I have however decided to go ahead and ask my central heating engineer for a quote to replace the whole system. He's coming round on Friday to see what's needed, and I will scrape the money together somehow, because it looks like this winter might be even more severe than the last...and I'm sick of waddling through my flat wearing three layers of clothing, a blanket and a furry hat, and still feel cold.
Yesterday, I received the news that another friend from my uni days lost her battle against cancer last Thursday. Even though we hadn't been in contact in years, I'm still saddened by the thought that she has had to let go of life at such a relatively young age.