What a shower!

I suppose it's sod's law that says these things always have to happen at the beginning of a bank holiday weekend. When I opened the kitchen door first thing on Saturday Fern shot out and the look on her face was saying, 'It wasn't me!' Then I noticed the puddle of water on the floor. I could see straight away that Fern was not responsible (it was the wrong colour) but couldn't work out just how it had got there. My brain doesn't really click into gear until I have had that first cup of tea, but I eventually decided it must be leaking through from the shower which is just about exactly over where the puddle was. I wiped up and put a bucket under the source of the drip. Mrs S examined the shower closely and spotted that there was a crack in the grouting where the wall meets the shower tray. I dried the wall as best I could with an old flannel and dismantled the kitchen light fitting through which I realised the water was coming. During the day the drip stopped and, having given the shower time to dry out properly, I regrouted the wall/shower tray junction. All seemed well. Until yesterday morning. Not only was the drip back, it was dripping more quickly - and from two different places. Then three places! We now had three buckets in a line across the kitchen, and an obstacle course to get from one end to the other. I hate disturbing people over a bank holiday, but yesterday afternoon I rang our tame builder who has promised to drop by this morning - just to see if he can spot the problem quickly. I have the horrible feeling that our floorboards are going to be up this week. At least, I hope it will be this week. We are due to go to France next weekend and I would prefer that the problem was sorted before than.

I really should be at Seaford today where another Lions Club is holding a donkey derby. Brighton Lions have several stalls, but even though help for just an hour would be appreciated, that means at least a two hour trip as the journey there would take a good 30 - 45 minutes. Not only do I have to walk our dog, but I have also promised to walk the dog of a fellow Lion who has contracted pneumonia. He is recently widowed and will worry if his dog doesn't get enough exercise so I hope this will ease his mind a little.

Must press on.