Opportunities Gained and Lost

My day was sabotaged, in between normal collection-from-school and pool cleaning and editing tasks, by the observation by Much Better Half that a drain kept drizzling although rain had only reigned some time ago.  This led me to wonder if my existing ladder could conceivably get me up far enough to inspect the gutter. To my surprise it did, and I cleared out piles of gunge that were blocking the pipe and making a pond up there.

This had me wondering if the ladder would possibly also reach the sensor of a light previously operated by movement detection which is a great help when we go down to the cottage after dark.  It stopped working when our painter was overenthusiastic with a pressure cleaner in that area.  I discovered with further surprise that from the top of the ladder, and clinging to a handy pipe sticking out of the wall, I could actually reach it …

Much testing followed.  The light fittings were fine. I had previously inspected them, because they are lower and far easier to reach. Using my handy remote voltage tester (it goes ‘pip-pip-pip’ when placed near a live wire) I established there was current running to the sensor, so it was obviously defective. With some impressive feats of balancing, I managed to break it loose. The screws securing it were beyond any hope of turning. Then I bridged the connection. Voila! A light which was switch-onable-and-offable from inside!  Taped the connector, and tucked it under a beam.  Another sensor can go in later, if the mood takes me.

It was then time to take R to a Swimming Squad gala — her mother was at a meeting. The evening was cold, windy and unpleasant, but the event has been put off twice already, so the school persisted.  R did creditably, if unplaced, in backstroke and breaststroke, but my pictures didn’t turn out too well.  I geared myself up for her freestyle event, and took a brilliant sequence from dive to a finish in second place. I was just packing my camera away with a satisfied smirk when I heard some other parents yelling, ‘Come on R; go R!’  The kid I had watched was of similar build and from the same house, but had been in the event previous to R’s!

Long before I could get my camera out again, she completed the race. In first place. Aaaargh!

Oh well. Here is another shot from the Benvie garden featured in my previous post.

© October 2016 Colonialist (WordPress)