The story so far..........

Thursday 7 January 2010 - dreadful weather - snow and absolutely freezing conditions. As has happened before in such weather our water supply cut out. In the past this has been due to the outside tap on the rear patio freezing so we added extra lagging to see if this would help.
Friday 8 Jan - still no water. Using bottled water to drink and cook but no water to shower or wash dishes - both me and the kitchen looking bad now.
11pm - good news - water seems to be back on! Celebrated by having a midnight shower. Went to bed feeling happy (and clean).
4am (Saturday 9 Jan) - Louis wakes me up - 'What's that noise?'
I reach for the light switch for the bedside lamp - 'We've had a power cut - have you got a torch?'
Louis gets up to investigate, while I turn over to go back to sleep.
'Quick, get up and get Kumari up - water's pouring through the ceilings!'
I rush out on to the landing - he wasn't kidding - it's like being under a waterfall - a cold, scary waterfall. I wake Kumari up and tell her to put her school folders and laptop in a plastic bag and get some warm clothes on. We put these and the cameras, handbag and anything else we can grab in my car outside (by this time I was paranoid that the ceilings would collapse as they did in my Mum & Dad's bungalow when that flooded a week after Mum's funeral). 10 minutes later Kumari asks if I've locked the car - 'My whole life is in there!'
In the meantime Louis has rushed outside to turn the water off at the mains - we've never in the 12 years we've been here managed to find a stopcock in the house) - bear in mind here that it is 4.10am and snowing outside and he's wearing his dressing gown.
By torchlight I frantically search for the British Gas insurance papers - at last the money I pay every month will be put to good use. When I phone however I hear the first of many recorded messages - 'Due to the severe weather conditions all our operators are busy. You are in a queue. Please hold'. Louis in the meantime manages to get through to the house insurance people - Zurich. They say they will arrange an emergency plumber. I later arrange for an electrician to come out on my British Gas insurance.
There's nothing we can do but wait. The house is freezing, dark and wet.
More later........