Monday 10th December: Well, my birthday came and went with less of a bang and more of a whimper than usual. For the first time in years, I didn't take the day off work - Debbie was at college and Elizabeth at school and sitting at home seemed a bit pointless. So, after opening the pressies (clothes, smellies, the new Babylon 5 DVD, Queen Rock Montreal on CD, a shower radio, a book of classic album covers and selections of beer and chocolate) and dropping Elizabeth off at said school, it was off to Twork. A high-profile project kept me there longer than I wanted to be, then it was back home to spend the evening with the women in my life.
Tuesday 11th December: Today is a day off. One of two this week. The main aim of this one is to see Elizabeth in her school Nativity play this afternoon. She's a dancing angel and has been practicing her song for a few weeks now.
Before that, though, it's time to try to stop some of the upstairs chipboard floors from squeaking so badly. Armed with a rather large screwdriver and a box of screws, I spent the morning trying to pin down where the squeaks are coming from and screw down the floor to eliminate them. Things go well for a while. Then I spot a corner of one sheet which moves alarmingly when pressure is aplied to it. There isn't a screw or nail within inches of it. Without pause, I move in to fasten the chipboard down. The screw goes in easily. After all, it's only going through chipboard...
...and the copper hot water pipe beneath it. Another (yes, I've done it before. Last time with a saw and a plastic heating pipe) dash downstairs to the kitchen to turn the water off is followed by much swearing at my own stupidity.
Luckily, there is a heating engineer/plumber working at a house at the back of us. Debbie sets off to (metaphorically) bat her eyelashes at him to see whether he will offer assistance. He does although, after a quick visit to check out the problem, he admits that he won't be back until later in the afternoon as it's his son's Nativity just after lunch (not the same one). So, a few hours later the leak is fixed and I have vowed to give up DIY. Or, at least, be more careful. The squeaking is really getting on my nerves.
And the Nativity? Very entertaining. A group of four and five-year-olds singing and dancing on stage very confidently. Elizabeth managed to forget about the cough she had had for a couple of days (or, at least, not let it affect her). The performance was enhanced when we spotted one of the teachers standing on a table at the back of the hall, prompting lines and dance steps. Until then we had been very impressed that all the kids new every step. At one point, I looked across at Debbie to find her in floods of tears.
I thought I was going to need the plumber again...
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