PLUMBERS......ASSORTED !

Today the first of four prospective plumbers and builders who may be lucky enough to fit our new bath room came to have a look around before submitting their tender to the DHSS and a flicker of alarm has caused Pa and I to wonder which of the artisans who have visited so far will be chosen?
First came a builder who rang to say that he could not find us when he was actually outside our house at the time and within three feet of the of the house number blazoned upon the gatepost! He looked at the under stairs where the new loo will be located and came out muttering “Oh dear, oh dear.” Upstairs he took a few cursory measurements and then went out of the back door, within a moment he was back to ask me if the bathroom was at the back or the front of the house.

Now I must tell you that our cottage is tiny,it is two down and three up, it does not ramble and to get lost either inside or outside takes a considerable effort, Pa and I looked at each other in astonishment. When he left still muttering “Oh dear,oh dear.” we both agreed that our confidence in his ability to execute the required work was not high!

Builder number two toured the house in total silence and left without comment which we also found a trifle disconcerting,we await the arrival of a further two contractors before the estimates are submitted with trepidation ,something to look forward to!

Pa and I had a very late breakfast of eggs Florentine and then I dragged myself off to tackle the ironing muttering “Oh dear, oh dear.”all the way up the stairs. Incidentally there stair carpet has recovered nicely from being inundated with sweet and sour sauce and whisky and now we can stop burning incense at last which is a great relief all round.

Tonight my son does his last shift before Easter having booked some extra time off to attend a four day convention of swords, sorcery and so forth out at Heathrow,it is to be hoped that the lecturers can make themselves heard above the aeroplane noise. We shall see very little of him as he will be leaving early and arriving home late, eating out with friends each day. This will leave Pa and I free to eat the sort of things which are normally prohibited by my sons tastes, there will be lots of fish, steak and kidney pudding, liver and onions, and no,I
repeat NO CHICKEN!

Last nights rain has wrought magic in the garden and overnight many plants have made a great deal of growth, tomorrow the hosepipe ban begins and with it the problem of how to keep the garden watered.....ho hum. Poor Twiggy is once again curled up on my bed as the cold damp garden does not suit Her Ladyship at all, above all she hates to have her dainty little paws wet and so she has returned to her winter quarters for the duration of the cold spell.

All around the trees are breaking in to leaf and the horse chestnuts are already showing the beginnings of their spectacular candle like flowers with smell so sweet but which make me sneeze. Most pleasing of all is the recovery of our two lilac trees felled last year by the estate, fortunately they neglected to poison the roots and this year after a vigorous growing season they are producing a prodigious amount of flowers on the still short stems. Unfortunately the large laburnum,also destroyed last year will not make a come back and is now just a rotting stump.

I give thanks that the ironing is done for now and I can again access the airing cupboard without causing an avalanche, how I wish that the boys would do as I do and wear clothes that do not require such attention.

Easter is almost here sand I have purchased chocolate eggs for the boys, when my son was small we staged elaborate Easter egg hunts for him with rhyming clues and which took ages to put together, I still miss those times a little but it is wonderful to have a grown up son to be proud of after all.