A truly lazy weekend ...

... during which we more or less did absolutely nothing.  We did go to the dairy for some milk and cream and to the library to return some books.  We trawled around the DIY shops looking for a new kitchen tap (got one in Focus for half price :-) ). I pruned the apple trees.  We shifted the chook run. Apart from that and the usual weekend domestic activities I don't think we did anything much. Apart from eat, of course.

It was really rather nice.

Around Christmas time we noticed that the hot tap in the kitchen had started to drip. Over the next few days the drip became more pronounced.  The Builder decided to try and change the washer - even though mixer taps are notoriously difficult when it comes to changing washers.  This cost-saving approach to solving the problem was doomed.  We might have found the stop tap to the house when we replaced the built in fridge in the kitchen with a free-standing one (or, The Builder found it - I don't think I've actually seen it) but it has been unused for so long that it has rusted solid and can't be moved.  There is an isolator valve in the very faaaaarrrrrrrrrrr corner of the under-sink cupboard, which we have used once when we first moved in.  But that is sheared and won't readily turn.  We deferred the problem to another day.  And now that other day has arrived.  The tap is not now dripping so much as running.  We can't turn it off at all.  We have acquired a nice new tap, but of course can't fit it because we can't turn the water off.  And in any case I think that fitting it might be a challenge too far.  The current one looks to have been welded into place rather than having proper fittings attached.  Plumbers are very expensive!!!

Then I remembered that we have not only boiler insurance with British Gas, but also plumbing, drain, electrical, appliance and all sorts of other useful insurance cover with them.  I rang them up and explained the situation.  It seems we are covered for running water and an inability to turn the stop tap - but not for replacement of taps though we can have a discount for that.  A plumber is due sometime today :-)  A non-running tap would be nice.  The Australian in me is aghast at the waste of water, even though we don't have a meter so are not being charged per litre of water rushing down the plughole.

The Australian in me is even more aghast at the awful things that a superfluity of water is doing in Queensland.  Rockhampton.  Toowoomba.  Even Brisbane. From drought to complete devastation in almost no time. Think dry thoughts for Queensland.

Freyja has a new job :-)  Yesterday morning she was offered a job and two job interviews in the space of a couple of  hours.  She's accepted the job and turned down the interviews.  Some sort of finance admin with the engineers at UniSheff.  She's very pleased.