Plumbing

Twas on an July morning that the ceiling first fell down,
Our lodger had a panic and ran into the town,
To find a phone and ring us where we were away
In Italy with family to have a holiday.

Oh it all made work for a working man to do! (copyright Flanders and Swan)

We replastered the ceiling, after our plumber assured us that he'd fixed the leak in the shower above. But this holiday it leaked again. Our plasterer looked horrified - I don't blame him because he's done a beautiful job - but at least we had a working shower for our guests. Because:

1. In September when fixing the leak, the plumber also fixed the plumbing so that the toilets stopped flushing hot water
2. But that meant that the family shower gave only luke-warm showers, never hot.
3. So he came back and diagnosed that both showers needed some replacement part.
4. In October we ordered the shower parts, and most parts arrived but not all.
5. In November we had all the parts
6. In the first week of December the plumber put them in.
7. In the second week of December the en-suite shower gave only scalding hot water.
8. In the third week of December the plumber fixed the en-suite shower.
9. In the fourth week of December the family shower leaked and apparently it doesn't work properly if someone else is using water in the bathroom, or the washing machine is on at the same time.

Now what do we do? We're still thinking, but we've survived the holiday and most have us have managed to wash or shower or bath enough.

Working at home - a bit

The weather is too snowy to go to work. I've been admiring the robin on the bird table by my desk.

The plumber brought his electrician brother to do the electrics for the shower. We now have a working shower. However, the tumble dryer is now disconnected. We have to move it and connect it somewhere else.

Working at home - NOT

I started editing my work around 8 o'clock when husband went out, but I stopped to open the front door to cleaner.

I wrote, but then the phone went, so I talked / listened for a bit. Poor daughter (SD#3) had had an exam where she was expecting to answer 8/12 questions, but found the format had changed and she was expected to answer 3/9. Yeuch! She had a rant.

I wrote, but then the plumber came, (he was expected). No water.

I wrote but then electricity went off. I investigated. Plumber had opened up the switch for the shower pump. Inside was a tangle of rat tail wires, with live touching the switch. Electrician can come on Monday so we still have no shower.

Switched electricity back on and started to make coffee.

I wrote, but then husband came home. He made coffee. I switched on computer to write, but then none of the peripherals came on. Peripheral plug had switched off when the electricity went off. Rebooted.

Cleaner hadn't enough money - sorted that.

I went out to book dental appointment, offer consolations at local jeweller that's just got robbed and buy some cleaning stuff.

I'll try writing this afternoon.

Rainy days are here

So the car's broke.

And now we know why our toilets have been flushing with hot water for years - the shower pump's broke and lets hot water in to the cold tank through a varicose vein valve. Fortunately, the plumber investigated in time to realise the pipe had perished, and any day we'd have had a big flood, and now we won't have.

But we'll have another big bill.

That's what savings are for - a rainy day.