Best bits: having a small family gathering
Worst bits: still no heating, not able to walk
Distance: rest day
Days to the finish: 3
Another early start — up before 8 a.m. for the arrival of the gas engineer. At least it was a morning appointment. When he finally arrived, his verdict was clear: there’s a leak under the floor. This, of course, completely contradicted yesterday’s engineer, who was convinced the problem was with the boiler.
Apparently, the official British Gas approach to finding a leak under the floor is to quite literally rip up your flooring, section by section, until they stumble across it. Not exactly a comforting solution. Time for a third opinion, I thought.
I called the helpline and explained the conflicting diagnoses. Thankfully, they offered to send out someone who was both a plumber and an engineer — the best of both worlds. They could come that afternoon, which I accepted immediately, though it did mean no walk today. Sometimes, needs must.
Meanwhile, Poppy was happily making herself at home on the sofa, curled into the cushions as if she owned the place. She still seems unsure whether this is a temporary stop or if she’s here for good, rather than heading back to London with Will and Greg.
The afternoon engineer arrived and, unfortunately, confirmed the first man’s findings: a leak under the floor. Yes, the floor would have to be ripped up bit by bit. Not exactly the kind of news you can toast to. Most of the day ended up being a cycle of waiting, discussing, and deciding.
By evening, it was finally time to relax. Will cooked up a delicious stir-fry, which we naturally washed down with a few glasses of wine. Danny and Sara came over, and it was lovely having everyone together again, catching up and laughing. Will enjoyed the wine so much that he decided we definitely needed to open another bottle. By the time we made it to bed, we were all a little worse for wear — but it was a good end to a long day.
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