Well, the kitchen is done bar a few small details, and I am going to make you WAIT to see it. 🙂 It is a mess now as I am moving things back in.

The six weeks went smoothly until the final week when I mentioned to the builder that I could smell gas in the kitchen.

“That’s new paint smell” he said.

I was dubious, and in order to set my mind at rest the builder said he’d get the gas plumber around.

So, by now convinced I was being a silly woman imagining things, I waited for the plumber to come about. Eventually I saw his van and there was a knock at the back door, and I opened it mouth open, about to apologise for wasting his time.

He didn’t allow me to get out a single word.

“You have a major leak,” he said, “get out here now!”

Wow! The excitement! As it turned out, I had TWO leaks, one minor, one devastatingly major.

The plumber took me around the front of the house where the gas meter itself was hissing out gas. Major leak. “I’m going to make a phone call for you,” the plumber said, and rang the gas company, and I swear to God before he’d hung up trucks were braking to a halt in front of my house and servicemen were piling out armed with their spray bottles of soapy water. I wish I could always get tradies here that fast.

“Could have taken out the block,” was the pronouncement as the gas company men replaced the meter. Once that was done they took a pressure reading and, oh no, there was a leak further up in the house as well.

After much ado they found the leak behind my newly installed kitchen cabinetry. Gas plumber blamed the builder, builder blamed the gas plumber. But that, too, was fixed with relatively little ado and you can’t tell from the cabinetry it had to be taken apart so the plumber could fix the minor leak.

I am glad I still have a house and a life!

And I am glad I don’t smoke. Just one person lighting up near that major gas leak ….