They both inspected every lot with interest and every now and then his badger would give a little squeak of approval.

I have a slight problem brewing in the newly refurbished Annex bathroom......

Dampness.

Yes,yes, I know showers, sinks and toilets are always damp and showers create steam which creates dampness.This, however is more insidious than that unfortunately. As we decorated we found that the plaster behind the old shower position had become damp and so I had to dry it out before we could carry on. Well having now completed the work and having no symptoms for over a month this dampness has reared  its ugly head again. Small droplets of water appear to form through the ceiling paint as if by osmosis then they fall to the ground. There are not many, perhaps a dozen or two and they form very slowly over days not minutes. I think that it is probable that the damp course is either damaged or insufficient, or non existent and that this moisture is rising from the ground. Although there is also the possibility that it is dampness coming from the bell tower which appears to have some damaged slats.
Anyhow what ever it is one thing is for sure that at some point this will cost more money and work.
I will try to put a couple of air bricks into the wall and see if they cure the problem then take it from there.


Today we went to the auctions to soak up that nutty Norfolk quaintness and to see if we could pick-up any more bargains. It was half term and the place was crawling with screaming, shouting short folk. Absolute mayhem. I wanted to look at several sets of chairs but whenever I tried to do so there seemed to be either an old couple sitting in them for lunch munching on their sandwiches or children, who 'believed' that they were too tired to keep standing. So instead they all made a point of getting in my way.


Claire and I fought our way through the crowd to see what might tickle our fancies, but all we found was an old Singer Sewing machine. At this point I have to confess to becoming a Singer-holic having bought 3 machines as both decoration for my three front Georgian window sills and as a useful tool for the Quilting classes that Alison hopes to chair. Today there was the perfect little table top machine with all it's bits and bobs I was willing to pay upto £30 but managed to finally secure it with just £22. So now I own four Singer Sewing machines and with just three windows to display them in.one of them is surplus to requirements. I may EBay it.

Only one person seriously bid against me and she was knitting as she bid. Not only that she was knitting with four needles at once. I know women can multi-task but really, four knitting needles at once. She looked like a Ninja waving the needles around in wild abandonment. Then in a very NFN (Normal for Norfolk) moment we saw, through the thick pony-tailed gathering of men one individual, one lost soul in a world of his own.

The man was in his sixties, dressed in a green wax jacket he weaved in and out through the crowd  and on his right hand (also taking a keen interest in activities) was a Badger.
Of course it wasn't, silly, it was a puppet, a badger puppet and despite having no really good reason to sport such a puppet glove he was enjoying sharing the moment with his puppet Badger. They both inspected every lot with interest and every now and then his badger would give a little squeak of approval. Claire and I were amazed to see his wife join him and walk alongside him as his badger puppet pontificated over the different lots.
We were both dying to see if his puppet would bid for something, would the auctioneer see its tiny little paws? Or would he have to shake his whole booty?

And then if his bid was successful and he was asked to give his name, would the badger simply give a little squeak?

But alas we had things to do, time was against us and so we left him in his own little world. Quite, quite mad!