A Bug's Life

When buying my watch, they needed to remove a couple of links from the strap, which was a fiddly operation which took them a few minutes with a very small hammer. This gave me time to admire the display of pendulum clocks behind the counter.

One clock caught my eye - quite modern, a glass plate with clock face and a stainless steel disc pendulum which was quite hypnotic. However, the pendulum swing seemed unrelated to the ticking motion of the second hand. Every five seconds the pendulum had got 180° out of phase with the seconds - five seconds later it was back in phase again. I suspect the pendulum is driven by a motor independently of the timer mechanism. WTF? Hello? Mechanics, anyone??

No lectures today, so I stayed up late working and set my alarm for a decidedly decadent 10a.m.

At 08:30, I was woken by the doorbell. People only ring the doorbell in the morning when I'm not up yet, causing a bleary-eyed dash downstairs and the squirmy sort of door-opening where you try to deal with the caller while only allowing half your face to show. (Maybe I should hang my dressing gown next to the front door, instead of in the bedroom wardrobe.) I swear they can tell when my alarm is set for.

And this, my friends, is what we are letting ourselves in for in the brave new age of IP-enabled RFID devices: the postman can scan your house and see if you are awake yet, before ringing the bell. The RFID scanner in your front door can sound an alarm if you leave without your keys/bus pass/whichever items are on your "must-have" list. The unscrupulous can tell what guests are bringing into the house. Burglars can hack your door and see if it's safe to enter. But excuse me, the fridge fell for a phishing scam last week, and there's someone at the door with two hundred tins of Spam.

The morning's caller was the builder; I'd reported a return of the leaking balcony problem a couple of weeks ago, someone had come to look at it, and said they'd arrange for someone to come round. Which they did, but didn't tell me when... They probably left a message on major_clanger's mobile, or something...

Yes, there is standing water on the balcony.
No, the drain is not blocked.
No, I've not seen the ceiling actually damp.
Yes, that additional water stain appeared in the last month.

They cut a hole in the ceiling to peer at the pipes'n'stuff, but couldn't see any leaks.

They'll be back shortly to take up the decking in the balcony - unfortunately the screws have rusted so it'll be a bit of a job.
EDIT: They have brought a crowbar.

Bridget will not get quite as much stuff done this morning as she'd hoped.

EDIT: Outcome is that water is pooling in the balcony, at a higher level than the outflow drain, and it seeping in over the flushing. Builders will return, put some coal tar in the balcony to level it off, and replace the decking (they don't make this sort any more). They'll make good the hole in the living room ceiling. In the meantime, I am to note the water level at heavy rain. And hopefully when they come back they'll have called first so I'll know to expect them!