The flush broke on our toilet. We were coping with a bucket, until a disaster struck and the water wouldn't drain away. Without going into too much detail, I did what I could as a temporary measure, and telephoned the landlords. They said they would arrange for a plumber. That was Monday!

On Tuesday morning I 'phoned again, and was referred to the maintenance firm, where I left a voicemail.

On Tuesday afternoon, having spent 24 hours visiting the park toilets and the supermarket to use their facilities, I 'phoned again, and was told we were booked in for September 11th! This was not a good omen, so I explained that there are eight of us here with one toilet, and it was currently half full of a rather unpleasant cocktail of waste material andthe park toilets closed at dusk.

"Have you tried a bucket?" she suggested, very helpfully. "This wasn't raised as an emergency by your landlord."

"I am telling you it's an emergency." I was remembering to smile, as even on the phone it makes a huge difference, I find.

She said that as it was 3 o'clock already they wouldn't be able to get anyone to us before Wednesday afternoon. I thought I'd have a word with the landlords, where I was passed to someone more senior. I sent a quick message to the angels whle he went off to see what could be done; within half an hour a very nice man with a big plunger was on my doorstep. He's comng back today to replace the syphon.

After he'd gone we decided to clean up the garden, and looked into the cupboard just outside the back door. It was full to bursting, so we dragged over the wheelie bin and emptied it out. Most of the stuff was there when we moved in: a couple of skateboards, some miniature goal-posts, a wardrobe, a suitcase and a connected, flushing toilet! I prayed to have a flushing toilet by the end of the day, and I now had one. And by the end of today, I'll have TWO!

The suitcase was full of baby clothes, so I shall take those to the charity shop this morning- the house doesn't need clogging up with anything else! One of my daughters, a life-long Wallace and Grommit fan, is keeping a tiny sleepsuit decorated with pictures of the lovable duo.

While we were emptying the "downstairs loo," albeit outside, the phone rang and my eldest was offered a free ticket to see Starlight Express, so she had a wonderful evening out as well.

What began as a potentially pooey day came up roses in the end...Phew!

And, we can all breathe better, the air is fragrant once again. AaaaaH!