My new best friend

I've been spending a lot of time with the plumber lately, as he chases the source of a big wet spot in the garage. He and I are about to conclude that it's just water oozing up though a weak or thin spot in the concrete slab. We're actually below the water level of the canal, and you can't walk in our yard without wellies until about May. You may remember the first lawn mowing last year.

The slogan on the side of the plumber's van says, complete with Belgian accent, "Who's there? It's the plumber." Only it rhymes in French. If you're not interested in a brief linguistic discourse, stop reading now.

"Qui c'est?" is the Belgicism. The French would say, "Qui est-ce? meaning "Who is it?" The Belgian is more like "Who's that?" And l'plombier, rather than the complete and written (in both Belgium and France) le plombier, is how it's actually pronounced--in both Belgium and France. So the rhyme sounds like ki say? say luh plohmbee-ay. Hilarious, n'est-ce pas?