We’ve sprung a leak! Ok, now let’s not panic. Although the ship had sprung a leak, it wasn’t actually too bad. Not for the first time, water has been dripping down into the galley from the bathroom above. We’ve had some really bad rain, and a few years ago water was coming in through a sill above the back door. The landlord sorted that, however I borrowed some sealant and gave it another spraying for good measure. No good, water still dripping after days of no rain.

There are some bathroom tiles that are a little suspect, so in my lunchtime I did some grouting – as you do! The Cabin Boy was under strict instructions not to use the bath or shower for 24 hours so that the grout could harden properly. It was still dripping.

The last time we sprung a leak it was the sink tap, and the landlord called a plumber after he tried to fix it and made it 10 times worse. At that point water was pouring through the kitchen ceiling! Why do some people think that they can fix anything, despite having no training or tools for the job?

As a last resort, and I know when I’m beaten, I called in a plumber. He got into a position under the bath that at my age I’m not capable of lol, and noted that there was a leak from the hot tap on the bath. He popped out for some parts and set to the repair. He had to cut a piece of pipe away and replace that, and the job was done. He turned the water back on, no dripping. Phew! He ‘liberated’ me of all my ‘spare’ cash and was on his merry way. The bill wasn’t too bad in fact, and at least the ship is safe from the invasive and destructive powers of water, for now…

I’m going to get a quote from them re ripping out the bath and putting in a shower cubicle instead. We don’t bath, haven’t done so for many years, and a shower over the bath isn’t as nice-looking as a cubicle. A cubicle would take up less room too, and with such a small house, anything that uses less room is a good thing. My main concern isn’t the cost, it’s more the inconvenience, and how long the bathroom may be out of action for. I could stay at my friend’s house, and the dog could, but I doubt my son would come too even though my friend has spare bedrooms. If his Dad was still here I’d send him to his Dad’s house but the scurvy dog that is my ex has sailed off to calmer seas as you know. What to do…

I begin to understand the term ‘flaming June’. The weather is flaming awful at the moment! Too much rain, not enough sunshine, and so far today we haven’t made it to double figures. There’s a keen wind blowing and I might have to put the heating on later on if it doesn’t warm up at all. We’re forecast more rain, just for a change :(

I have a huge amount to do this weekend and can’t go out on Sunday due to a sporting event that will keep literally thousands of people ‘trapped’ where they live, so I’m taking Friday off just so I can get it all done. Locally our village will be shut down from about 7am to 3pm for this event and many are very unhappy about it. I could ‘escape’ via a back route, however traffic may be murder, and I may have problems getting back home, so we’re holed up for all of Sunday. What a pain!

Have a great weekend. We have the promise of rain, and the road closures, so I’ll be in my now dry galley cooking up a storm. On that note: You’ve heard of apple crumble? Try it with peaches or nectarines. It’s fantastic!