This is the 4th day in a row that I've come on here and forgotten to put coal on the fire. It's COLD in here now. :D

We're getting new central heating in sometime in the next 6 months (when the council gets its finger out). Don't know if I really want electric heating but it's got to be better than nothing.

I would never be without central heating :D :D
My mum used to have a real coal fire - its so messy and sometimes wouldnt light etc for ages . They do look nice though when they are lit, admittedly . I have settled for second-best and have a living flame which I put on for effect rather than heating :)

My little madam pinched the imitation pebbles out of our two day old gas fire and gave them a good crunch . Hubs wasent too pleased but you can hardly tell if you arange them with a bit of imagination. we put in a stove fire in the back room where dog sleeps its wonderful, for all its mess heats the whole house.Woulden't be without central heating though.

Central heating is great but I wouldn't be without a proper fire too!

I'll never forget 1991 when the village was cut off by snow for 4 days - no electricity (powerlines down), no water (pumped to the village by electricity) - so no central heating either! Our open fire was the only source of heat (and cooking - no gas in the village) we had!

We built the King of Snowmen, though!
:)

We only have one multi-fuel stove to heat the whole house. No central heating. We've got calor gas for the cooker and a generator for the electricity so hopefully we'll be ok if the winter is bad. Might be a slight problem with the food though as the road is supposed to get blocked in bad snow (we've only been here since March so haven't "experienced" winter yet!).

Helen

My oil boiler went up in flames last year, just at the start of winter, firemen ;) and everything.

It then took the insurance company 3 months to get it repaired, and the only form of heating we had was the emersion heater fro the water and the coal fire. It was great - a roaring fire all day and late into the evening, a lovely toasty living room and cold bedrooms - bliss :)

Oh yes, I hate hot bedrooms too! I sleep so much better with a cold bedroom but a lovely warm bed!
:)

Me too - got the window open in mine all through winter! :D

There is no way I would go back to a coal fire as my only means of heating ;) I have far too many memories of waking up freezing in the morning and then spending the next 15 minutes raking out the fire , emptying the ash and relighting it. Followed by a further hour before you felt any heat ...Then there is all the smuts that fly everywhere ...and the smoke if there is a back draught ...yuk and BRRRRR!

However ...as a back up to the central heating , yes ..a good idea ;) I love my central heating but it isn't on after about 7pm ...if we get cold then I pop the little fire in the living room on as we also love cold bedrooms ..can't understand those folks that have the heating on all night ! :D :D

Melody :)

Yes, I will admit that after 3 months of cleaning out the fire, freezing in my pyjamas <vision> I had had enough of relying on it for my heating. Although, by the time I'd finished clearing it out and building the new fire I was too hot to light it :D :D

Like Jeangenie, since moving we now have the best of both worlds - an open fire and central heating. We had a 26 hour power cut during Feb when our litter was a week old so there was no heating in the house. It meant primus stoves to heat hot water for bottles to keep the pups warm and was a nightmare.

Fillis
Please send me a toast done on an open fire.With lots of butter.
Toast is not the same anymore.
Chow

Certainly, but it will be a bit soggy by the time it arrives!! :D