DIY

One result of the Bertha hurricane was that we found out that the two wooden holders of the pipe which take some of the rain from the roof of the house across the garage and so into its drain, had collapsed of old age, with the vertical elements, being untreated timber, being in a far worse state than the horizontals which had had the see-thru green gear added before purchase. This slightly odd arrangement being the result of the garage being built thirty years after the house was built, in a space which was not really big enough.

So putting aside the Horton Clockwise, spent yesterday morning making two replacements, of which one is shown left. Mahogany bases, probably once intended to be part of the sill for an external door, with old-style four by two sawn for the verticals. Fittings reused, albeit with new screws and gutter bolts.

Loose fitting, but the idea is that the holders are heavy enough not to be moved about by either weather or crows. And the chippings keep them up in the air and dry.

Couldn't find a space-suit (the sort of thing the doctor wears in later episodes of 'Midsomer Murders') in which to apply the wood preservative, as it suggests on the tin, so had to make do with wearing gloves and washing my hands afterwards.

PS: thinking of the doctors in 'Midsomer Murders', it has often struck me that they do lots of stuff at a crime scene which I would not expect a doctor to do and the relevant professional website http://www.bafm.org/ does indeed suggest a rather narrower role, as does http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=1088. Perhaps I should draw this to the attention of the producers. Perhaps the remit varies from country to country. Maybe the légistes in France do it different - but I do like the word. Maybe a closer reading of Fred Vargas is indicated.