Overheated
One of life's little shocks overlooked by Mrs. 1970 (nice girl that, 1 like her teeth) is that in some places, if you forge ahead to the future with central heating, the local council is going to be right behind your fuel merchant with an extra bill. One man I know has spent the past week with a hammer and a wrench, disconnecting all his radiators and shoving them in the cellar because he found that his new heating system means £18 extra on his assessment for rates. Sad. Rates are necessary, and I always try to pay mine with my horrible fixed grin, but it's bound to seem
harsh that a man who painfully improves his house should have to pay an annual fine for doing it. The principle can be defended on the basic theory that the rich pay more, but I shouldn't like to defend it against this particular man, especially with that wrench in his hand.
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