Spring will have well sprung by the time you read this, but as I write, dark clouds lour outside, the wind’s wailing like a banshee and another load of snow’s forecast. I’m bundled up in a sweater, a blanket over my knees and fan heater full blast beside me, because not only has our 30-year-old boiler chosen this moment to die, after springing a gas leak which happily failed to take us with it, our gas supply has been turned off by a horrified fitter. Upon which, we discovered our immersion heater, rarely used, has also died, so we now have two whole weeks to wait before heat and hot running water is restored to Lindsay Towers.