The tap snapped on one of the water butts which collects rain water from the roof and which was full to the brim. There followed a frantic bucketing of water onto the garden before it was all lost and became a boggy swamp. When the level got down to about a third, I figured the pressure was eased and tried a running repair with silicone. This involved a funny-as-a-fight (in retrospect) struggle to get the caulking gun into action (thank you YouTube) and to unplug the silicone stuck in the nozzle (no, YouTube, my caulking gun does not have that handy piercing device on the side). And it was getting dark. I resorted to hammer and nail, and then it was all on…everything. I emptied the rest of the water butt and left it for another day.

Daylight (two days later – leaving one to recover my equilibrium) revealed a sticky-looking tap, which broke apart as I removed it (a tricky task which really needed two people, one to hold the tap firm while the other unscrewed the thingummy aka slip joint – thank you, YouTube – and gasket inside the deep water butt). I took the pieces to the hardware store where I achieved some calmness walking along the towering aisles of all kinds of plumbing and tools – almost as good as forest-bathing or book-bathing. I chose a sturdy-looking replacement and was relieved that it was easy to install. The next test will be when the water butt fills (rain is forecast next week) – will the slip joint, gasket and tap stand the pressure?

While the butt was empty, I took the opportunity to clean out the area under it and found a nest of snails. Feeling a little guilty, I put them in the bird feeder. But it looks as if they all escaped into the garden where the busy blackbirds and hedgehogs will eventually find them, I suspect.

Caption, anyone?