2 different flats in 20 months in the same house…
8 months upstairs in Flat 4: the coldest, draughtiest flat I’ve ever lived in – but with a great view of an incredibly beautiful garden – and I lived in it during the coldest December England had known in 100 years!
The boiler ran at 60% efficiency – yes, 40% of the gas it burned went up the chimney – the floor boards had 1/2 inch gaps, the windows rattled, and the draught in the kitchen blew open the door! But there was a great gas-burning fireplace in the living room! Expensive to use, but warm.
I stuffed folded newspaper everywhere: between floorboards, under baseboards, round windows. I covered the kitchen window with plastic and when the wind blew it ballooned. I lived all winter wearing a cashmere blanket as a skirt, over tights and trousers, 3 sweaters on top, and a hat. Thank god for the electric under-blanket on my bed, and the 3 duvets!
Langdale Road, flat 4 was a chilly experience.
After 8 months in the freezer, I moved downstairs to Flat 2, which is actually the best flat I’ve had in the U.K. It has the best cooker, the best washing machine, the best boiler, the best shower, the best bathtub…it’s simply the best! Though it could use double-glazing on the windows!
There’s nothing seriously wrong with it; a bit damp and could use a bigger radiator in the living room, but by Brighton rental housing standards it’s quite all right, and so is the owner.
I’ve loved living on Langdale Road, have enjoyed this flat and wish I didn’t have to leave, but the owner wants her flat back and….and truth be known, I’m truly homesick for Canada, so when she said she wouldn’t renew the tenancy agreement, I decided it was time to leave England and go home! The decision has not been made lightly, as I’m connected to various communities in Brighton and Hove; I enjoy those connections and many of the people I meet.
I’ve so loved living here, the neighbors are great, and one will put me up as a house guest my last night here. How much have I loved life in Little London by the Sea? I wrote some about that in the post about Brighton. Though the seafront poems tell the story better than anything else. Here are a couple improvised with musicians at the last Safehouse.
I’ll miss you Langdale Road. I’ll miss you Brighton and Hove. Thank you for having me.
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Alison Amazed 
This sounds like a few of the places I’ve lived in. Good memories to think back on, but at the time there was a factor of discomfort. I guess we can put up with a lot when the good counterbalances the bad.
Lee
A Few Words
An A to Z Co-host blog
Yes Lee, the trick is to focus on the good…:)
I hate cold flats. I lived in one and it is awful. But just as awful is one that is too hot. They crank up the heat in the one I’m in now and we walk around in shorts.
Yes! Exactly. I want a solar heated home, with a wind generator. In Hungary they heat some complexes with thermal water. Those flats are hot!