The weather has certainly taken a turn for the worse. Today it’s cool but for a change not raining (at the moment). Even the radiator in my room has started working, and so I’ve cancelled the gas engineer. Meanwhile Barclays internet banking is down; so I can’t pay Robin, who finished our shower room on Saturday.
It was incredibly fortunate he was here, because I was attempting to bleed the aforementioned radiator and overdid it so that I couldn’t tighten it up again. Water was spurting all over the place, and Dot rushed into the garage to fetch Robin, who managed to sort it out. We should keep a plumber in the garage permanently. My study took the rest of the day to dry out, but at least I now know where and how to turn the water off. I did know roughly, but now I know exactly.
Robin took all day to finish off the shower room, but he’s done a great job. We now await the flooring, which still hasn’t arrived in the country. Dot rang again this morning to check. As Robin was leaving on Saturday – he also fixed the facia boards in the kitchen – Elwira and her friend David arrived for soup and nibbles. There had been a slight misunderstanding over time, but once we’d sorted ourselves out, it went very well. Dave is very quiet, rather like me, but Elwira is even noisier than Dot – and Polish to boot. Dave is English.
Two days earlier, on Thursday, the engineer came and sorted out the hob – we hope. He didn’t seem to do much other than tighten up a couple of screws, but it hasn’t gone wrong since. Dot went to the NCFC shop and bought Freddie a birthday card, and Amy FaceTimed us and told us all about her music exam, and a personality test which she passed on to us! Watched a good film called Belle, about a woman called Dido. It was a true story , mainly about the beginnings of misgivings about slavery, and it was well done. The previous evening we’d seen The Client, based on a John Grisham story, and that was excellent too, in a very different way. Sad to read afterwards that the boy who played the lead – Brad Renfro – had a very sad after-story and died young.
On Friday the rain arrived. It poured all day, and it was blowing a gale too. Needless to say the 6pm drink in the street did not happen. Earlier I had gone to the dentist – transported by Dot because of the weather – and had some laser work done , in the course of which it was discovered that I had a hole in the same area. So I have to go again – and the filling will be even more expensive – well over £300. I found a Morse DVD which had apparently been Angela’s, and we watched it, but it was quite unsatisfying. Morse got it wrong, and Lewis threw away the evidence. I always found the Lewis stories much better.
It was still raining on Sunday, but not so heavily. We went to church, and Dot and I did a couple of my songs during the service, after which Dot dropped off a present for Phyllis and then came home and sorted out the shower room. Barry the painter rang to say he could come on October 5. We watched Norwich lose 1-0 to Bournemouth, and Hamilton get cheated by nitpicking stewards out of a Russian grand prix win that would have equalled Schumacher’s record. We also watched some of the world cycling road race championship, won by Alaphilippe. Quite exciting near the end. Oliver sent us his personal statement, which was pretty impressive, but I’ve made a few small suggestions. He wanted feedback.
While the rest of us were getting rain, and Wales and Bournemouth were basking in the sun, Walcott got sand. All the sand imported to protect the village (and Bacton gas terminal) from the sea blew on to and into the houses. It was impossible to see the road. According to the EDP, residents said this was better than getting flooded.