I cannot believe what happened to me yesterday. I offered to help out a friend who like me rents out a holiday cottage here, but he lives in England and it is difficult to arrange to have the chimney swept, the boiler serviced, and all the other things that need doing regularly. ANd one of the most imp-ortant things is getting the septic tank emptied, which, I discovered, he had not had done since he bought the house four years ago! In the country here, no-one is on mains drainage and keeping the 'fosse' clean is a major part of yearly maintenance. All my visitors are told to put nothing down the toilet that shouldn't be there, but my friend had not realised the importance of this, and town dwellers do not think about it.
Anyway, the guys arrived yesterday afternoon to do it and I explained it was long overdue. They got to work and very soon their pipe blocked up and they had to dismantle it to clear it. This happened time after time and I cannot begin to describe some of the things they found in it, from old clothes to children's toys to other stuff too disgusting to talk about.
Then they hit a real problem, they could not clear the pipe and as they tried the whole thing blew back on us, spraying us with all the horrible effluent. I was about 5 yards away, but I got a soaking with it. The job finally got done, and I rushed home for a shower and then a long bath in perfumed oil. But I felt as if I was carrying the smell for the whole evening. It has taken another shower this morning to get rid of it.
Country living! I love it most of the time, but there are occasions when I long for the amenities of a city.
Anyway, the guys arrived yesterday afternoon to do it and I explained it was long overdue. They got to work and very soon their pipe blocked up and they had to dismantle it to clear it. This happened time after time and I cannot begin to describe some of the things they found in it, from old clothes to children's toys to other stuff too disgusting to talk about.
Then they hit a real problem, they could not clear the pipe and as they tried the whole thing blew back on us, spraying us with all the horrible effluent. I was about 5 yards away, but I got a soaking with it. The job finally got done, and I rushed home for a shower and then a long bath in perfumed oil. But I felt as if I was carrying the smell for the whole evening. It has taken another shower this morning to get rid of it.
Country living! I love it most of the time, but there are occasions when I long for the amenities of a city.
I'd have had several baths and covered myself in the strongest body lotions i have 
Oh! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! What a revolting experience!
