My bidet is leaking.  This would not be a problem if it were used for what a bidet is meant to be used for, washing the lower regions, because it would not be used at all.  I use it for hand washing and soaking my feet.  It is conveniently situated right in front of the toilet which we all know is the most comfortable place in the house to sit and read, so I can easily soak my toes while tucking into my favorite book.  Though all houses in Italy, possibly continental Europe, still come equipped with bidet, I don't know how many are actually used for their intended purposes.  They came in handy when there was no central heating and people only bathed once a week but now with modern plumbing and heating everywhere, (except Great Britain), I think bidet are only used for bathing by the elderly and whore houses.   But though it's impossible to find an apartment without a bidet, it is perfectly easy to find one without a full kitchen.  Often times "furnished" apartments are only furnished with an electric cooking top and a hotel fridge in the corner of a room and they'll call that the kitchen.  I have a colleague, a young Englishman, who does his dishes where?  In the bidet!  Why he doesn't do them in the bathroom sink is beyond me but it all reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer prepares dinner for Elaine in his shower.  So back to my leaky bidet.  For a while now the floor in the "girls" bathroom has been wet and I've been secretly blaming Grace for not shutting the shower curtain enough.  Then last weekend she was gone overnight and there was still a large puddle beside the tub in the morning.  So after days of wrestling with the shower curtain, rearranging it this way or that, this morning while wiping up yet more water, I discovered a leak.  We've had this place since 1990.  It was practically used only 15 days a year for 20 years but everything is beginning to fall apart.  We've replaced the fridge, the water heater, both showers (one the entire stall), some of the external roll-down shutters, half of the radiators and the garage door.  That's just since moving back last year and I'm sure I'm forgetting something.  I'm expecting the washing machine and the stove to go next.  Oh the joys of home ownership.  xxoo me