Trussed to the tree

When I got up and went downstairs, I found that Indie, our cat, had leapt up to top of the Christmas tree, knocked down the macrame angel, and roughed her up. This set the tone for the day. 

I decided to work from the sitting room, because we were expecting a work gang to clear our gutters, and I didn't want faces peering in at my study window. They arrived and put their ladders, and I tried to work, despite the sound of podcasts drifting in from the kitchen, the smoke alarm going off, and the rattle of ladders. 

Then Steve came in with the bad news that the workmen had discovered some faulty roofing felt left over from the 1996 extension days (before our time here). It had turned so brittle that it was literally snapping in their hands. They are going to have to replace it with breathable material and also replace three rows of tiles, in order to damp-proof our roof. This going to cost another twelve hundred pounds.


Reader, I was shocked. We have to have the work done, but it's not good for the savings account. At least I have one. I was so fed up I decided to go out and  try to source a shopping voucher for a person who has no money. He works in Gloucester during the day, so couldn't get one in Stroud easily. The Trinity rooms had the food bank open, but no vouchers. No advice workers. I nearly had a breakdown.  I was feeling somewhat overwrought. They were trying to be helpful, and gave me a list of items for the person to choose from, which were very British. Mushy peas, Branston pickle, Marmite, tomato ketchup, that sort of thing. Not terribly helpful for someone who wasn't born or brought up in the UK! I thanked them and left. 

Went up the hill to the food hub by the flats. Took a phone call while some dogs had a fight nearby. Got to the hub, had a cup of tea, did some free shopping for the person, and managed to get items such as diced chicken breast  which were not  culturally specific. The town councillor came down and got me a shopping voucher for a supermarket..We talked about the rising need for such measures. Then I dropped off the stuff at the person's house, with their landlord, and went home for a bit, to work, before going out to scope out a new social group for the over-60s in the library. By the time I returned, the work gang had gone, and I was able to do a couple of hours' work. 

Later in the day, Steve and I went out to the ATM to withdraw sickeningly large amounts of cash with which to pay the workmen. We were not mugged, thank goodness. At least our roof will be damp-proofed. Sadly, the work gang is coming back on Thursday. I will have to find somewhere else to do my own work.