#SoCS & JJJ - 10/1/26 - Don't get me started....

Thanks as always to Linda for hosting this - find her blog, all the rules and other participants here.

Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 10th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “don’t get me started.” Use the phrase in your post or just write about the first thing it conjures in your mind. Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Well I was going to say actually you DO need to get me started because I feel like I've been quite lazy this week.  It's been quite a social week and so I've slipped behind with chores at home and I haven't felt particularly motivated on that front.

But actually I'm going to rant about our water company.  In the centre of our little area of London there is a train station which is very convenient for us.  But this means the trains run straight through our town and there is a level crossing right in the middle of town.  We live on one side of it, Tesco our big supermarket is on the other.

This doesn't usually cause major problems, unless the barriers get stuck which is actually only a problem for cars as there is a subway pedestrians can still use.  It can be annoying if you arrive in your car at the crossing just as the barriers are going down but they're not usually down for long and then you're on your way.

Or not as it was today because....just the other side of the barrier there is a burst water pipe and so the road that leads to the supermarket is closed.  We can drive across the crossing but then we have to go left and there is no way back to the supermarket.  (There is a much longer route there via the next crossing under the railway but it seems part of that road may be blocked - by another burst water pipe.)

These burst pipes are popping up all over the place.  The very cold snap of weather we had last week has not helped.

But the bigger problem is the underinvestment in the infrastructure. And that's because Thames Water (the provider of our water services) is a Private Limited Company!  It was privatised by a Conservative Government in 1989.  As such it needs to make profits for its owners.

It's hardly rocket science to see that this is not going to benefit the consumer.  When the company was privatised it was debt free and has since run up debts running into BILLIONS.

The infrastructure was in need of major upgrades and they are working on that, slowly but in the meantime leaks keep appearing everywhere and our bills keep going up.

I really cannot understand why utilities are not owned by the Government.  They are essential services and require investment.  They should not be lining the pockets of investors, many of which are overseas!

Unfortunately when I sent Hubby off in the car armed with a shopping list today I had forgotten about the road closure.  He was not happy when he got back.  He had to park in a nearby side street and take a long detour to get home again.  Fortunately he wasn't doing a huge shop so he was able to carry it back to the car ok.  He was not happy though!

Right rant over.  It's time for bed here in London.

Don't get me started on anything else.