Cause to celebrate

...with a load of washing!

We went out for supper tonight with Mark's sister, down from Scotland for a few days. Though we took the precaution of using their facilities before coming home, we needn't have bothered, because when we arrived back we heard that magical sound of water in the pipes.

I sit here accompanied by the blissful sound of the whirr of the washing machine and look forward to showering at home in the morning.

No more buckets!! Hooray!!

Lovely surprise

How sweet is this?

When I was at Denman College recently, one of the ladies attending a course was wearing what looked like some astroturf around her wrist. Intrigued, I had to take a closer look and discovered two really yummy bracelets. She admitted they were not her own work but they had been bought from a local shop in Norfolk, close to her home.

This morning, on going into the WI office, there's a parcel on my desk from Norfolk, containing a bracelet for me! Thank you Jane - I love it and I really appreciate your generosity.

I have some great friends - and I just gained another!

Is the end in sight?

Is there water at the end of the pipeline at last?!

It sounds as though we might have some kind of water supply restored by Thursday, though we are told that it will be only a "dirty water" supply and nothing we can drink or cook with. But oh, if only we could have the luxury of a flushing loo again!! It is likely to be a couple of weeks at least before our tap water will be of drinking quality, so we will continue with our trips to see those nice Army Cadets who are handing out the bottled stuff with such patience.

Saturday night

Fed up with "managing" to do the washing up with minimal water, we decided we'd go out for supper tonight with both our Mums. As we sat with our Gs and Ts in the lobby of a local hotel where the water has not been affected, we spotted several families coming in with carrier bags, being given keys by reception. We learned that a couple of local firms - Waitrose and the Stroud and Swindon Building Society - had rented rooms for their staff and their families to use whilst we have no running water.

Considerate employers, we thought.

Forgetting about water

..for a day at least. Today, some of the great unwashed went to London. (Bad description, of course we've washed!)

One proud Grandma has been eager to see where the apple of her eye works and following a promise made ages ago, we set out on the train this morning to meet Edward for lunch at "the office". Taking the train to London was an adventure in itself and all went surprisingly smoothly, thank goodness.

The timing of the taxi ride from Paddington to Westminster even coincided with the changing of the guard, making a little sightseeing en route incredibly easy.


We met Edward outside St Stephens Entrance as usual, enjoying the opportunity for a little people watching whilst we waited. There were surprisingly few people about though, and being the first day of the Summer recess, not much work was being done ;-)



The weather was kind and we were able to sit outside on the terrace for lunch with a lovely view. It was amusing to watch the tourist boats approach with everyone peering over in our direction to see what's going on. No, we didn't wave.....

After a guided tour and celebrity spotting opportunity (not good today, just 3 MPs and a Cheeky Girl!) I managed to get the two of them to stand still for just one embarrassing minute. Sorry, Edward - but the carrier bag does contain one bottle of "thanks"!

(I have been asked how I could have allowed Mummy to hang on to her shopping bag whilst I took her photo...Oh dear.....!)