In fact, since I moved into this apartment I've been able to dispense altogether with the services of Met Eireann . . . at least in relation to any expected significant drop in temperature.

I now rely on my own rudimentary, but extremely accurate, makeshift thermometer . . . the metal frame on my balcony door.

Every morning I check the frame for condensation.

In mild weather there's never any. If it's noticeably cold outside, beads of condensation will have formed overnight on the frame. Condensation occurs whenever the frame's surface is sufficiently cool to allow moisture in the air condense on it. Although the door is double-glazed, a combination of the metal frame and a poorly ventilated livingroom exacerbate the problem.

I headed off to the local hardware store where I purchased some plastic 'moisture traps' . . . trays lined with absorbent calcium chloride crystals which, over a period of a few months, can collect up to half a pint of moisture. The trays are ideally suited to a more confined space and could be expected to prevent condensation forming on a small window.

They did work on the door frame, but only to a limited extent and there was no appreciable improvement.

Next, I invested in a dehumidifier and extracted, on average, a frightening two pints of moisture every day. The overnight condensation all but disappeared, but I realised it was a stop-gap solution.

According to UK magazine Heating and Ventilation, cooking for a family of four adds 4.5lbs of moisture a day to the atmosphere in an average-sized house.

Having a shower contributes 0.5lb; weekly laundry, 30lb; human occupancy contributes between 3lb and 6lb a day;
and washing dishes, 1.25lbs.

Modern living, the magazine claims, will result in a family of four causing 150 pounds, or more than 18 gallons of water to be released every week into the air in their home.

The developer of our complex had subcontracted the construction work and the builder was reluctant to acknowledge responsibility for any faults discovered after the completion of individual blocks. The onsite foreman advised me that I would have to request the management company to write to the developer and have him issue authorisation before the builder could look into the issue.

Unravelling all this red tape proved tortuously time-consuming. The developers' main concern seemed to be a fear that acknowledging a fault with ventilation in one apartment might imply responsibility for similar difficulties which might subsequently emerge in other units in the block.

It was a year later before the builders finally arranged for the window manufacturers to return, with promises they would rectify the problem.

Workmen removed the two sliding panels which constitute the sliding door and drilled long horizontal vents in the top part of each section. "By this time next year your condensation problem will have dried up, " one of the workmen assured me.

It hasn't worked out that way. The quantity of condensation has certainly decreased. But it hasn't, and I don't expect it ever will, disappear completely.