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Hello, Elle.
These first two are in Chambers.
Fagot is a bundle, apparently.
I have heard of Clapham. But have no idea where it is, although
I would have ruled out the North of England. Maybe below Birmingham somewhere, I would have guessed at.
The name was used in a murder trial at the Old Bailey, referring to a member of the public as "the man on a Clapham omnibus", by a distinguished judge whose name escapes me.
Think the case was in late fifties or early sixties.
My cemetery visit is my Christmas visit.
Just going on my own.
It is usually very quiet there.

'fagot' is a French word and I did not know you used it in English, so that might have puzzled me, as usual with French terms popping up in crosswords.

Plumber coming at 8am (!) tomorrow - means setting the alarm because I need to have my breakfast (not much good without coffee at least inside me) and a quick wash. Have already filled a couple of buckets with cold water, because of course it will be turned off the time it takes for the work to be done.

I am extremely grateful to my faithful plumber who, as usual, does the maximum in case of emergency in particular.

Hello, Pigale!
Fagot is a new word to me.
Let's hope your plumber has the hot water running soon!
He certainly is quick getting round to helping you, anyway.
Wish all tradesmen were like that!

Good Morning, Rusty!
Another mild, but, this time, dry day here !
I hope it is fine for you to make your visit to the cemetery?

Clapham is in South-west London. I think in the borough of Lambeth?
Yes, I've heard of that expression "The man on the Clapham omnibus".
I know it relates to a reasonably educated, ordinary person who is used as a yardstick for measuring a defendant's conduct against, in a court of law.
I don' know why/how the phrase came into being, though, do you?

I am meeting up with a friend, later this morning, and we are going to Croydon (on the tram!) to do some more Christmas shopping.
I hope this time to finish off the remainder of my present buying!
Then we shall go to lunch........the last session of "Ladies who Lunch" this side of the New Year!
Our next meeting will be in 2016!
Goodness, doesn't time fly by.......
I'm off shortly to walk the dog.......

Hi, Pigale!
I hope you have got up in time?
Your plumber sounds excellent - would that we got such a quick response here!
Hopefully, you will soon have plenty of hot water.

Hello Elle and Rusty and Hello everyone !

Yes Elle, I am up - have had breakfast and just waiting for kettle to boil to have a quick wash; tonight ; shower. It's a shock to my system because I am no early riser any more -

talk later,

Good luck with the shopping, elle. I think you embody the spirit of Christmas.
Also I hope the plumber gets you hot water soon, pigale, and it's not too expensive. One year our solid fuel boiler went kaput on Christmas Eve and we had to wait until the New Year for a gas one, heat and hot water! Another year my kitchen sink blocked up just as my son and his wife arrived, also on Christmas Eve. Luckily Homebase was still open and I managed to buy some sink unblocker. I'd been quoted £400 for a plumber to come out!!

Am half way through "Oranges and Sunshine" by Margaret Humphreys about the children sent alone to the Commonwealth right up to 1967. It is a most horrendous scandal on a huge scale. Reading the book (even though I've seen a documentary about it) made tears run down my face. I quote -
"I used to sit (under that tree) every, every day at four o'clock thinking about my childhood in Liverpool. .. I used to walk down this road and think I want a car to knock me over....Don't kill me just break my legs..then someone will pick me up...then somebody will hold me"

Hi Rosalind,

It must have been a pretty uncomfortable to have to wait all that time, (and in Winter) for heating and hot water. Here, all plumbers keep a little time free just for emergencies, however busy they are.
I understand that between Christmas and New Year a lot of firms close, so even if a self-employed plumber (such as mine) did not mind coming during that period, he probably could not find the raw material needed.

As for the 400 pounds quote, that is theft !

Hi Pigale
That's what I thought, abut the theft. No wonder we welcomed the Polish plumbers! I now have a can of that sink unblocker in a cupboard.
At least we did have a gas fire in one room. Now I have an open fire so can be warm as long as I can get to the garage for the fuel. Loads of candles (I used to make fancy ones and have more wax than I can easily carry) and a camping gaz stove.

Hi again Rosalind,

All finished - hot water will be available in about 5 hours. A job well done and so quick ! He is brilliant and never in too much in a hurry about sending his bill - he mentioned the amount and it is more or less what I expected - hot water heaters are expensive in France because they are 'pressurised' - so I was told and whatever that means!

I quite often have a go at making my own candles, recycling old wax and as you say mixing colours - I even bought some small bottles of scented oil to add to the mixture; it's quite a good thing particularly since I am a smoker (not a heavy one though).