We’re expecting a wet playtime for the next couple of days, with the worst rain coming on Wednesday. I saw a couple of videos of Rhodes airport yesterday, with the road flooded and heavy downpours generally, and tried to look on the local news this morning for news about how it might have affected travel, but all I could find in one Rhodes newspaper were stories about football teams, and the other I found didn’t mention it, so I assume it was nothing to out of the ordinary. Here, after rumbling but dry skies in the morning, we had a few drops, and that was it.

It was during this that I decided it was time I made enquiries about having the kitchen tap fixed before it got worse. (A small dribble from the wrong place when it was in use.) Then, I thought about the tap in the laundry sink which we hadn’t used for three years because it had blocked up with crud, and added that to the list. I’m very good at saving these jobs for a rainy day, and as it promised to be just that, that’s what I did. I called our friendly handyman to see when he could take a look, and like the genie from the lamp, he was at the gate fifteen minutes later, because he happened to be finishing a job nearby. A quick inspection, a quick quote, and he was back in twenty minutes with two new taps. Half an hour after that, they were both on and working, but as happens, we then found a leak on one of the overflows, so that piece of pipe needed fixing, and off to the other side of the harbour he goes to find the part. A short while later: both taps fixed and working and no drips. Having congratulated myself on a job well done and a very reasonable bill paid, I started thinking about fixing the feed to the spare WC which hasn’t worked for a short while. (A ‘short while’ in this case being about four years.) However, I thought ‘one thing at a time’ and as we don’t use it, decided that could wait until I feel another bout of home maintenance coming on; probably another year or so.

Before all this, I’d done some work on a plot and a chapter, and some research into London in 1904, as you do. Later, we met up with friends we’ve not seen for six or seven years, which was lovely, so that rounded of a successful day in a very pleasant way. All this time, the day boats continued to arrive below, with no let-up despite the grey. I expect people were glad to have missed the deluge taking place in Rhodes, though I doubt many spent their time lazing on a beach. At some point during the day, I booked an appointment with the dentist. (It’s not an addiction, just the time of life.) So that’s an event for tomorrow when we’re supposed to be receiving the deluge. We shall see.