Wot, no water?

OK, so I don't surface that early, but this morning there seemed to be an unsually large number of cars going to the macolet across the road. Opened the shutters to have a look, and everyone was lugging out cartons of - what? - to their cars. I soon found out when I went to the loo. The water was off. Again. The macolet rapidly sold out their stock of bottled, and the usual panic was on. Again. Not that it bothered me, as I have a water machine and get two (or more) 20 litre bottles delivered every four weeks. And at other times if I need extra water.

The water eventually came on about 3.30pm and was I pleased to be able to flush the loo! The fact that I had needed to use a load of bleach each time the loo was used is beside the point - but then again, I don't know what stank worse, the un-flushed loo or the bleach. Small Dog doesn't care - after all I put bottled mineral water in her bowl the reasoning being is that I won't drink tap water, neither should she.
There is NOTHING wrong with the water here - when it is on, but I'm allergic to the purifying stuff the Water Company puts in it. I can smell chlorine a mile away, let alone taste it.

This time I was lucky - last time the water went off my washing machine was half way through a wash. And the time before that? I was in the middle of a shower, covered in lovely scented bubbles..............and no water to rinse them off. Icky.

THEY ARE AT IT AGAIN

The mice, I mean. I always keep a notebook and two pens beside my computer. Ditto by the side of my recliner, and ditto by the fax. Oh yes, and one pen and small notebook hanging on a hook at the side of my fridge to use as a shopping list, and of course I keep a pen in my bag with the current shopping list when I go out so I can tick off each thing when bought. So why do I reach for a pen and there isn't one, let alone two, where they should be? Fair enough, I frequently drop things but know when and where, and can usually pick them up immediately with my picker-upperer. And I ALWAYS put things where they are supposed to be.

Pens - I buy them by the dozen, make sure the spare ones are kept in a drawer with various other necessities, ie staple refills, extra sellotape - etc. When a pen runs out of ink, it gets chucked in the bin and a new one added. So where to all the missing ones go? After finding one by the side of the toilet - and what would I need a pen there for, and another sticking out from under the washing machine, it must have been those pesky critters at it yet again!

Losing the odd pen (or three) isn't really that important after all. It was the sock that really had me in fits of laughter. I had just taken a load of washing out of the dryer when someone knocked and the door AND the phone rang. After finishing with the visitor and the phone call, I took the basket of dry clothes into my bedroom to put everything away. And a sock was missing. I know it went into the washing machine and then into the dryer, so where was it? Checked the dryer - empty. Ditto the washing machine.

I did find it eventually, half way down one of the mouseholes which they always manage to re-open, even though at one stage the hole was blocked with a handful of concrete that the guy who was building my outside ramp brought in and pushed into the hole.

Since when did mice need socks?