What's New at Avalon Brighton?

Well, here we were earlier in the summer with a rather nice car parked outside.

Our boiler problems should now be a thing of the past totally. This is because following the crisis mentioned before, I got a new one fitted! It's a condenser boiler - latest energy efficient model AND it cuts your gas bill by 30%. Marvellous, paid for it, got it fitted etc. then British Gas put gas prices up by 35% so I'm back to square one.

The credit crunch seems to bring new gloom and doom each day but recent newspaper reports have mentioned that this is boom time for British seaside resorts. Well, I'd consider Brighton to be one of the forerunners when it comes to being 'by the sea' so have we seen a boom?

I think the short answer must be 'perhaps'. We've had quiet days, manic days and normal days throughout July but it is definitely a lot better than previous years. However unlike last year there are not a lot of conferences or other big events coming up to make our autumn into a busy one so much remains to be seen. And people are not going to flock to the seaside if the weather is awful. So far, it's been a mixture of so-so and awful. we need a good heatwave to take us through August and into September before the school holidays are over.

Brighton Pride seemed the busiest ever. Each year it seems to get bigger, louder and perhaps scarier! Next year we may have a party for guests and friends designed as a refuge from the loud, clubby full-on version that's on the street. An afternoon / evening of Sinatra, Andy Williams, Petula Clark etc. will soothe the fevered brows of us older ones (that's a historical moment when I've put down in writing for the first time ever that I now belong in the older category) and either prepare us for an early night or a Canute-like attempt to hold back the years and head out clubbing. I didn't like clubbing at 20, and I don't like it now 27 years later. Night-time is for bed, daytime and evenings are for engaging in 'life'. OK - not a widely held belief inBrighton for sure.

Some amazingly negative letters about Pride in the Argus today - mostly from gay people too. I always expect letters from people who dislike Pride - or gay people in general - to start with 'I have nothing against gay people but...' and then go on to hide their prejudice behind complaints about noise, litter, disruption, poor shop sales etc. However these were lucid, well argued letters from gay people outlining concern for the huge amount of litter and number of people urinating in the park. These are both problems it's true. I used to think gay people were more aware of health and environment issues but I wonder. You only have to look at the humber of people smoking outisde two of Brighton's busiest gay bars to ask yourself whether the idea that gay guys look after themselves more than straight ones might have been a myth all along.

The other letter mentioned that the word 'gay' had been dropped from Pride. In doing so, it was true - there were probably at least as many, if not more, straight people at the festival than gay ones. But you cannot really discriminate, can you! After all those years of seeking acceptance, equality and freedom it should be a matter of pride that so many people want to join in a festival celebrating the very diversity that was up until so recently a target, a victim of discrimination and prejudice.

An unexpected surprise...

Eurovision was a letdown last night. Russia deserved to win but if the eastern bloc (as was) continues to vote for each other the UK will never be up there with the leading countries and there's little point participating. Mind you, our song was not too good either.

In the old days (ha!) the songs were chosen regionally and voted on by a panel. Now you can text your choice but sadly the portion of the great British public that can text also has crap taste in music. That's essential for a Eurovision winner but it's obviously the wrong type of crap.

... woke to cold water all round. Large pot of water set on stove in kitchen for washing up, profuse apologies to guests at the ready. Thinking - when I was up there (in loft) some months ago there was a switch plus lead into the tank. Two years ago, on energy audit, I was told this was an old fashioned immersion booster to top up the heat of the water from our boiler.

I went up and switched it on expecting a flash and a bang followed by no electricity for anybody on top of no hot water. Nothing much happened so went back to kitchen to cook breakfast for guests.

British Gas engineer arrived 20 minutes later - looked at faulty part, rubbed chin, shook head - 'unusual type of thermocouple' 90% certain he didn't have one on van (he was right). Showed me old one - broken (his colleague broke it I reckon on the service three days ago). Can't get one until Tuesday, can fit Wednesday. THREE DAYS!!!! I said I needed hot water and that I'd tried an old immersion heater once active in the system and nothing had happened - switched on tap to show him - INSTANT HOT WATER! So we had back up after all that. Most guests came to breakfast understanding at lack of hot water but had they tried - one did - they'd have found it hotter than ever.

OK - I know it costs a fortune to heat a tank of water with one of these. But at least there's hot water for the period until the boiler is fixed and it's a chance to replace our knackered old boiler with a spanking new energy efficient model - so enhancing the Avalon Brighton's green credentials. I'm not gonna leave it on 24 hours a day either. Just 6am - 10am and 4pm - 8pm.

Another moral here - NEVER GET YOUR BOILER SERVICED IN THE WEEK LEADING UP TO A BANK OR PUBLIC HOLIDAY.

It's a stunning day out there and we're off to the seafront. The last day of Brighton Festival and Fringe should have some treats in store. There's a whole street given over to human statues, clowns with microphones in their mouths so you hear them chewing loudly, guys spiking cabbages onto their helmets etc.

At least the three dogs we have staying can get a nice walk as it's currently dry but the forecast is for biblical scale downpours.

Fluffy seagull chicks appeared on chimney at rear of Avalon. Cute now - pain in few weeks when they whine continually for heaps of food needed for their growth from sparrow size to turkey size in 6 weeks.

Bank Holidays - when fuses blow and boilers stop working

There can be no other purpose for the Bank Holiday except to provide a time for essential domestic appliances to stop working.

Your central heating boiler will never pack up at 7am on a Tuesday, in good time to call for a repair by lunchtime and only suffer a morning off work in the process.

No - fuses blow, boilers stop, computers crash, leaks spring anytime after 5pm on the Friday night of a long weekend - usually at the first possible moment. Anything that requires a monster call out charge will happen and will need essential parts from those industrial estates which remain firmly shut for the next three or four days.

So has happened to our boiler at Avalon, Brighton. A house full of bank holiday guests, weather on the turn, and no hot water or heating (hopefully heating is not a problem). From a man on the phone for whom a call out charge of £100.80 applied (what's the 80p for?) it's the thermo-coupler meaning my pilot light won't stay on. 'And you won't get one of them until the shops open again on Tuesday...'

British Gas kindly serviced this boiler last Wednesday. It has worked fine up to then for nearly five years.

My advice if you own a spares shop for boilers or electrical circuits etc. is open on Public and Bank Holidays and close all the rest of the time. You can charge whatever you like to cover your new life of leisure. Be prepared to work hard on the few days you open though because sod's law swings busily into action.

And if you own a guest house make sure you only on Bank Holidays for people who enjoy cold showers.

Brian Snow
Avalon Guest Accommodation.
Boiling a kettle to shave, 8.37pm, 24 May 2008.