The Great Flood of 2006

When you're living on the top floor of a Victorian house, water pressure isn't the best. To ensure that our fourth floor ensuite has a suitably luxurious shower, the landlord installed a supplementary water pump in the utility room. It's the size of a compact vaccuum cleaner and, when in operation, makes a similar loud, high-pitched whine . To be honest, the poor machine sounds like its going to blow a valve at any moment. Today, our pump actually did destroy itself in spectacular style.

While Garry was in the shower this morning, one of the pump's water outlets shattered. Within mintues our utility room was flooded. Water continued to flow across the floor, pouring through gaps in the walls and cascading into the kitchen below. By the time Garry discovered the disaster unfolding, the kitchen was awash, along with the contents of every cupboards. The pump subsequently shorted out as the flood finally penetrated the electrical system.

Poor Garry was forced to spent the rest of the day organising plumbers and electricians, while struggling to release our kitchen from its watery grave. Worse still, he had to cancel a job interview, his first with an actual employer since arriving in London. The interview was with a digital music company, 15 minutes walk from Swiss Cottage. They were looking for a business analyst on three months contract.

Because the company was so close to home Garry found himself canceling his interview a mere 45 minutes before the scheduled time. Travel time in London is typically an hour or more so I'm sure the company thought Garry was blowing them off. In a final twist of irony, Garry received a call late today for another job interview - one that's seems better suited to his skills and experience. Perhaps fate isn't so cruel after all?

I'm working in Munich again next week. I've decided to fly in early on Sunday morning so that I can spend a day with Hamish and the family in Austria. I've catch a train to work on Monday, arriving about the same time I do when flying directly from London. There's more travel coming, with a trip to Paris and a three-day meeting in New York all scheduled before the end of the month.