Vandalism, an accident and flooring

Plastering continued this week, with much of the scratch coat being covered by the float coat, ready for the final skim.  This has been coupled with the start of the first fix plumbing, intermingled with floorboard work.  I've been delayed on doing the lounge floorboards by a reclamation company who are complete rubbish.  They promised me a new front door and some (fairly thick) pine floorboards; the door proved impossible for the manufacturer, and they sold the floorboards to someone else, and then blamed the 16 year old yard lad for this mistake.

We had some vandalism this week.  I arrived early one morning and found an upper main pane of the Venetian sash window (two over two) had been broken (to match the boarded lower one, broken before we bought the house).  There was glass both inside and out, and almost none left in the frame.  It looked like an attempted break-in, but if it was, why choose the front window, and break one of the upper panes?  Surely you go round the back and break one at waist height?  I called the police and, when I was talking to the (very) young constable, a chap came over from across the road to say that he had heard it (at 1.10am that morning) and had seen the miscreant departing on a child's silver scooter in the direction of the town centre.  The PC (scenting an arrest) said that he would check on the town centre CCTV to see if there were any good pictures of the unusual sight.  No news yet, but at least this confirmed that it was simple vandalism rather than attempted burglary, which consoled me slightly.

I forgot to mention my little accident the other week.  We are applying for listed building consent (LBC) for various things, including the replacement of two awful 1950s fireplaces with a woodburning stove and a nice Victorian fireplace respectively.  Unfortunately, I seem to have pre-empted this permission when I had to fit a floorboard under the end of the existing fireplace in the lounge.  As I lifted it slightly, its weight took control and the entire concrete facade fell forward, landing with an almighty crash which left the white concrete moulding in about twelve pieces, and an ugly gap into the chimney above the brown tiles.  Oops.  Hopefully the LBC will be forthcoming in March, which will make me legal!