A plumber in the house

I'm quietly making progress with a number of projects and things on my 'to do' list.  I'm a great believer in lists; I always have several on the go, and there is a sense of achievement when I can cross something off.  My new list for the weekend had several things crossed off by this evening so that's a definite feeling of accomplishment.

These are my Mothers Day flowers, still going strong after two weeks

However, not all went according to plan today.  Half way through this morning there was a shout of concern from the kitchen, where N was putting something away in the boiler cupboard.  Something was leaking - never, ever good news.  In my experience, a little water can manage to go an incredibly long way.  Well, N rolled up his sleeves and investigated.  Water turned off, doors were removed, cupboards cleared out, plinths taken out, fridge unplugged, emptied and moved into the middle of the kitchen (not a very big room to begin with), lino rolled back and, sure enough, there was evidence of a leaky pipe.  N took some time to have a good look at the pipework, that way he could understand what the problem might be.  A quick phone call to his dad, who's very knowledgeable about household repairs, and he set about disconnecting the water conditioner (I didn't even know we had one!).  I helped out cleaning the parts, one by one, holding torches to provide better light, mopping and sweeping up when I could.  Then we put the bits back together again, and N made sure the joints were sealed as tightly as possible.  The water was gingerly turned back on, and thankfully, no drips were evident.  Phew!  It made me very thankful that N is not fazed by this sort of calamity, and approaches problems with a very methodical attitude.  He has probably saved us a good few pounds today, and I appreciate that :)
We'll keep an eye on the area for the rest of the weekend, just to make sure all is well.

The pigeons on the shed - they're comical birds and often make us smile with their antics

Yesterday I made another date and walnut loaf (I keep saying I'll try something different, but this always bakes up so well), and N took it to a friend of ours that he had arranged to meet.  We had a phone call in the evening to say the cake was very tasty!  I had a feeling it would be well received.  I also made scones, but they were a bit of a disaster, so much so I couldn't even bring myself to take a photo of them.  I could blame the oven (and I think it may have something to do with the problem), but I will have another go and take a bit more care over the recipe.

Whilst N was out I finished off the sewing project I had underway.  Even though I had measured so carefully before I cut all the pieces out, I found that one piece was too small for what I needed.  A bit of creativity was required, and I managed to use it for something else.  I just need to make some labels, and then I shall be able to share the completely finished article.

I love picking our fabrics from my stash to begin a new project

Today I have sorted out the  fabrics I shall be using for my next sewing project - a patchwork bag.  I'm looking forward to this, although I think it may be a bit fiddly.  I also need to check out half-square triangles to make a Flying Geese border.

I can't believe it's Sunday again tomorrow.  I shall see what we have planned but I may allow myself an hour on the laptop to learn how to make links (I know it's such a simple thing, but I don't know how to do it and I would like to find out how to).  I shall promise myself not to read any blogs in the process ;-)