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Saturday 12 May 2012

Bevileaks revisited

Moan, whinge, whine.

So we have had another little water problem.  All this rain has made the house move but the hot water feed to the bathroom in the attic did not have the requisite flexibility, set shifting, cognitive skills to move at the same time.

Rather sneakily, this hot water feed pipe is hidden in what is euphemistically called "the tank room", where the water tanks, water softener, Christmas decoration and big suitcases are stored.  It is also the home to a zillion spiders and only HWISO is brave enough to go in there.

The pipe then travels down the back of the airing cupboard to the immersion heater.  The point of having a back to the airing cupboard is to hide it with assortments of sheets, spare duvets, the Christmas tablecloth, manky swimming towels, a cushion pad you have been meaning to recover since you moved in 20 years ago, flannels, the odd sock.  Being big into wildlife, I am very unkeen to disturb natural habitats and the back of the airing cupboard is a SSSI for those interested in the evolution of dustballs.

(So NO, I didn't notice the leak because I don't clean the back of my airing cupboard.  There, I've said it now.  Confessed.  I am not a natural airing cupboard cleaner and I am too old to change.)

The upshot is that we didn't notice the leak until it came through the kitchen ceiling.  Our house is now thrumming to the groove of three (yes, three - one for each floor) dehumidifiers, including one that just sits, malevolently, in the middle of kitchen, waiting to trip you up with its flex, every time you approach the dishwasher.......................

7 comments:

  1. Charlotte, what on earth is an airing cupboard? I could guess, or I could Google, but much more fun to have you explain it!

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  2. An airing cupboard is where the hot water tank resides (usually under the stairs), with wooden slatted shelves so you can "air" your clothes. It is slightly different from the linen cupboard, by dint of being warm.

    It is usually quite deep (hence all the stuff at the back), quite claustrophobic and the best description of it is the "Hons Cupboard" as immortalised by Nancy Mitford in the Pursuit of Love. (If you haven't read the book, go and buy immediately!).

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    1. PS I suspect you call it a linen closet, as you seem to call all cupboards (perfectly good, stout English word) closets. Closets in the UK are usually "water closets" - ie small rooms (often under the stairs) containing a loo and a basin, a collection of magazines for reading and a load of photographs - either of family, pets or honeymoons! In England, they tend to be cold - one wouldn't want to encourage people to stay too long in there - and fit for purpose. xx

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  3. My mother used to have pictures of vicars in her water closet - but some English ladies are even more eccentric than others.

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  4. my mother used to have pictures of vicars in her water closet - but then again some English Ladies are deliberately eccentric

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  5. Why, oh why did we break from the Empire? I could really use an airing cupboard!

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  6. Come and stay - I have two airing cupboards. We can't both get in the same one. To be honest, it is quite hard for anyone to get into one, but, but, but, but we could leave the doors open and shout to each other from one end of the house to the other.

    As for breaking from the Empire, well, the term Idiot comes to mind. (Please note: if I could do one of those winky face emoticons here, I would but that sort of thing is way too clever for me!)

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