Day 81 - Call the Plumber

 

Lockdown Day 81 - Level 3 Day 15 - Last night our tenant called me and showed me the newly developed problem of a blocked drain. It has been nearly 2 years since the drain was blocked last. I replaced a section of sewerage line 3 tenants ago so this came as a surprise. This morning Trio Plumbers arrived to unblock the drain. It wasn't long and it was running smoothly again.

Here's to a Mouse

Tonight is Burns Night, in honour of the 2nd greatest poet in my books, Rabbie Burns, or as some people know him as Robert Burns, the greatest Scottish poet to date. But before I can get to enjoying a whisky in honour of Rabbie, I had to get a sewerage blockage sorted out. Och the joys of living in a modern home without the niceties of having an outside long drop toilet.

Once as Rabbie was working his fields he accidentally overturned a mouse nest which lead to one of my favourite poems, Tae a Mouse. This poem ends off with Rabbie saying how blessed the mouse actually is.

But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane, 

In proving foresight may be vain: 

The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men 

          Gang aft agley, 

An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, 

          For promis’d joy! 

Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me! 

The present only toucheth thee: 

But Och! I backward cast my e’e, 

          On prospects drear! 

An’ forward tho’ I canna see, 

          I guess an’ fear!

In summary, these last 2 verses says, well that's life. Whether you a mouse or a man, your plans, however well made, often get messed up. After all mice are blessed compared to us humans as mice live in the present moment while us humans look to the past with regret and to the future with fear. It is that last lines, But Och! I backward cast my e’e, on prospects drear! An’ forward tho’ I canna see, I guess an’ fear! Yes we keep looking to the past with regret and to the future with fear.

So I poured meself a wee whisky, to drink to Rabbie. So who holds the number 1 spot in my heart dare you ask? Well that my dear goes to Yeats, and my most favourite poem of all, The Stolen Child. And of course following up on Rabbie Burns is Pushkin but tonight it is all Rabbie. Have a blest Burns Night.

Weimar Republic

The side of my house is starting to look like the Weimar Republic, full of holes being dug only to be filled again.

In April my side kitchen drain got blocked up due to roots and now again in August, 5 months later it is blocked again. Trio Plumbing was called out and at first they did not succeed it getting past the roots. Oh dear so many trees in my yard but I think I have identified the tree responsible.

To help find another inspection eye as mine are all hidden under ground I got my gardener to dig in strategic areas according to the plans but sadly after 4 holes dug, no sewer was found. Either the builders put the sewer in a different place than to the plans or we are not going deep enough.

Anyway finally after the plumbers got a bigger machine they got through the roots. Now to make double sure where the pipes are in the future and to correctly identify the tree causing the problem I will need to organise a camera to be put down the sewer line.

I better start filling up those holes again. Why the Weimar Republic, well during the 2 world wars, Germany was named the Weimar Republic. While the Great Depression was in full swing, hyperinflation and unemployment was rife in Germany.

It was in this economic crisis that the unemployed were organised into teams where one team set out to dig holes and then the next day another team arrived just to refill the holes, all in an effect to keep the destitute working even though money was worthless at the time. This became a fertile breeding ground for the Nazis.

Seeing the fruitless holes that were dug with no success, knowing that I need to come the next day and refill them, reminded me of the Weimar Republic.