Oh dear! Jack the cat (a new kitten, adjusting to his surroundings) made Miss S trip over the paint she had bought for her hallway floor. Sploosh, it spilled in a big puddle and she slipped on it, resulting in a short stint in hospital.

By the time she returned, the paint had dried in a block. As she herself put it, it was the right paint on the right floor, just not quite spread out as much as it should have been.

She had some gardening tools and a sharp knife so the team proceeded to chisel the lumps of paint off the floor, prising off satisfying chunks. Then, warm water was used to loosen the remnants so these could be scraped and wiped up. "Lucky it was matte not gloss!", I exclaimed, pretending to understand the difference.

And lo, after only an hour of work (including stops for tea, stretching and sighs of effort) the floor under the spill gradually became visible. Miss S was delighted and now plans to get more paint...and spread it about a bit thinner next time.