It was time. I’d put it off far too long already. It would have to be a Monday as the swimming pool is open on Tuesday and Wednesday.

I’d remove and replace the somewhat revolting, discoloured silicone sealant in the shower; and while I was at it, the sealant in the kitchen was in a similar state, so I’d do that too.

So I scraped and scrubbed, bleached and blow-dried (What? You’ve never blow-dried a shower? You’ve never lived!) I treated the more stubborn bits with WD40, then wiped it all down with alcohol, to remove any traces of grease.

Then I left it to dry while I went for a walk around the lake to ease my back and knees; which hadn’t enjoyed being scrunched up in such a tiny space for so long.

Halfway round, a young woman with a large camera approached me. She explained that she was taking photos of a triathlete on his bike and as there are loads of fallen leaves, they’d covered part of the path with leaves for him to ride through, the idea being that, as he did so, the leaves would fly up in the air. However, the leaves hadn’t moved at all. Would I be prepared to throw some leaves around as he rode past, to give the effect they were hoping for? Of course, I’d be happy to help. She found another woman, who joined in with her daughter and we did two runs. The photographer seemed happy with the photos she got and explained that they’re for a feature in a free local magazine. I’ll have to look out for it. She agreed to send me a copy and took a photo of me with Florian, the cyclist too.

Back at the ranch, the excitement over, I applied masking tape and the new sealant to the shower. I’d have to leave it for 48 hours to dry thoroughly, hence the swimming pool opening hours being convenient, I could swim and shower there for the next two days

I was on a roll, so I removed the old sealant in the kitchen; some bits were silicone, others acrylic mastic and yet other parts were done in something that resembled used chewing gum – gooey and sticky, it was horrendous to remove!

I had very little masking tape left, so bought another roll the following morning and now the job’s done. I’m pleased with the result, it’s so much better than before.