The Sky's Falling In!

Yes, because there's a narcissistic parasite in the White House, but on this occasion, I'm writing an an altogether smaller and less apocalyptic scale.

We are nearing the end of a series of maintenance jobs. Our perimeter has been patched up and painted. Our kitchen terrace where we spend most of the summer has a new roof. We're looking forward to having the place to ourselves again.

On Wednesday morning, I set off for my sports day. I play golf in the morning, have a light lunch and the play Padel tennis. Mrs L was thinking of a quiet domestic day, even musing the night before that she would be at a loose end, with little to occupy her.

Fatal, really.

Sharp-eyed, as she is, she spotted a blemish on the ceiling of a guest bedroom. Closer inspection revealed more blemishes, and that they were, in fact, water, which was weighing down the ceiling, looking for a way to get to ground-level.

My phone is on silent while I golf, and in fairness, there was little I could add from the course. Mrs L got a plumber to come out, and he clambered up to the flat roof where our water tanks reside. He declared the pipes appeared to be sound, but he had concerns about a valve. He was referring to the ballcock in the cold water tank that regulates the refill. He posited that it had stuck, leaving water to overflow on to the flat roof, when it had found a way down into the guest bedroom. Worryingly, he kept adding "I think" to his diagnoses. He proposed that we monitor the bucket beneath the original blister to check whether the flow was stopped, as evidenced by ever-slowing residual drips.

Sure enough, the flow does seem to have stopped, and he has now replaced the suspicious valve.

Now, it's on to the tedious project of obtaining quotes for the remedial work and getting the insurance company to pay for it.

A first world problem. Enough to make a fellow feel put upon, and unlucky.

Then, I check my phone and read about current events. The "I can fix Ukraine" charade is coming to an end, with the US administration blaming Ukraine itself for getting invaded. Secretary of State Rubio, who a few short years ago said,

"The United States cannot recognise Putin's claims or we risk establishing a dangerous precedent for other authoritarian regimes, like the Chinese Communist Party to imitate,"

is now flouncing out of talks because the Ukrainian President refuses to recognise Putin's claims.

The upshot is that US policy is to demand that Ukraine should surrender unconditionally to Russia and hand over all its minerals to the US.

Trump and his snivelling acolytes heap shame upon shame as they drive the US into ground.

The American people will wrest back control of their great country, I hope they do it sooner rather than later.

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