A Cracking good time

We decided late on Friday to head to our cabin "beyond Hope" for this mundane reason:

A burst pipe - of course it was behind the shower wall

some demolition was needed

The "burst" was removed

A new piece installed

We gave the new pipe a cozy cover so it won't burst again

And the shower stall put back together again

Allan did all this.......his Grandfather was a plumber and would have been very proud of him.  I am pretty useless at this sort of stuff - I see a whole mess of pipes and glaze over but Allan is very methodical and works it all out and goes to work.  I am the sous chef to his chef in these situations - I do menial but important tasks as directed - I hold the light or flashlight, hand tools as requested (my tool identification skills have come a LONG way), vacuum, clean-up, tidy up and prepare food and beverages as needed.

I have great confidence in Allan's skills.  He knows so much about so many things it is quite amazing and what would have cost us a fortune to fix  if we had to "call a guy" he did in a few hours, and very well. 

He does freak me out while he is working though.

He narrates as he works.......and every time he says "No way", "What the heck", "This is stupid, who would do this?", "Damn", "Ouch".....etc...... I have a near heart attack and imagine he has hit either the main water line, the gas line or  cut his hand off......or come across some obstacle to the job that will ruin our weekend and be expensive to fix.........and when I go to investigate he is just sitting there muttering away and all is in order (and yet, ever the sharp knife that I am, I fall for the worried muttering, e.v.e.r.y.t.i.m.e).  There is some past experience of blood spurting gashes that has lead me to this anxious state.

But I actually topped the whole evening and had my family rolling on the floor laughing.

Allan was holding a piece of plywood back , the wood was under some pressure, so I could reach my dainty little hand in behind the wood and push the pipe insulation cover over the pipe behind this panel of wood.......while my hand is behind there and Allan is pulling back hard on the wood, there was a mighty CRACK sound.  I think I lost consciousness for a second because in that moment I was sure my arm had snapped in two.....once conscious again I leaped back and stumbled out of the tiny shower stall we were both occupying shrieking.......which brought the children running......

It took me a good few seconds to conclude it wasn't my arm that had snapped (and to be fair past experience of hearing bones snap in my arm came into play)....I realised it was merely the wood protesting the angle it was being pulled in.......when the bemused kids and Allan realised the little pantomime I had just put my self through they started to laugh at my antics......as the adrenaline rushed through my veins and started to ebb I too could see the funny side and imagine how ridiculous it looked.....and we all laughed.....ALOT........

All night they mocked me.

I just held the light for the rest of the night until we had dinner and a nice glass of red wine to settle my nerves........

Never a dull moment.