So this is 2013?

So far, the new year has not got off to a good start. Yesterday - New Year's Eve - I discovered that water was seeping through the wall in my son's bedroom. A quick foray outside (it was pouring with rain) revealed that the water from the gutter at the side of the house was not pouring into the the downpipe as planned, but dribbling down the wall. I suspect some sort of leaf blockage is responsible, but I decided to wait for a less windy, less rainy day to investigate.
I was slightly cheered when Terry, the builder, appeared at the front door with a brace of pheasant for me. How kind! I hung them in the garage, to keep them cool and out of the way of the cats until I had a minute to pluck them.
In the meantime, I got on with the marathon task of sorting out all the recycling that had accumulated over the Christmas period. As I started picking through the mountain of paper and cardboard and bottles and cans in the kitchen, I noticed that a newspaper at the bottom of the bin was soaking wet. Huh? Perhaps someone had chucked a bottle in there that still had liquid in it? Stranger still, the water seemed warm.
It didn't take long to realise that the nearby radiator was leaking, and had been leaking for some time, judging by the base of the cat scratching post, which was saturated. I put all the recycling (now neatly sorted into its various bags and boxes) in the garage, and called the Dave, the heating engineer, who very kindly agreed to come out and have a look at it, despite the fact that it was 6pm on New Year's Eve, and he had a bad cold.
It took Dave about 10 minutes to sort the radiator, and he departed with my fervent thanks ringing in his ears while I got on with cooking supper. My daughter and I ate our roast lamb, watched the Graham Norton Show (I am now in love with Hugh Jackman) and wished each other happy new year while the fireworks exploded over London.
On our way to bed, we realised we hadn't seen Luigi for a while. Mario had been curled up with us while we watched TV, but there was no sign of Luigi anywhere. We called, we rattled his food bowl (normally a surefire way to get a response), but no, nothing.
A dreadful suspicion began to sidle into my brain. Perhaps he had sneaked into the garage while I was putting the recycling away. Perhaps I had shut him in the garage. Perhaps I had shut him in the garage WITH THE PHEASANTS.
My suspicions were confirmed. I opened the garage door to find Luigi sitting among a pile of feathers, licking his paws. Did he look guilty? Not a bit. He gave me a rather cross miaow, as if to say: "About time too!" and stalked into the house.
Never mind, I thought, perhaps it was good to get all the bad luck out of the way before 2013 began. This morning, I came downstairs to find that the cats had indulged in some sort of nocturnal rampage and knocked over a bottle of fabric conditioner, which had leaked all over the utility room floor.
Have a very happy 2013, everyone. And, erm, shake a tail feather, baby.




Comments

VP said…
Oh what a tale (tail?) of woe!

We arrived home from 'oop north' to find Jess had been spooked whilst we were away and had started using the landing as the loo. We spent yesterday deep cleaning all the carpets in the house in the hope she won't persist with her new habit. We also came back with an unexpected Christmas present from our niece - a cold!

2013 can only get better - this morning's sunshine seems to confirm my thinking.

Happy New Year :)
xxx
Got it all out of the way in one unpleasant draught.

It's stopped raining - at least it has here - which feels a bit creepy after it being non-stop deluge for weeks. If your rain has stopped too, maybe your house will stop leaking in sympathy.

As long as these are not the reasons why it's called 'Awkward Hill' . . . ha!

But I'll go with my first thought - everything over in one go and 2013 will be one of your best years ever - you see!

Happy New Year

Lucy
petoskystone said…
So Luigi is an Opportunist ;) Hope the gutter problem is as easily sorted as the radiator. Hope your 2013 gets better from here!
Diana Studer said…
that's quite an achievement for one day. Now you need another brace of pheasant for Mario. And your share?
Mark and Gaz said…
Oh dear...At least you inadvertently gave Luigi a treat. I doubt, and I'm sure you know as well that it won't be an indication of the year ahead, keep smiling :) If superstition does take its grip there's another chance for a good start after the Chinese New Year (kidding!).

Happy New Year and wishing you all the best for 2013!
Anonymous said…
It seems like you've got some great people in the village. Were either of the pheasants salvageable?
I must apologise for laughing at this post but only when I got to Luigi's capers. At least it saves you having to deal with the pheasants, I wouldnt know where to start.

My experience of moving to a new house is that it is just one thing after another and you wonder how come these things didnt happen to the previous owner. My last house the boiler packed up the first day completely and had to be replaced closely followed by the immersion tank. But that is three things out of the way and hopefully the week has now been better for you
We were given a brace of pheasants by our neighbour too. Fortunately Henry the cat didn't manage to track them down although he did hang about outside the utility looking as if he had something on his mind. Best wishes for 2013. Sure it can only get better.
Oh my! Well, you've got it over and done with for the year now. Hope you have a fantastic 2013 Victoria. And I still can't believe you're living in Bibury, one of the cutest towns I've ever seen in Britain!
Anonymous said…
Cats do own everything you know. That Luigi had a nice New Year's Eve feast didn't he. Onward and may 2013 be a year of wonderful changes in your new garden.
Anonymous said…
He is a wild one. Happy New Year.

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