As Ms V correctly identified as she showed me into her sparkling clean bathroom, there is nothing more awkward than a loose toilet seat. Her request was to remove the existing (broken) one and replace with a new version that she'd bought.

Now never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I'd spend a Monday afternoon with my hand in a complete stranger's toilet bowl (the perils of dropping a slippery Allen key at just the wrong moment...), but that unexpected pleasure aside, I was quickly able to remove the old broken fittings and instal Ms V's shiny white new seat.

Ms V didn't perform a full test drive of her new throne in front of me (...), but after giving it a good wiggle, she declared herself much happier, and I wished her many comfortable hours ahead.