mishap

Another trace – the toilet has been leaking into the flat downstairs because the ball-cock jammed, and I have had two days of much going backwards and forward with repairs, wrong parts, things not fitting, repairman’s nephew wanting to practice his English on me and flat often full of people. Realise that I hanker after being a recluse. But, anyway, now have my own brand-new-from-the-cupboard plastic bucket for pouring water down the toilet as required, and – finally – a whole new toilet.

Handy hints for travelers 6: toilets

Moscow is very well supplied with public toilets; most metro stations have ranks of prefab units outside, which cost 20 or 25 rubles. These are basic, but perfectly clean. What I like most is the way the attendants customise one of the cubicles as a 'little home' to sit in.

As most travel guides point out, there are almost no facilities for disabled people here, but there are now a couple of prefab disabled toilets near Red Square - which of course are the ones taken over by the attendant, since the space is bigger.

I was told by a colleague that these disabled facilities (and the quite absent-minded and random addition of yellow painted 'pimple' paving at some junctions) are the response to a campaign by writers and artists for the rights of disabled people, but have not been able to find out anything else - can anyone add some light on this?