We're without water. We have been without water since 3am yesterday. It's not just us, it's three towns, thousands and thousands of people. Just as I was going to post a green eco-tip about saving water, too*. The water board have put 4 water bowsers in our town, unfortunately all within 100ft of each other - not at all helpful for the few thousand people who live nowhere near those 4 bowsers**. Last night many people queued and queued to get bottled water, which we didn't do because we were too tired, however as there is now nothing more than the odd dribble escaping our tap downstairs (there isn't enough pressure for upstairs) I rushed out, unwashed, at 7.15 this morning to get water, come hell or.. um.. high water (or lack thereof). Thankfully no queues, just pure water in bottles. Hallelujah. I then went to a supermarket in an unaffected area and bought some bottles, primarily because a)I don't want to queue for hours this evening, b)water is a necessity, and it's supposed to be hotting up later this week, and c)for friends and neighbours who are elderly and can't get out to get water (and definitely couldn't lug 9 litres home with them). My mother did point out that this is how the end of society would begin .Yeah, thanks mum... People wonder where I get my pessimism from!

On a better note it has rained (don't worry, getting the irony loud and clear) and rained - the first time in over a month. Next rain shower, around 2pm, I'll be out with my bar of soap, shampoo and loofah. At least it's watering the tomatoes - as we don't have enough water to do even that!

Last weekend we sorted the house, still in bits of disarray from the wedding. It now looks like a place I can call home. We spent some vouchers we were given as a wedding present on a really nice lamp for the living room, and got things put into the loft. Our rather marvellous neighbour put us up a fence to stop the hooligans from invading our garden, as they did a couple of weeks ago, wheeling a wheelie bin full of stolen goods over my pumpkins. I can laugh about it now, but I was furious at the time - we caught them in the act, they just stood there nonchalantly until the dog went doolally at them, scaring them off, dumping their bounty as they went.


It has really been the strangest few weeks, but now it seems (touch wood) to be settling down a bit, there is nothing I can do in the garden, it's been to hot to mow the lawn or do anything but keep the tomatoes fed, dig up potatoes and pick at the runner beans. Which is a good thing, because I can focus on knitting. I found one of the only stockists of Opal sock wool (in the UK) on our honeymoon, so I bought a full sock knitting kit, complete with instructions, dpns and stitch markers. It's great to be knitting again, and the socks are looking fabulous. There have been some slight deviations from the pattern (some accidental, some not), but they look fab already.

I'll now go and find out how to wash my whole body with one pint of cold water, a bar of soap, and a flannel. Ideas on a postcard, please! hehe

*I will, once I've been able to have a shower *sigh*
**We now have 13 more bowsers, according to the water-board website.