Don't fall down the hole

Nearly a week since we first found the leak, we still have holes in the drive and damp patches slowly blooming in the music room and study.

This morning we emptied and moved bookcases so we could at last rip up wet carpet in the study but it's just not possible to empty the room by ourselves and carry all the books upstairs.   The assessor appointed by the insurer has been, announced that he'll have to send a drying firm in, and gone away again.  Meanwhile, the outside work is on hold as they couldn't get here this morning due to a lorry fire on the motorway, and we've already well exceeded that part of the possible claim on the insurance.  As they never actually found the leak - they dug down at least 5ft and reckon it was several feet lower - it's possible that the insurers won't pay anyway.  We now have water thanks to a brand new pipe from the meter to the house and in through the garage with a much more accessible stopcock, though I'm now worried that if we have a hard winter it will be much more vulnerable to frost damage.
We also now have a virginals in the spare bedroom, a clavichord in the sittingroom, and organ pipes in the hall, but it could be worse if we have to accommodate the contents of nine bookcases, a large partners' desk and three large chairs, especially as the garage is currently full of 'exploratory' holes.  We're both, unsurprisingly, very tired, very fed up and inclined to argue - especially about whether to put books straight into boxes (me) against piling them up on the desk and thereby moving them at least twice (him). 

Think I'll phone the person I was supposed to have lunch with last week and set another date - don't think I'll start painting the bedroom just yet. :-)

On a lighter note, the current crop of postcards are appearing slowly on Postman's Knock - I think each crop gets more amazing.  We all feel that we have to up our game - the fortnights whizz by and some themes are much easier than others depending one's interests.  My next one is to be 'overhead' so I'd better find some inspiration - next Friday will come all too soon and I had real trouble getting my card assembled last time.