Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Missing Coal

Feeling a bit vulnerable tonight, got home to discover a fair bit of coal missing. I'd filled up the coal bucket last night when I got home, and used the entire bucket during the course of the evening. I didn't have time this morning to re-fill before work, and when I went out to the coalshed this evening, there were only half a dozen lumps of loose coal left. Fortunately there are still a couple of plastic bags of e-coal (a supposedly ecological alternative to coal) but I'm annoyed that while I've been out someone's come into my back garden, gone round the back of the house and stolen several buckets of coal.

I know it's been a hard winter, I know many of my neighbours don't have much money, but hey, I don't either. I've been trying to be careful with my fuel, which is no use when someone else is siphoning it off (wrong metaphor, but can't think of the right one). I used a couple of months' worth in three weeks over Christmas and early January, so my winter fuel budget has not quite worked out, but I don't wait till my neighbours are out and then go steal theirs.

This blog wasn't meant to be a rant about anything, it was supposed to be about Herbie, but tonight it's about me, and I'm cross. I can start padlocking the shed, but I can't stay home all day, I have to work. Where I used to live, it was safe to leave coal in an unlocked container. I want to move again.

3 comments:

Yang-May Ooi said...

That's outrageous! It's awful that you can't trust people, esp your neighbours. So sorry to hear about this. A padlock sounds like a good idea.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like what you need is a guard dog. And...um...no offense Herbie and Hollie ,but I'm guessing you won't fit the bill. They say you can build your own dog burglar alarm at http://www.instructables.com/id/Guard-Dog-Burglar-Alarm/

That is if they ring your doorbell before heading for the coal bin. Good luck on that one. Having neighbors that steal your coal sucks!

HandH said...

Thanks guys - needed some sympathy there, I feel better now. Greyhounds are hopeless at scaring people, I think I need to start keeping geese - apparently they have a really savage nip.