Saturday started badly when Ruth noticed water flooding from the outside drain while I was showering. Concluded blockage. In an impressive display of brute force, Ruth eventually got the manhole cover off to reveal flooding/blockage of an unpleasant nature. Gail and Rob kindly picked up some drainage rods for us from HSS Hire and we applied them to the drain. I say ‘we’, but actually I was dispatched into Caversham to do some shopping – evidently I look too feminine and/or squeamish (and/or plain useless) for such activities. Arrived home laden with groceries and meadow hay1 to find Ruth triumphantly washing the rods, having managed to clear the blockage.
Also noticed on Saturday morning that the snow had brought down a section of guttering at the back of the house. Have been assured by our neighbour Nicki that her new lodgers will fix it when they move in.
Previous time said manhole cover had had to be removed was on Christmas Eve 2006 when a toilet freshener fell down the toilet and blocked it, leading to amusingly farcical series of unblocking efforts. See Dave's write-up here. One of my chief memories is of my poor father, who was probably lying on the floor at the time with his arm around the U-bend, being berated by my mother for ‘allowing’ Ray, who had just had an operation, to go outside to assist.
Ruth and I went for dinner and an overnight stay on Ray’s boat on Saturday evening. I was surprised to see that the marina – or at least, the narrowboat section – was still frozen. The ice looked fairly solid, although obviously I didn’t test it out. Apparently cats had been seen sauntering across it, and I saw a couple of swans having a set-to on it – perhaps irritated by the solidity of the water. A highlight of the evening was having first ‘go’ on the newly-installed toilet – seemed to go all right although Ray impressed on us that remembering to click the ‘open’ button is crucial.
As of this week, the rabbits have begun stripping the wallpaper off the dining room wall. As this room is probably last on the list to be re-decorated, this is slightly annoying. Have told Lola that if she starts, she has to finish – may purchase small pulley contraption to enable her to reach higher sections of wall.
Went for a nice walk around Sonning Common and Rotherfield on Sunday courtesy of a Berkshire women’s walking group which I have finally galvanised myself into joining. We returned to the less-than-inspiring Butcher’s Arms in Sonning Common for Sunday lunch (two packets of mini Cheddars, in my case).
May have done something sacrilegious this week in joining an additional Book Group (henceforth to be known as Secondary Book Group, or SBG). Saw an ad for a new group starting up and thought I would take the opportunity to be exposed to a potentially different range of texts - although whether I will actually manage to read two books a month remains to be seen. The chair has chosen a Stella Duffy crime novel for the first book, which hopefully shouldn't be too demanding.
This week’s ‘Gem of the Day’ from McGonagall Online was ‘Women’s Suffrage’, Though an inept poet, McGonagall was evidently a supporter of this, so fair play to him. Was particularly charmed by verses 8 and 9, which I reproduce here. The full text of the poem can be seen here.
Yes, the Home Secretary of the present day,
Against working women's deputations, has always said- nay;
Because they haven't got the parliamentary Franchise-,
That is the reason why he does them despise.
And that, in my opinion, is really very unjust;
But the time is not far distant, I most earnestly trust,
When women will have a parliamentary vote,
And many of them, I hope, will wear a better petticoat.
1 For the rabbits.
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