Well, that's that then. But what is it...?

[desperance]

It's six o'clock, it is, just gone: and the "emergency" plumbers have just conclusively failed to keep their word by, y'know, turning up. (Quote from insurance company brochure: "call our Emergency Helpline day or night, any day of the year. We'll arrange for one of our emergency repairers to race round and help sort things out." That was, um, 47 hours ago. I thought at the time, 47 hours hardly counted as emergency service, let alone racing. But when they promise to be here within 47 hours and then don't actually bother to turn up...)

So. Don't know what to do now. I'm not phoning the emergency people again; Helen was round here this afternoon and called twice and they just lied to her. I'm ... not Helen.

I could phone my insurance company, but that would have to be their Emergency Helpline again, and they probably can't do anything but put me onto the same people again.

I could wait till the morning (procrastination! we loves it) and phone the insurance company on their regular claims line, ask for a complaint form (stuck in all weekend! with no water!! lying bastards never came!!!), and - then what?

I could cancel the claim, and just get onto my regular plumber. Who if he's available is efficient and cheap and we like him. Then I wouldn't lose my no-claims bonus at the insurer's, and I wouldn't have to deal with strangers, and I'd get the problem fixed by someone I trust. (It's not an emergency any more, see. It's not the weekend any more.)

That's my current favourite, but I'm open to suggestion. And wine. I'm very open to wine. From this morning's reading:

"It is no use," said the old man, "there is no wine."
"What, no wine?" said Dantès, turning pale.*

Even at that time in the morning, I too turned pale. But it's all right; in this house, there is at least wine. Lots of wine.

*No, no points at all for naming my current book.