Solid structures

I've always rather liked this tree, which is at one end of our washing line. Spotting today the contrast between the ethereal (and disappearing) leaves and the solid trunk with long lived lichens saved me from having to post yet another shot of the pigeonniere on the horizon.

Rubbish day today. A day when I seemed to work from school drop off until pick up with no break for lunch and yet.... well, what did I actually achieve? Sigh.

The electrician and plumber today joined forces to convince me that there's no point making plans for next week as, with rain forecast this weekend, the house is sure to fall down. They had lots of evidence for this: water in the house, a very wobbly wall in the attic which could fall onto a dodgy wobbly floor and send the whole lot crashing down two further floors. Even though I could practically hear Mr B in my head saying "but it's been here for 200 years, why would it fall down this weekend?" they were somehow very convincing. Asking them what "I" (the "a poor pathetic lady" was implied) could do about it at 3.00 on a Friday afternoon prompted a predictable set of shrugs, and a sudden need for them to get on with electrical and plumbing tasks. Sigh.

Leaving the house to get the kids I first checked the water in the water thingummy (cooler thingy?) under the bonnet/hood of the car. It's been leaking, but the car works fine providing you check it and top it up regularly. After a quick top up, all seemed fine. Until it wasn't and the car wouldn't start. Grrrr. Finally, reluctantly, with much pumping on the accelerator and trying to ignore my Dad's voice in my head saying "don't flood it"* we were off. At school there were the usual tales of "so and so hurt me" to deal with then back to the car. Which had locked itself. Happily the keys were in my hand, not my handbag in the car, but it was a quandry: the locking system on the car doesn't work. So how had it locked? No keyhole on the driver's door, but I knew there was one on the boot. Happily I was saved from the ignomy of having to crawl through the boot to unlock the car - with all the nice mums standing around watching, by Katherine spotting a keyhole, strangely, in the passenger door. So all was well, but I'm left with a disquieting sense that all that seemed solid in the world (houses, ancient Mercedes estate cars) is not. So this tree was extra reassuring.

* Two thoughts: can you 'flood' cars now they don't have chokes? (Or have automatic chokes - I don't know?) and why are all the voices in my head men?