Water morning

The water was on this morning! By the time I got out the door at 08:00, there was already a basin under the tap, so I left my buckets and basins on the walkway beside the tap and waited.

One of the hardest things I've found about living here - not in Nigeria so much as our block of flats in particular - is the lack of running water. I can get used to a lot of things, but that's hard. I mean, I grew up with only running water some of the time. I know how to take bucket baths and all. But to never have running water is an adjustment. I'm getting used to it little by little...

Anyway, there's a tap outside our flat where the water occasionally comes on for a few hours or a whole day at a time. I usually don't notice until - like today - someone else has his buckets or basin underneath. But today, my neighbour was kind enough to share with me. I was truly touched. We'd been running pretty low on water the past few days, having not filled our containers in almost two weeks.

My neighbour lady - whose name I'm afraid I haven't learned yet! - and I shared the tap for the next four hours. I took my work outside with a hat and sat on a step to wait out the process. The water wasn't exactly gushing, but it was coming steadily, so we both got all we needed. I managed to fill up every bucket we own (eight), two basins, two big barrels, a 25-litre jerry can, two kettles, and three cooking pots! Woohoo! We'll see how long it lasts, eh? I'm just thankful we have water at all!