GFCI switch? There is one in the bathroom, but so far it has never affected the study or anything plugged in there — possibly because no one in the bathroom has ever plugged in an appliance more demanding than a night light.

The messiest phase of the bathroom project is complete, and half the house is veiled in a light coat of plaster dust as a result. Today I’m in hiatus as the mud dries on the fresh drywall (yes, it’s the green mould-resistant kind) and the patches on the old plasterboard.

The concert choir I sing with has reached the panic stage of preparing a program of French romantic music for performance next Saturday. Three of our tenors have fallen by the wayside and the sopranos were no more likely to make their entries last night than they were a month ago. Two extra rehearsals have been laid on. There went my weekend.