An early post today...

...while plumber is here. Not much else I can do while he is here.

I said yesterday I would probably Blip an old book today, one of those the mice were standing on to chew through the wooden shelves in the kitchen.

The book is 'The Reluctant Gardener' by Ethelind Fearon. December 1952 it was printed.

It is a very interesting book.

I am hoping you can read the words from those two pages. The previous page the sentence begins with 'Perhaps if you have only room for one tree you had better be absolutely original and grow an English oak.....'

Then you can read the rest hopefully from the collage.

In my front garden I have at least 3 English oaks!!! I am trying to keep them down in height!

I am posting this now. Then while the plumber is still here (he is working on the toilet now and I have spanking new taps in the kitchen sink!) I shall take a few photos of the illustrations and make a collage for an extra photo.

Thank you for all your love.
Take care x

UPDATE: posted the extra.
Plumber tells me the toilet is being a bit naughty and he is going to and fro from his van...
2nd UPDATE: Plumber is walking back to his van with a cross face telling me the toilet is being very naughty...
3rd UPDATE: plumber is not the happy cheerful chappie who walked in whistling. The toilet is being extremely naughty. And my legs are crossed. The toilet has been misbehaving for an hour and a half...
FINAL UPDATE: I was about to have to go and find a bush in my garden, when the plumber said he had fixed my toilet.
I can't believe it...a working toilet after a long time...something like six years.

I did get it repaired years ago, and then over a year later the flush mechanism went again, then I had to get someone out again, and then just over a year later the flush mechanisms inside the toilet went yet again. This happened 3 or 4 times. The cost was running into hundreds of pounds by now.

So when it went again, I wasn't forking out money again. I already had a tall container in the sink so I could wash my hands and arms easily without filling the sink, which was quite large. So then when it was full I tipped that container of dirty water down the toilet to flush it.

So over the last six years or so I have never used clean water to flush a toilet.

I was delighted to be able to actually flush the toilet. I had a look at the workings inside because the last systems that were used broke down easily. I have never seen a system like this, so totally different. Then I thought, oh no it's already broken, there was barely an inch of water at the bottom of the cistern.

So, I tried the flush and it flushed beautifully on that tiny amount of water. So, it must be some kind of pump pressure system. I am at the top of a hill, and the water pressure here is appalling, some days the shower won't work because not enough water pressure.

But, immediately I felt it was decadent to use fresh water to flush a wee. It is not necessary. I have managed the last six years lifting the container out of the sink with the dirty hand washing water. It is exercise for my arms, isn't it?

So, I will keep on doing that.

I might apply for a water meter. I don't use much anyway. The cost of water is very high here.

And there was a bonus. One massive bonus. I signed a piece of paper that the plumber had done the job. And I said how much? Oh no, nothing he said, that has already been sorted. You are on low income and that is essential health and safety stuff, so it has come out of some grant funding we have.

I am totally gobsmacked, but in a good way. I have gone back to bed for a few hours after all the recent trauma with everything. I just need to chill out, sleep and relax.

Life is good. The universe is good. Popeye is purring loudly on my lap x