twice

 raise the three sheets of transparent corrugated plastic that cover the wire grid over the stairway to the cellar. Place them carefully to one side against the neighbours wall. Then lift the wire grid and lean it against the wall of the house. The steps are made of bricks, they are all damp and mossy. It must be rising damp, there has been no rain falling on them for some time now. There is a switch on the wall to the left, turn the lights on in the cellar.

This is an old cellar, it must be over three hundred years old. The ceiling is low. There are plastic building materials, buckets and basins, stored here. Anything else would rust or rot. Walk into the middle room, and then into the front room, the one facing the street. Turn on the light here, and cross the empty room. At the end, there are the pipes and the meters for the gas and for the water. Take a picture of the display on the first one with the mobile 'phone, and the other one too, for good measure. Then, over on the left there is the small dial of the water meter with its plastic cover. Remove that too, take a picture.

Then walk back through the cellar rooms, turn off the light in the last room, then turn off the light by the stairs. Replace the grid, and the plastic covering to prevent the rain falling into the stairwell.

Go upstairs to the computer, and link up to the municipal utilities department. Type in the codes on their reminder to read the meters, and look at the first picture on the mobile . Copy the data from the picture to the form on the computer. The picture of the water meter did not work out, it is completely illegible.

Go back downstairs and raise the three sheets of transparent corrugated plastic that cover the wire grid over the stairway to the cellar. Place them carefully to one side against the neighbours wall. Then lift the wire grid and lean it against the wall of the house. The steps are made of bricks, they are all damp and mossy. It must be rising damp, there has been no rain falling on them for some time now. There is a switch on the wall to the left, turn the lights on in the cellar.

This is an old cellar, it must be over three hundred years old. The ceiling is low. There are plastic building materials, buckets and basins, stored here. Anything else would rust or rot. Walk into the middle room, and then into the front room, the one facing the street. Turn on the light here, and cross the empty room. At the end, there are the pipes and the meters for the gas and for the water.

take another picture of the  water meter.

Then walk back through the cellar rooms, turn off the light in the last room, then turn off the light by the stairs. Replace the grid, and the plastic covering to prevent the rain falling into the stairwell.

Go upstairs to the computer, and link up to the municipal utilities department.

Enter the codes, fill in the form from the new, crystal-clear picture, and the job is done, the municipal services people have the data to write their bill with.

Another chore done, and fury at the wasted time doing things twice.