We are still having fun working on the new toilets at the Scout Hut. A small but dedicated team  has overcome every difficulty with good humour and though at times it’s been hard and messy work, there has  been a lot of laughs. The project was always going to be a big one, involving stripping the rooms completely, replacing the ceiling, removing and replacing the floor, work on the drains and sewers, building new walls, tiling,, decorating, fitting new sanitary ware  and re-plumbing everything. Two weekends ago when we had finally lifted all of the wooden floor we found that the sewer pipes were taking far too long to drain. It soon became obvious that we had a serious problem. Visions of having to call in a specialist company and having a major expense were ringing alarm bells. Luckily Bean managed to borrow a set of drain rods from a kindly neighbour and we got to work .After some very smelly initial investigations we realised that the problems were most likely the result of a blockage in the main man hole.

Our original Scout Hut  was only around ninety foot long and the man hole cover was outside at the back of the building . Our current building however is one hundred and twenty four foot long which means the man hole cover is actually under the floor in M.O.G.’s room. When we erected the building we had the foresight to cut a trapdoor in the floor so we could access the man hole if necessary. However this trap door had not been used for at least ten years and had been ‘forgotten’ . When  M.O.G.’s room was created  the trapdoor had been covered with hardboard before the carpet was laid. I was fairly certain I knew the location of the trapdoor, but now came the next little challenge! We had stuck a great big cupboard full of files right on top of the trapdoor. There was nothing else for it , we had to empty the cupboard and move it. There were some dire warnings from the Captain and Bean about what would happen to me if I was wrong about the location.

Luckily for me, my long term memory is pretty good and the trap door was exactly where I said it would be. Once the carpet and the hardboard were up we could see the wooden trapdoor. We soon also had that up to reveal the concrete man hole cover. Access to the man hole is very restricted and as Bean was the smallest of the three of us, he was ‘volunteered’ to explorer it. After quite a bit of effort on Bean’s part he eventually located and removed a fair sized chunk of concrete that had lodged in the outlet pipe. Normal service was resumed and the sewers flowed freely once more. Bean’s selfless dedication to the cause had prevented a financial crisis. We will be watching Bean over the next few months to see if his exposure to all that good quality fertiliser results in a growth spurt. This little adventure  meant that there was no time left on the Saturday to do any more work.

On the Sunday we had a trio of fine volunteers in the guise of Meeky, Badger and Bean to get the new floor down in the toilets. Those of you who have done any work at the Scout Hut will know that nothing is ‘square’,  straight , or level ! In my mind this just adds ‘character’ to the building but strangely enough it does seem to cause some distress and anxiety  among any ‘tradesman’ that may volunteer their services. Personally I have never seen any real need to use those tricky tools such as plumb lines, levels , and squares. I am a confirmed member of the ‘hammer and six inch nail brigade. This probably explains why everyone looks worried if I so much as pick a hammer up, unless it is to knock something to pieces. On that Sunday our trio ably assisted by the Captain were not only determined to get the new floor laid but to ensure that  it was level. I warned them there would be tears but they didn’t listen to me and I was despatched to crawl under the building and fix the kitchen sink waste pipe. I have to hand it to them though, they persevered and by the end of the day most of the floor was in place and indeed it was level. Well done guys I take my hat off to you.

Badger and Meeky were at the hut on Wednesday completing the laying of the floor and plaster boarding the new stud wall. I have to say they made a fine job of this work. I am especially grateful to Meeky who managed to get a six inch nail inside the new wall whilst Badger was not looking. He tells me he did this, as he knew I would not feel easy if there wasn’t at least one six inch nail included in the construction. Well done Meeky you are a fine and understanding man.

On Friday Mick assembled the toilet pans and cisterns, and the sinks and taps, so they are ready to be installed. On Saturday Badger & The Jolly Green Giant  installed the door frame and completed the last few bits and bobs , so now we are ready to start tiling. The room is now starting to look good and with any luck progress should now be fairly rapid.. I will keep you all posted.