Yes, this is Malcolm the plumber, and guess what - he's connecting us up to the mains supply!!!

After at least 3 years, and enormous hassle , it looks as if we will finally be connected. Having enjoyed the water from the burn above the house for nearly 40 years , the powers that be have decreed that we might all drop dead unless we take instant action.

So those of you who have put up with brown baths, pine needles in the washer, and gloriously cloudy G & T's will be breathing a sign of relief.

Sadly , we aren't. We love our beautifully pure tasting burn water, and if it wasn't for the rules and regulations of the E.U. who insist that self-catering accommodation must have white water - or else - we would not have gone through the enormous expense and aggro. of moving over. The alternative was all sorts of fancy filters, ultra violet and heaven knows what, which leave your water warm and sluggish. So we took the relatively easy way out.

And in all honesty, it does mean that there will be less brown sludge around the place - though interestingly enough this awful monsoon season that has gone on for the last year has washed all that away and our water as never been whiter - and we won't freeze up in winter, or run out in summer. And we can always pop across the road with a jug when we want a cup of tea.

Yes, over all probably a good thing, and we do hope all our visitors will appreciate our nice new mains water. And now you can even use fabric conditoner without your whites turning brown. Phew.....