There is a big hole in my front door where the glass used to be

[jamjar]

I had a really nice time with kabukivice, talking about Torchwood and fandom and good stuff, and then I came home and found:

1) The porch doors were locked. They're never locked, on account of, no-one has the key to them and they're so stiff, they're barely ever closed.
2) The alarm was going.

I couldn't get in, went round to my neighbours, who explained that someone (my little brother) had left something cooking, and the firemen had come round and had to break in. The thing is, we got the door frame and locks reinforced by the council, so they broke in by smashing the glass. I liked that stained glass. It sort of made a face, or possibly two faces, only it didn't, and it'd been there as long as I can remember and I don't know if we even have any pictures of what it looks like. But it's utterly smashed and in a pile of glass and twisted lead in the front garden.

The porch doors were locked and bolted, so we had to borrow- or rather, my neighbour borrowed- a long ladder from neighbours-across-the-way-that-we-don't-really-know, and the firemen had left the little window on the first floor unlocked, so I had to climb up the ladder, slide the window up and climb in. The ladder didn't quite reach the window, but close enough. The house is, minus the door, in one piece, but smells of burnt beans.

My little brother (not so little, 16 and on half-term), had done the dishes, the laundrey, put the beans on, forgot to switch them off, then gone up in to town to get me a birthday present and go to the cinema, which is why he wasn't answering his phone when people tried to call him. I can't even be proper mad at him, because it's just... it was an accident, one of those things, and he already knows it's his fault and feels bad, and it wouldn't help any

I can't get through to my parents on their mobiles or at the hotel they're staying at, and it could have been a lot worse, so I'm trying to keep a sense of perspective about this, but...

*FUCK*

Comments

I'm on adrenaline

[ephemera.livejournal.com]

Oh honey. What a scare. Not at all a good thign to come home to, however much worse it wasn't. *offers hugs*

Re: I'm on adrenaline

[jamjar.livejournal.com]

I know it's okay- glass can be replaced, the whole door can be replaced, my neighbour knew someone who came round and slammed up some plywood so it's a little more secure, and he ony charged £30, which is pretty good for this time of night.

It's just fucking stressful.

[brownbetty]

Oh, how tedious. One of those things that just stupidly complicates everthing. I'm sorry.

[jamjar.livejournal.com]

It's just stressful, after a nice day, and it's frustrating and... argh.

But at least the boy's home for half-term, which makes sorting stuff out easier.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

That sounds like quite a pile of suck. Argh. I'm sorry for all the stress, and that you lost the stained glass, which sounds lovely.

*sends you gentle warm hugs*

[jamjar.livejournal.com]

I just hate having stuff happen to the house. It's that whole your-home-is-your-castle thing, and now the moat is down and the gates are only half locked and the damn portcullis never worked properly, and you just don't feel proper secure in it.

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

Oh yes perspective. You need that for this. Maybe the insurance will cover it and you can get something just as nice but you can shop for something that will strike your whimsy. Go give your brother a hug and tell him you love him. You'll both feel better.
And ummm...Happy birthday soon.

[jamjar.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I don't know if insurance will, but I'm okay for money right now, and little brother has said he'll get a Saturday job to pay back for the glass, so that's probably a good thing, in the long term.

[ficbyzee.livejournal.com]

Oh geez, that sounds incredibly aggravating. *hugs*

[jamjar.livejournal.com]

It really, really is.

[failing-angel.livejournal.com]

Oh no.

How extensive is the damage?

[jamjar.livejournal.com]

The house is okay, but the door looks kind of battered, and the glass is smashed, utterly. I don't know how old it is -I suspect 1950s, but in a sort of Edwardian style- but it was older than I am and a fixture in the home, you know? So it could be worse, but it still sucks.