Friday 27th December - Another Day Full of Incidents

'But what of Christmas?' I hear you say! It is still Christmas, and will be for another week. It's been Christmas like it always is...

Yesterday, however, yesterday, was something else. It was going to be just an ordinary day - some errands to run, and then probably sitting around, doing whatever we wanted.

That was before the bulb in the sitting room ceiling light gave up the previous evening. Attempting to replace the bulb revealed that the bulb holder is bakelite, and probably dates from 1953 when these houses were built. That makes it 66 years old, which explains why it shattered into chunks of plastic.

So, while the tyre that was punctured at the beginning of the week was being replaced at 8am, Himself was able to wander round to the nearby DIY store and buy a new bulb holder. Then, when he returned, he could replace the bulb holder and bulb, and also the dimmer light switch which dates back to about 1985 and won't work with modern bulbs.

But... the fluorescent tube in the kitchen also stopped working in the morning. We had a spare tube, but that wouldn't fire up when fitted - ah - the holder contraption (also about 20 years old) had breathed its last.

Back to the DIY store to buy a new spot-light style ceiling fitting and wire it all up.

What a good thing that Himself managed to get on a Job Creation scheme and train as an electrician and as a plumber all those ears ago when we were first married.

Did I mention plumbing?

Everything was cleared away and I had just set out a very late lunch, when the doorbell rang.

It was our nextdoor neighbour; the drains, linking our houses were blocked. Himself and Number One Son abandoned their sandwiches, gloved up, and set to work, lifting the manhole cover and doing the usual flushing and proddling and poking about until everything was functioning as it ought.

Oh well. Friday 27th December is a normal working day, for those who haven't booked it as holiday or aren't teachers, so, (ab)normal working is what happened!