Smile a while...

Now there's a smile to set me up for the day :-) 

When greeted like that in the morning it's difficult to be anything but happy, even when things go tits up a bit awry.  

The plan was to head to Perth for Christmas shopping and depending on timing, some lunch.  Just as I was about to put my shoes on D went in to the utility room to find himself wading in water!  What the feck?!!

After a short investigation it became apparent the waste pipes from Alan's washing machine, our washing machine and the sink had developed cracks and were leaking, and I mean cracks in the actual pipes, not at the joins.

D arranged for an emergency plumber to come out but as the call out time was between 1pm and 6pm it was clear our shopping trip was off, but worse than that, no washings were going to get done and there were a few loads from David's weekend away and stuff we want to take on holiday!

While D got the utility room floor clean and dry, I finished packing the art materials I want to take on holiday and my photography kit.

We had just finished lunch when the plumber arrived.  The good news is he managed to replace a section of pipe and we can use the washing machine from tomorrow morning.  The bad news is the whole section of pipe in the utility room will have to be replaced.  He asked if we had ever used sink and drain unblocker in there and we have, this is what has apparently caused the problem.  It destroys the pipes!  So at some point in the near future, we will have to get them replaced.

So instead of Christmas shopping on the High Street (which we will do tomorrow) I have spent the evening online (whilst also watching the Bakeoff :-) making a small dent in my shopping list.  

Have also been waiting for a call from my best friend Agnes.  Her sister Jean (also a friend) was going through major heart surgery today.  I was very happy and relieved to hear her surgery went well.  She will spend at least tonight in ICU but should be extubated in the next few hours.  It's a huge relief that it's over.  

Jean is a real force of nature and quite a character.  When I look back at the many scrapes I got into in my youth, Jean was at the centre of almost all of them!  I can't think of her without smiling and can't wait to catch up with her once she's well on the road to recovery.