It Never Rains But It Pours

I’ve now commenced the home run! 11 days and counting! I’ve just finished the final rehearsal with the stage two children for their carol concert this afternoon.

Now all I’ve got to look forward to this week is a concert tonight with my male voice choir, a trip to the local market gardens with the Nursery Children tomorrow afternoon, a final practice for the Lessons and Carols on Thursday evening, a funeral to play for on Friday and – hopefully, a free day on Saturday.

Just to relieve the monotony, yesterday I was upstairs sorting out the words and tunes for the Nativity Play and checking that the words in Carols for Choirs and Hymns Old and New agreed with the words in the Bethlehem Carols Sheet (which the congregation will be using at the Lessons and Carols) and I had to go downstairs to retrieve my copy of Hymns Old and New.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs I was met with a familiar sight – water dripping from the ceiling. Luckily it hadn’t been dripping long, but as the washing machine was mid cycle, and the mains on/off tap is behind the washing machine I had to stop the machine and empty it before the water could be turned off! I then phoned our local friendly plumber who arrived ten minutes later. It needed the new bath side removing, and the only way to do this was to prise off some of the individual boards – so they will now need to be replaced. It turned out a washer on the pipe that fastens to the tap had worn and was causing the leak, but the ceiling paper in the hall has been stained and will need to be repainted too.

Ruby’s bed is directly under the leak and was soaked, so that had to be thrown out. She returned from a walk, wet and muddy, so she had to be washed – but that couldn’t be done until the leak had been repaired and the water turned back on! She had to be dried, and then new bedding had to be found for her.

It never rains but it pours!