It was nine days on Friday, including the weekends since work began. 1 metre deep footings (I prefer trenches) were hand dug and everything barrowed through the house into the waiting skip – they filled 3…

Getting building control to respond to voicemails and to come on site was a mission but he rocked up on Thursday lunchtime wearing suede loafers to inspect a muddy building site – he didn’t stay long! He is however popping back for another quick look once they have diverted the drains. Apparently I need a V off the main sewer so I can have a manhole cover in the patio and I need this so the sewer is ‘roddable’ in the event of blockages. There is a manhole cover in the properties either side of me, which have been perfectly suited for rodding blockages since 1938 but what do I know.

Despite dire warnings of concrete and cement shortages a nice man in orange hi-viz arrived with his cement lorry and 5 cubic metres of ready mix – two men, two barrows and 60 minutes. The driver later confessed he had tried to deliver the load to the residents at number 187 – fortunately they weren’t carry out any building work!

This coming week will see them start work on the bathroom while the drain team work on the V thingy to keep building control and Thames Water on side. Blocks may even begin to rise from the footings.

Billy has been throughly discombobulated and the builders aren’t dog people. As everything is coming through the house, there is a gate at the living room door, so he can still monitor comings and goings without getting in the way.

When are we going home?