A View with No Loo

The Big Lorry - their motto, on the back, reads
'No.1 in No. 2s'

On Christmas Day, Tom and I settle down to our scrumptious Swansea market pork. Mm, delicious, especially the lovely crackling… until, that is, I realise that some of the crunching noise has been caused by a back tooth breaking in half.

Never mind, I think, on Boxing Day, I’ll go for a run. After heavy rain the roads are like rivers, even on the hills where I’m also pelted with so much hail that the front of my black running trousers turns white. It feels great to be out here; I run a pb and feel fabulously alive… until a searing pain in my butt makes every other step I take pure agony. Back home I do some internet research and discover something called Piriformis Syndrome. It doesn’t make for happy reading – I belatedly learn why it’s important to stretch before and after vigorous exercise.

My younger stepson arrives for the New Year – lovely! We look forwards to eating, drinking and making merry… until both loos stop working. Tom spends three hours fishing around in the drains but has to give up and call in the professionals. Two years of very heavy rain and the weight of waterlogged soil have all been too much for our system causing a pipe to collapse… so this is what happened on the last day of 2013...

The Big Digger prepares to attack...

This is the septic tank (nice!)

I've spared you the close up of what was revealed... but that's when it became evident that The Big Lorry (above) was required so that the poor man standing here could carry out the repairs... 

An unforgettable end to the year. And this pipe.

We're incredibly grateful to Geraint and Andrew Davies who worked so hard to carry out emergency repairs.  Our happiness levels have risen considerably now that our loos are flushing again and we're trying not to think about what else might need doing.  It’s a new year and my indoor bulbs – grown from a kit given to me by my lovely friend, Ann - have flowered to welcome it in.  Happy New Year!