For a place that has so much of it either coming out of the sky or just there is the sea water can be a mighty rare commodity in the Cottage.

All the water comes from a well dug down about 70 feet deep at the back of the orchard. There is a pump in a breeze block container with a rotten wooden roof and the rest we leave to chance. When we arrive we press the green button to turn it on and when we leave we press the red button to turn it off. Once it is on there is a reassuring whir as the water is sucked up and pushed through the a long pipe down the length of the orchard to some indeterminate junction outside the Cottage from where it makes its way inside when a tap is turned on.

For most of the last 14 years that has been the extent of our involvement with the water supply and it has always worked. If it wasn’t working that was because it had managed to turn itself off and all that was required was a press of the green button and service would be resumed.

If the summer was dry then there might be mutterings about the well being low and there being a need to conserve water. Generally all that meant was that I took even less showers than usual and kept myself clean by putting a different t-shirt (not necessarily unworn and very possibly stained) on each day.

But this year there have been dark rumours around the lack of water and a week after we left it stopped altogether. It was off for around ten days before many stroked chins were able to locate the lie of the pipe from the pump to the Cottage and the point where it had come apart.

Time to call Harte Bros Water Divining & Well Boring established 1929 and situated in good sight on the road through Drimoleague.