Plumbing the Depths

Dear me, the plumbing problem gets worse. In desperation I got a telephone number of a guy who promised to come and have a look at my problem and give a free estimate. He was supposed to appear tonight but turned up unexpectedly last night. I asked for a card which I noted gave no address but he kept saying I was in 'safe hands' which for some reason worried me even more. It took him about ten minutes to get the inspection hatch off by the loo. He then said there was no access to the waste pipe. He then discovered that all the visible pipes outside were water pipes and said the loo would drain through the basement. He agreed that the problem was beyond him and left. I rang Dom, my plumber who had fitted the loo. He agreed to come and have a look today but felt that I should maybe call in the 'big boys' such as Dynorod, and that the work would cost quite a bit. Trouble is that I think the manhole outside is underneath a potted (very heavy) plant, probably needing two or three men to move it, and itself standing on a pile of slates on top of three or four huge flagstones. I am not even sure that there is a manhole there either. Oh dear, my hopes of having a lodger are definitely blown. Consoled myself with a diet coke and a bit of sketching at Toulouse Lautrec and was not in bed until 1.30am. Kook was outside in the street and came mewing in welcome so we went in together and I gave him an extra snack.