‘Sorry, everyone, I’ve come to grab Fern. We have a burst pipe and need an extra pair of hands. Lunch will be a little late, I’m afraid.’

I cast around apologetically and run to catch up with her.

‘Nightmare,’ I say, as I double my strides to meet her pace.

‘Poor Margot is standing in an inch of water. The electrics have been turned off, but we can’t move the stopcock. We need to mop up the floor before it begins to pour into the day room. Fortunately, the last batch of bread is already cooling so we’re okay for lunch.’

As soon as we step in through the door, I glance across at the kitchen and see a mound of rags and old towels forming a barrier between the two rooms.

‘If you can grab a broom and help Taylor and Dee-Dee, that would be great, thanks, Fern.’

The three of us work in a line across the large room to drive the water out through the back door.

‘It would have been easier if the floor didn’t slope back into that corner,’ Dee-Dee complains.

She’s right. As fast as we sweep, some of the water keeps running back.

‘We need suction,’ Taylor says. ‘Keep brushing, I’ll be as quick as I can.’

If it wasn’t so dire, it would be comical. Dee-Dee and I decide to work in tandem, rushing forward so the water starts to gather speed like a wake in front of our brushes. But by the time we get to the back door, it’s disappointing how little ends up trickling down the path.

Margot and Ceana are traipsing back and forth, moving everything needed for lunch out into the day room.

Several minutes later, Taylor returns with additional help and a wet and dry vacuum.

‘Well done that, man!’ I applaud, as Kellie and Odile take platters from the fridge.

‘We need some more towels in the doorway,’ Ceana calls out over her shoulder.

Taylor is the other side, plugging in the machine. ‘Kellie can you grab something large, like one of those throws on the sofa? I can’t stand in the water as I can only suction from the dry side. I need you to stop this ingress.’

‘Sure. I’m on it.’

Bastien appears with a large wrench in his hand.

‘Is it under the sink?’ he asks, and Margot nods. Six strides and he’s lying on his back, taking the full force of the finger-like jets of water spurting out inside the cupboard. The seconds pass and nothing happens, then there’s a little cursing.

‘I got the sucker,’ he calls out eventually, sounding jubilant.

‘Whoop!’ Dee-Dee endorses, delighted that at least the pond won’t get any bigger now.