Another photo from my misty morning walk on Sunday along the Thames.
Today I'm hanging out at home waiting for someone from Thames Water. Both we and the Russians got texts several days ago saying they believe we have a leak somewhere on our property and they want to check it out. Apparently -- and I am not making this up -- Thames Water employees go around London in the middle of the night and listen to the pipes in front of houses, in order to detect leaks within. If they hear something that sounds like a leak, they ask for an appointment to visit your house. That's what they've done with us.
I have no idea whether "listening" means actually putting their ear to the pipe, or (more likely) using some kind of device.
At any rate, it will be interesting to see what they find, if anything. We do have a toilet that's intermittently leaky and it could be that was running on the night in question, or maybe the dishwasher was on. Or maybe there really is a leak somewhere else but I haven't seen any sign of water, and neither have the Russians.
Maybe Mr. Russia has cracked a pipe with his extensive and insane renovations!
Anyway, the library will have to do without me until the Thames Water person leaves. I'm hoping to get some reading done, and I have another problem to sort out, too. Dave and I planned a trip to Brighton with Olga for a couple of nights over Thanksgiving, but I've just learned another $#@&^* rail strike has been planned for Saturday the 26th. That's the day we intended to come home. We could shift our reservation or maybe extend it for a night, but I need to figure that out.
When I was near Westminster on Sunday, this guy was walking in front of me. I was truly perplexed by that shirt.
And speaking of cacti, KARI LAKE LOST! That may be the best news of the entire election season. I think voters, even in traditionally conservative areas, don't want this election-conspiracy crowd in office. Lauren Boebert is hanging on by the slimmest of margins, and Lake's co-conspirator Blake Masters lost too. I think voters recognize the danger that mindset presents for our Democracy. Let's see how they now react to Trump's plan to run for president. I hope DeSantis runs too, and I hope those two gnaw on each other like a couple of pit bulls.
In other news, I was sorry to hear that Roberta Flack is ill. She is 85, slightly older than my mother, so that shouldn't come as a complete shock, but I've always loved her music. Her "Killing Me Softly" album was one of my first records. Remember when she teamed up with Michael Jackson to sing on "Free to Be, You and Me"?
I’m perplexed by the shirt, too. Usually those non-sensical combinations appear on cheap T-shirts from China. But those aren’t phrases you’d see individually. I don’t get it. Then again, the shirt is in a way inexorable (it’s there and I can’t do a thing about it). It has created a memory. And I’m now raving against the pain it’s caused in my head.
ReplyDeleteThe listening device is a metal tube two foot long I think with a cup for your ear at the top..simple and effective.
ReplyDeleteDone at night so that other noises don't mask the sound of leaking water
I don't get the tee shirt either. Tee shirt slogans can be good excuses to stare at men's chests.
ReplyDeleteIt will be using a device to find leaking water. I've seen staff out with equipment looking for gas leaks.
Work out a plan to stay an extra night and call in to work with the excuse of the rail strike you had not heard about.
Killing me Softly is a gorgeous song. 85 is a good age and she will leave great music.
I didn't know anyone in the UK observed Thanksgiving. I hope your plans work out. Can you rent a car maybe, and bypass (!) public transportation?
ReplyDeleteHave any of the multitude of strikes you've mentioned in even the last few months results in any concessions? I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't just some ploy to get a day off from work once in awhile.
ReplyDeleteI've been pretty happy to see that the Trump Effect has been a negative one this time around. Most of his chosen conspiracists have not been elected. I would like to think that "we" wouldn't reelect him but I thought that the last time too so I'm not going to place a wager on it this time around. But if he does get elected again and the whole world goes to hell, I'll say a big "I told you so" if I'm able too.
I wonder if the Thames Water people will keep their appointment? I wouldn't put money on it. However, it is comforting to know that they are actively seeking out leaks and addressing them. The process may mean digging up your entire garden but don't worry - they'll cover the mess with plastic grass before they depart.
ReplyDeleteOnly kidding! (I hope)
I hope that Thames Water keep their appointment but I would not put money on it. They'll probably have to dig up your garden with a mechanical digger.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning Steve, Olga and Dave. The commode works inside the water tank is easy to fix. My son and I did the one in my front bathroom. I had called this company to do it but they wanted to charge me over $400.00 for a part that cost less than 20.00. I said sir, I don't mind paying you $50 to 75.00 but that part is less than 20.00. He had to get the h.....out of my house.(lol)
ReplyDeleteBy the way Trump is sad and his trumpetts are worse. Yes majority of the ones he endorsed lost and their campaign speeches was straight from trump alley. Oh well we are tired of the b.s. We need class in our offices although our attorney general and governor won again. We in Harris county didn't re-elect those two. We are still blue and now they are filing law suits againt the election office stating something went wrong. One thing about Harris county resident we do stick together and minimize the crap. I heard last night they are trying to get some of the secretary of state officials to block Trump from running for office. The man is crazy. He is the only President that lost and still won't go somewhere and sit down. He won't win and I do believe someone somewhere is going to stop him from running for office. I hate looking in his dang face all the time. The man is hated by more people that like him but he can't see it. I will say it again, he is living on campaign funds and if he shut it down he would have to turn his funds in to the Republican party. Believe me, he is living on this trumpetts campaign funds.
I picture the streets of London at night teeming with water employees with their ears pressed to house walls listening for leaks.
ReplyDeleteOther than my Dad coming home from the hospital Kari Lake losing is the best news of the week!
Well, please let us know if the water is actually leaking. We are all invested at this point and MUST KNOW!
ReplyDeleteSo- that shirt. I have no idea. The pain of being stuck with a cactus spine? Who knows? Not me.
I love that misty photo. Some people are living in the clouds.
ReplyDeleteThat shirt is perplexing.
I hope your water issue turns out to be nothing.
I did a google search on the shirt with no luck, so who knows. I kind of like it - it's obviously a good conversation starter!
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that I thought of when I saw that jacket was 'some people take advice, other people need to pee on the electric fence for themselves'.
ReplyDeleteI, too, was very pleased to see that Kari Lake lost. It allows me to put tRUMP's big announcement into different framework. The talk is that his announcement will give Warnock a huge advantage over Walker, people simply being exhausted of the chaos.
Those Russians and their renovations! Good luck with that leak.
Maybe your water bill will go down if they plug a leak. Wouldn't that be nice? Hope your sort out your travel plans soon! Sounds like a fun getaway!
ReplyDeleteHope all went well with the Thames Water person and the mystery leak.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope that you and Dave get to make that trip and stay an extra day if you have to.
Sad news about Rogerta Flack. Now I'm going to go and listen to some of her music. It's been a long time.
Never thought of Roberta Flack being 85. She made some great music.
ReplyDeleteLovely shot of the building tops in the mist! Moody, chilly! I had four albums-I listened to them all the time- one stacked on top of the other on my record played, One was Joni Mitchell, One was Hank Williams Sr, One was Joan Baez and one was "Killing me softly" album, Her voice soothed. I could never tire of her. The diagnosis is grim and I am so sorry.
ReplyDeleteAdd me to those who are glad that woman lost the election. I just don't understand what some of these crazy people are thinking!
ReplyDeleteI was glad to see your post in my reader today. Yesterday's never appeared and I happened to remember later that I'd not read anything from you.
I hope someone will know (or figure out) what the message on the shirt means. I'm very curious!
Ask them how they listen and share with us. I'm curious, too!
ReplyDeleteI think my biggest "win" (apart from the Michigan ones, which affect me directly) was the PA governor Shapiro v. Mastriano (BOO, HISS!). Then Lake. Equally often but Lake had more polish which in a way made her scarier!
Good luck on the Brighton trip!
Yup, the evil Kari has lost. The race for Arizona Attorney General is still distressingly close. The good candidate has a lead of 771 votes, the other guy is a trumper, he tweets in all caps, and has terrible thoughts. It's hard to understand why people split their ballots between good and evil.
ReplyDeleteI have a mental image of Thames watermen crawling around at night, listening for water leaks:)
ReplyDeleteHope they actually show up and hope you get your trip sorted out.
Your glee at Kari Lake's loss is well placed. But think about me? Had she won, I'd have had to live with her. Well not literally but she would have been my governor. Incidentally another crazed right-winger, Mark Finchem, also lost in his bid to become Secretary of State and take over our election systems. Perhaps, one thinks, there is a god after all.
ReplyDeleteThey've officially declared republicans have the House but only by the slimmest of margins so hopefully if there are a few republicans who would actually like to govern instead of obstruct it might not be a disaster. but even if not, this will only show how incompetent and vindictive republicans are and we'll take it back next time. Also, republicans new take on their losses is that we the voters are just too dumb to understand how terrible things really are under Biden.
ReplyDeleteSo, the leak. It could be underground but I think you'd notice a perpetually muddy spot.
Hope there's no water leak because that could be messy to fix. I was happy with the Lake loss and am hoping that Warnock can win! There's still some sanity left in our country...unless Trump runs again. Surely he won't be the nominee although stranger things have already happened.
ReplyDeleteMitchell: That's as good an interpretation as any! The guy wearing it was definitely from a non-English-speaking country.
ReplyDeleteGZ: Thanks for letting me know how that works! It's still kind of a funny image, though not as funny as someone with their ear pressed to a pipe.
Andrew: Not only an excuse, but part of the PURPOSE of t-shirts with slogans, I would think!
Boud: Well, we're American so we celebrate it (and we get the time off from work because we work at an American school), but for all the English people it's merely Thursday.
Ed: I have no idea about the progress of negotiations. Yeah, you'd hope people would be smart enough not to go down the Trump road again!
YP: Always the voice of optimism!
Angelicastar: I think you're right. A lot of this is a financial calculation by Trump, to keep campaign funds coming in and to protect him from legal action. He's despicable.
Bob: I agree. That made my week.
Ms Moon: "Who knows? Not me." That's a very useful phrase!
Sharon: We used to be able to see that round building from our dining room window, several miles away! But some new construction has gone up since then and blocked the view.
Bug: It IS a conversation-starter, that's for sure. At least for English speakers. It's like Americans who get tattoos of Asian characters that, to Asian people, are nonsensical!
Debby: I HOPE Trump's announcement has that effect!
Ellen D: I'm not sure what Brighton's going to be like in November, but I don't mind a cold, windy beach.
Robin: It's a good excuse to catch up with some of those wonderful old albums.
Red: Time marches on for all of us, but it's still a bit of a shock!
Linda Sue: I had three of those four records, in all likelihood. (Depending on which albums they were.) I never had a Hank Williams Jr. album, though.
Kelly: That's weird, about the reader. I noticed comments were down yesterday and maybe that's why.
Jeanie: Yes, thank goodness that PA governor's race went the way it did. That was another disaster waiting to happen.
Allison: It's strange how that AG race has shifted. I thought he'd pretty decisively lost. Didn't realize it had become so close.
Pixie: They did show up, and I did get the trip sorted! (Which I'll write about at some point.)
Catalyst: Yeah, I heard about the Finchem loss too. Whew! I can't imagine having to live with Kari Lake as governor. I thought Jan Brewer was bad enough.
Ellen: Ideally, you'd think a balance of parties in government would be a healthy thing. But in this hyper-partisan time it just leads to obstruction and gridlock.
Margaret: I don't think he'll be the nominee and I think he knows it. He's running to rake in more money and protect his legal interests.
Hank Williams SENIOR! The original - like Gabby. "hear that lonesome whippoorwill"
ReplyDeleteand Again , that photo of the buildings across the Thames is perfection! I would have that blown up- put it on one entire wall. SO cool!
ReplyDelete