Water restrictions

Thousands of households across the country will be without water or face serious restrictions in the days ahead.The restrictions have been introduced in order to restore reservoir levels in the worst affected areas. Local authorities are mobilizing crews to fix burst water mains caused by the thaw.

My electric problems and subsequent sewage in the basement problems were caused by a frozen exit pipe from the basement which made my macerator pump trip out, the basement toilet never gets used but the pet rabbit was down there over Chrissy and the sink got used which ended up filling up the loo and the shower as it was slightly higher, the washing machine overflow was because the pump for it was turned off to try and work out what caused the tripping electric, anyway I managed to work out what had happened and everything is back to normal.

I’m not sure if the rabbit made it safely home or not, but if it was not I think I may have heard something. In order to catch a rabbit, you must hide behind a tree and make a noise like a carrot.

If you are planning to overindulge this New Year then it would be a good idea to stock up on bread and honey as well as booze. Scientists claim that the natural sweetener is a great way to help the body deal with the toxic effects of a hangover. The Royal Society of Chemistry claim that the fructose in the honey – which is also found in golden syrup – is essential to help the body break down alcohol into harmless by-products. The reason why hangovers are so painful is that alcohol is first broken down into acetaldehyde, a substance which is toxic to the body, claimed Dr John Emsley of the Royal Society.

This is then converted – using fructose – into acetic acid which is then burned during the body's normal metabolic process and broken down into carbon dioxide which is breathed out of the body. Serving the honey on toast adds potassium and sodium to the meal which is also helps the body cope with the alcohol. Dr Emsley said: “The happiness comes from alcohol. The hangover comes from acetaldehyde. "This is the toxic chemical into which alcohol is converted by the body and it causes a throbbing headache, nausea, and maybe even vomiting.

"The hangover disappears as the acetaldehyde is slowly converted to less toxic chemicals."