Water! We got it. Turned out according to Felix our local whizz electrician/plumber that someone had turned the stopcock off at the gate. (This is where the water comes through from the supplier.) Either kids playing the fool, or the water company itself when it was fiddling about last month. So now the washing is being done and this morning Granny had a shower - what luxury! - and is nice to know again.

We have a working fax too, at last. Even if it still won't talk to the computer, and granny wasted nearly 3 days trying to sort that problem. But someone is coming to fix that and other electronic problems next week - we hope - thanks to intervention of friendly Gestoria (bureaucratic fixer to you) who also told us that the way to avoid death duties on a house here was to keep fact of death hidden for 5 years. Something easily got away with, it seems. How unlike our friendly UK probate system. Fancy Granny's ghost (not to mention her corpse) still owning property. I like it.

Otherwise life lowkey. Have minor throat bug and have spent most of last two days reading cheap literature. Beloved is making a fish stew. My cat has mysterious infection which has denuded the inside tops of his front legs. (he's been in a rubbish dump said the vet, administering anti-biotic. Quite possibly. This is a cat without inhibitions or morals, just what we need. Really.) Mrs Handsome is all set to leave home to give Mr Handsome pause for thought when he returns on Sunday. (We need him even if she doesn't. ) Attic woman been found importuning people in the street for cigarettes. While granny is now off to water (very) thirsty garden. Grannyp