. A dreary, dark, dirty job!

But a cat moved in recently and had kittens on top of a section of ducting, and the repair proved beyond me.

(The whole saga also revealed a new, cannabalistic side to kitten temperament - ever had to remove half a kitten from under a house in front of the admiring gazes of 4 young children? - but that's another story.)

A tradesman called this morning, and outlined in 5 minutes how he can fix our central heating system, which has been working poorly for years: "I'll replace these ducting sections, install a bigger router (or something like that), tape up these holes, and suspend these sections properly, and you'll find it works much better." He obviously understood not everyone has the money to replace their entire central heating system.

Which transformed him from a scruffy guy with unkempt hair, torn pants, and old work boots, into an angel of mercy.

Praise God for the local tradey.