It wasn’t a grand plan.
The library, a nursing home visit, a film, and a little work on this blog on Saturday.
A jaunt into the country for Briar, and some quite time at home, reading and doing one or two jobs on Sunday.
It wasn’t to be.
Late on Friday night we spotted a small wet patch on the carpet. We were mystified. It was about the same size as Briar’s bottom, but even if she had sat there when she came back from her evening the carpet wouldn’t have been that wet. And then we realised. The wet patch was directly above the floorboard that was taken up earlier in the week for a carpenter to replace part of a joist. Had he nicked a pipe when he screwed the floorboard down.
We couldn’t do anything that night, and it had taken four days for the water to come up, so we decided we’d see how it looked in the morning.
It looked no worse, and so we went out. But when we came back at lunchtime the wet patch was significantly bigger and wetter. This wasn’t going to wait until Monday, and so up came the carpet and the floorboard so we could take a look. The wretched carpenter had only screwed the board in two places but he had gone straight through the middle of a pipe.
So we turned the water off – and the aga so that the empty hot water tank wouldn’t burn out -and sent for an emergency plumber.
Now this is where living at the far end Cornwall isn’t so good. There are less choices, less chances of getting someone out, than even further up the county.
The 24-hour plumber said he could be here by three. Then he said by five. And then he rang back to say he couldn’t get here until Monday.
So we tried another. The plumber will call you back in ten minutes he said. Half an hour later I’d heard nothing so I rang again. He’ll be with you as soon as he can. Nothing. We gave up for the night.
Two stressed humans and one stressed dog settled down in the half of the living room all the furniture was in, so we could leave the boards and the carpet up for everything to dry out.
Poor Briar had been suffering in the hot weather, she picked up on our stress, and she really didn’t understand why the house was in chaos.
This morning our luck changed. At eight o’clock there was a plumber on the doorstep. He told us that yesterday he and his colleagues had gone to the Eden Project to see Jessie J yesterday. He looked at the problem, talked us through a couple of options, and we agreed the best way forward. He couldn’t get the parts on Sunday, but he’ll be back first thing tomorrow. And he put in a temporary fix, so we could have the water on for a while to fill the buckets, bowls, and jugs, without anything leaking.
As of now I love the plumber and I could cheerfully strangle the carpenter!
We then went back to the plan for a quiet day, and I’ve spent a lot of time sitting out in the shade with Briar. She really has been wilting on the heat, it’s too hot to walk her very far, and so she’s been sleeping and watching the world go by, and I’ve been reading.
that means I have a stack of books to write about. I had a few already and I’ve added The Woman in the Alcove by Anna Katherine Green (okay), the Feast by Margaret Kennedy (loved it), The Sleeper by Emily Barr (a little disappointing) and the Golem and the Djinni by Helena Weckler (a contender for book of the year) to the list.
But they will all have to wait. I’ve been to the laundrette to do the washing, I’ve been to a friend’s for a shower, and I don’t have the energy left to think and write.
Having the aga off for a few days has limited our cooking options – we don’t have the kitchen space for a regular oven as well – but it has been lovely to have the house a little cooler. And we can clean it far more effectively while it’s cold – when we get the water back.
I haven’t minded washing in cold water while the weather is so warm – but I do miss my shower.
but tomorrow is another day!
First we get the plumbing fixed, then we put he house to rights, and then I can write.
Cross your fingers that everything goes to plan!
Fleur in her World 
What a horrible disruption! Hopefully you can get some reparation from the carpenter!! And good luck getting it all sorted out.
Oh dear! I do hope your week is better than the weekend and you get the plumbing sorted. I don’t know what I’d do without my shower in this heat, garden hose? Maybe 🙂 As you say cold water’s okay in this heat.
Thank you. We had to drain the entire system, so no water for the garden hose, but I ventured out and got my shower.
That shower must have been wonderful in this heat. Typical, something goes in the height of summer where water is concerned 😦
I had plumbing woes this weekend, too. A deluge in the basement! The sewer was backed up (uuuugh) but after our borough came out plus the emergency plumber we are in better shape … until the next thing happens!
I hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow with your repair.
Oh my goodness that sounds awful, but I’m glad you got people out quickly. In our case things like this are the price of living in an old house on the seafront in a largely rural area.
Oh, no! But look at your lovely word tree! (That’s not compensation for all the problems, I know, but I like it.) Good luck tomorrow!
A word tree felt like a better illustration than something plumbing related. We’re getting things sorted, and in the menatime I’m doiing lots of reading while I’m sitting in the shade with Briar.
We’re in the midst of a heatwave as well…poor Briar! And poor you having to deal with an unexpected leak – certainly one of life’s experiences you could well do without. My imaginary voodoo doll wearing a carpenter’s apron would be coming out….just saying. Hope all is well soon!
The bright side is that the heatwave is drying out the boards and the carpet very quickly. Our former carpenter and the plumber both wear branded polo shirts, so I’d worry that I’d get the worong one with a voodoo doll!
What a mess! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
Thank you – we are slowly getting things back to normal.
Plumbing problems, floods; not fun at all. Speaking from experience, and sadly still waiting for problems to be fixed; been waiting since March. The house is functional but not pretty and I have exhausted stress and resorted to calm resignation. Hope all goes well. Otherwise you can cheer yourself as I do with Flanders and Swann http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyeMFSzPgGc
Fortunately we were able to spot the problem before we had a proper flood and take steps, but it wasn;t fun having the floorboards and carpet up and being without water. Exhausted stress followed by calm resignations is exactly right. I hope you manage to get things sorted out and how you want them before too long.
Yes, our problem was not well spotted, hence the huge mess. All will be well, eventually.
I’m so sorry to hear about the mess – and poor Briar! Here’s hoping that your week goes more smoothly!
We’re getting there. The pipe in question only served the garden tap, so it has been stopped and we’ll carry watering cans from the back yard to the front garden until we’ve thought things trough and dealy with the issues. Briar is much happier now the temperature has dropped a little and the home she knows has been put straight.
Oh dear, that’s awful – and how shockingly careless of the carpenter. I hope things are getting back to normal.
Thank you, we’re prety much back on track. I’m not a practical person, but even I wondered why the plumber didn’t mark the position of the pipes on the neighbouring boards.
What a pain that is. I hope things are improving now? Horrible when you notice water somewhere in the house, and as you say, often a peril of an older house. We struggled to find a plumber who would arrive when they said they would, when we first moved to our (old) house and there was water coming through the ceiling when we’d had a shower. Daisy sympathises with Briar about walkies in this heat.
Finding reliable tradesman can be tricky – we now have two good plumbers but no carpenter. Briar sympathises with Daisy, because the coat that keeps her cosy in the winter moths must be less than ideal in the weather we’ve had recently.