December was less about big visible progress and more about catching up and keeping things moving in the right direction. After losing a chunk of November to illness, the early part of the month was spent getting back on top of work and finding my rhythm again.
One big positive was the eBook finally going live. So, You Want to Run a Plumbing Business? has had some really encouraging feedback, which has been genuinely motivating. It's not about volumes at this stage, it's about knowing the content is landing with the people it was written for. That alone made the long hours worthwhile. Download it for FREE here.
On the centre front, progress has been… steady, but frustrating. The roof is still leaking, which continues to hold things up. The landlord has now committed to a temporary repair to get us through the winter, with a full roof replacement planned for the summer.
December also threw in a couple of curveballs. My laptop developed a fault and had to go back to HP under warranty. I only realised the repair centre was in Poland when I tracked the parcel, not something I'd expected, but to be fair, it was turned around in just nine days. Not disastrous, but inconvenient when you're trying to keep momentum going.
On a more personal note, our boiler decided to give up just before Christmas. Timing, as ever, was impeccable. We ended up having a new one installed, and what could have been just another headache turned into a really useful CPD opportunity. I worked alongside the Gas Safe registered installer fitting an Ideal Logic Max boiler. I HIGHLY recommend this boiler, a straightforward install with some outstanding commissioning features during start-up. It was a reminder that even unplanned jobs can still add value if you approach them the right way.
Christmas itself was a good one. We managed to see family across the period, even though there was no real “shutdown” in our house thanks to Julie's NHS shifts. That did give me the chance to make a start on the classroom electrics at the centre… nothing live yet, but the groundwork is in. I'll be bringing in an electrician in the next couple of weeks to connect everything up properly.
December wasn't flashy. No grand milestones, no ribbon-cutting moments. But it was constructive, reflective, and quietly productive — and sometimes that's exactly what's needed heading into a new year.