A few months back we bought a second hand loo cistern/mini washbasin as you do - our downstairs loo doesn't have a way of plumbing an actual stand alone sink - which was a bargain at 30 euros rather than a new one at 175 euros. It sat in the hall for a month until our new found plumber turned up to install it, charging us a large amount for what seemed a short time of work - but then plumbing is always mysterious and astronomically expensive unless you can do it yourself, which we cannot . . .
A few days later a puddle of water started forming under the cistern; I did the usual thing of putting a small plastic box under the leak and hoping it might miraculously stop being a leak, which of course it didn't. The plumber reappeared impressively fast, inspected it and then announced rather smugly that there was a small hole in the interior pipe which was sending a tiny jet of water up and out of the cistern, and then told me, even more smugly, when I 'd asked if it was reparable, that it was impossible - nothing would hold back the water, and that he would either have to find a spare part = stupid amount of money, or make something himself = even more scary amount of money.
He left saying he would do some research, after which I looked at the tiny fountain and thought there must be some way of 'holding back the water' it wasn't exactly the Hoover Dam. Sellotape, no. Gaffer tape, no. Patex! weird product I bought to make little blobs on a smooth spiral shaped metal lamp to hold little bits of paper suspended by wire - another post - you blend it up then stick it to the prepared surface (no water etc) which I did, then when it had dried, made another band of it and wrapped around the patch and pipe.
A day later . . . no leak. I raise my fist to pump the air in triumph! a small triumph but actually a strange turning point and a good time to realise such things at the start of a new year. I was listening to a favourite Youtuber recently - Dr Kfast talking Indian/American psychotherapy dude, and he was talking about how the brain gets into patterns of 'Ah - this will happen again because these things have happened before, and it is the pattern'; a lot more eloquent of course but it made me think about preconceived thoughts of how things will go. Me and Mark plumbing = disaster, so therefore this will be a disaster, and the plumber said nothing will hold back the water, BUT, wait. Supposing it is a success? it might well be, and if it isn't I'll try again with more thought and bigger blob of Patex.
So, onward with positivity, not the annoying motivational office/café loo poster variety, just a small confidence that whatever you are planning could have a chance of succeeding, a good chance, and that is to be welcomed into the brain as we move forward in 2026 with all its possibly menacing metaphorical ships on the horizon. Perhaps if we all think hard enough in this humbly confident manner certain ego-ed utter maniacal world 'leaders' might just spontaneously combust.
Happy 2026!
Spot of new year sun in the back garden when everywhere in the area is around - 4
