We returned to the future site of Large Villas last night to do a final measurement check of our plans, as we had contractors to meet the next day. As soon as we entered the rear room, future site of gossip and parties, we saw that the windows I had attached locks to on Sunday had been forced, and the former denizons of the pile had returned again.
Our good humour on being burgled for the first time has begun to evaporate. Now, the principal thought on my mind is revenge. It may seem that we are quick to assign blame to the previous tenants, but once again, the case against them is solid. I applied a new lock to the front door, window locks on all ground floor windows, and put padlocks on all the internal doors so that movement within the house is impossible.In the case of the back door, I installed two sliding bolts, but I left the original lock intact. My reasoning was that the front door was now impregnable, the windows were screwed shut and the sliding bolts on the rear door made it impossible to open, except from the inside.
Unfortunately, I had not counted on the tenacity, and stupidity, of the tenants. They broke one of the window locks climbed through, mithered around the back room for a minute (because of the internal padlocks they could'nt go anywhere else), they then unbolted the sliding bolts on the back door, unlocked the door and let themselves out, before politely locking the door again.
Once again the police have been called. In perspective, this activity represents no more than minor hooliganism, probably by one of the over muscled teenagers. My concern though, is that if this activity becomes too easy for the lad, he will extend and amplify his operations, and not confine his activities to our derelict. The possibility is that the street we propose moving to, which currently has one of the lowest crime rates in this benighted city, becomes subject to a minor crime wave affecting the whole street.
I improved ground floor security as well as possible this morning, met a very nice contractor, and now am heading off to Leeds, where, once again I will attempt to hand in my notice.
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2 comments:
That's unbelievable!! Good thing you two are already "barking mad" - otherwise, you would be driven to it!
Yes, the madness diagnosis is a conclusion I have been driven to over the last couple of years. I think that we, to paraphrase one of NEl's students, unconciously, make decisions that we know are bound to get us in hot water. Or we make these decisions while subconcious.
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