"It's a bit the opposite way, I'm afraid," Peggy says, leaning up on the tips of her toes (too short without her heels, she thinks) and hangs another one of the wet rags from a low-hanging branch. "It seems that whatever's happening to the river is pushing all the water up from the plumbing and into my house. If I could figure out where the junction to turn it off and block it, then I might have some luck."

"Unfortunately, I wasn't left blueprints," is her wry remark.