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Translation

And today's emergency is.......

It must have been that bit I wrote last week about the appalling state of water in WA, but I have just been punished by the water Gods. Now we have none.

On Friday, it was the toilets with one of them not flushing and the other threatening to overflow. It was too late to call anyone, so I went to bed and prayed. Miracles do happen. By morning they had had a spontaneous remisssion and I didn't have to call the plumber. Possibly just a case of excessive toilet paper. The younger fairy is just getting the hang of it and is quite generous with the stuff.

On Saturday, amid much giggling, the girls managed to lock both bathroom doors from the inside and still get out. I didn't want to worry their Mum who was still in hospital with the baby and I couldn't reach their Dad who was working underground about 700 km away. The hinges were all on the inside too, so being unable to think of anything else to do except perhaps breaking the windows, we all went out for the day.  When Dad rang that evening  for his usual goodnight call and damage report, he guided me through some serious lock -picking and I finally managed to get the doors open.
This was just as well.

On Sunday morning  I was awoken around 7 am by the splish splash of little feet and the little one asking if she could put her bathers on. There was a heated pool in the laundry and a geyser in the bathroom. A hot water pipe had burst and flooded everything.
In panic I rang the rental agency who at least instructed me on how to turn all the water off. We paddled around the house for about four hours until a plumber came to do emergency repairs and my daughter rang to say that she and the baby were being released from hospital and would we please come and get them.
The house was completely awash. We used up all the towels  trying to soak it up. This  time it wasn't anyone's fault. "This always happens with this type of vanity. It's just normal wear and tear," the plumber said. "The hot water pipes always go first. I'll have to come back and do all the others. "
We couldn't  have a shower. I couldn't  have my morning coffee. (Alway bad!)  We couldn't cook or wash the dishes, have a drink or wash our hands much less do the laundry or have a bath.   I don't think we'll ever take running water for granted again! A great homecoming for my daughter.

It's Monday. The water has soaked into the carpets - 60 litres came out of just one of the bedrooms when the carpet cleaner came. It also soaked into the childrens' clothes and books, the well -stocked bathroom cabinets and  furniture. The girls' bedrooms are unusable so the older one will sleep with me and the younger squirmy one with Mum. The house smells like wet dog. The windows are all steamed up and  with all the heaters on, it feels like the hot steamy jungles of the Amazon.
I only have one more night here and can't for the life of me imagine what could happen next. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed. If it's anything exciting, I 'll be sure to let you know.

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