Snow!

Yesterday, when I was down to a bucket and a half of water, knowing that it was still likely to be four days before a decent thaw, I was delighted to discover there was a watering jug full of frozen solid water outside. Brought it inside immediately.

Excellent. When this is melted I’ll get at least an extra half day of water out of it. Shifted it on to the carpet soon afterwards to make way for firewood. Hours later, when I checked, the block of ice inside seemed to have shrunk and yet there was no water at the bottom. What the hell? Decided to try to speed things up a bit. Moved it closer to the woodstove and then added some hot water from the pot on top of the stove. Gush! Water, water, everywhere. What the…? Picked it up and realised, damn, the water that froze inside had expanded the plastic to breaking point and, yes, there was a tear in the bottom. Bollocks. Shifted jug to dish bowl in the kitchen and mopped up the water on the tiles. Then noticed the large damp spot on the carpet. Oh, great. The water that had melted in the jug during the day had just drained on to the carpet. Bugger. No chance of an extra half day out of what was left. 

BUT – salvation overnight. Snow!

Now, if I’d been offered a choice of either the temperature suddenly soaring to thaw the pipes or a huge dump of snow, obviously I would have opted for the former. But I was not offered the choice, so I will gladly take the snow.

While I’m still in my dressing gown, I slip into my Wellies and go outside to fill the spare bucket with snow, which I start to melt in a pot on the stove. 

Now, as anyone who’s ever done this can tell you, this much snow…

… gives you this much water.

But that’s okay, because I will soon have buckets and buckets of water to last me until  Friday.

Loading up the pot a second time, I’m suddenly wondering: What the hell is that smell? Oh, bollocks, bollocks, bollocks. The pot’s been pushed back from the edge of the burner on which the bucket has been sitting – and melting. Great. 

Melted plastic on the burner and now a hole in the bottom of one of my four buckets. Well, that’s bloody annoying. Oh, well. I’ve got at least one other bucket in the shed.

Go to shed. Nope, no buckets there. Try garden where a bucket or two might have been used for something and never put away. Nope. No buckets there. Bollocks.

What is in the shed is this.

Well, okay, I guess I can use a large measuring cup to pour water from bucket into water jug. So I bring it upstairs. Which is when I remember why I stopped using this jug for drinking water refills. It is impossible to get the fucking cap off. I mean there’s snug and then there’s ridiculous. Try various things to remove cap, none of which work. I cannot remember how the hell I used to manage it. Nor can I remember why I put it in the shed instead of taking it back to the shop to get my deposit back and lodge a complaint. Gah.

Nearly 19 empty litres that could be filled with melted snow. I am not going to be defeated by this bottle cap. Lay the bottle on its side in the kitchen, straddle it and have a go with a straight edged screwdriver. Success!

Of course you know what this sudden influx of water means, don’t you? Don’t you? Okay, let me tell you. It means that I have enough water to flush the toilet twice in one day. First your basic flush, then another flush after I’ve had a chance to clean it. (Trust me, you do not want to see a photo of the toilet at the moment.)