Tuesday afternoon

I received the following text message from Big:

"The thing which connects the toilet handle to the flush mechanism has just snapped. Could you see if you can get another?"

This, together with a photo message which showed the broken spindle.

Since I work within spitting distance of a DIY store, I popped in on my way home and picked up another flush handle assembly which was duly fitted and before long we were blessed with a fully operational flush handle once more. I thought no more of it.

Thursday lunchtime

"Oh Anx, don't use the ladies' toilet, the handle is broken. I've told colleague B and he's going to fix it"

I furrowed my brow to myself (for what it was worth). Two broken flush handles in the space of a few days - what are the chances of that?

I inspected the damage. A different part of the assembly was involved with this one - the plastic thing connected to the spindle which pulls the hook attached to the syphon ("which lay in the house that Jack built....") had broken.

I wandered over to colleague B's desk and colleague C was also there. They were drawing a diagram on a white board which looked suspiciously like a flush handle assembly.

"Ahhh, that'll be the one in the ladies' which has broken," I nod, knowingly.

"No," replied colleague C, "it's my flush handle at home. The plastic ferrule around the toilet handle which goes through the hole in the cistern has broken apart."

There's obviously something in the water (closet).