Bad Things and Good Things

I set off this morning at quarter to six to pick up a velux flashing kit I’d bought on eBay and head over to Liverpool to collect a scaffolding tower I’d bought. The forecast for this afternoon and evening is awful, including wind gusts of up to 48mph, so I decided to come to the land and at least be here to watch it all blow away. Here is the story so far, in bad things and good things.

Bad Thing: the weather in Liverpool, from which direction it was headed here, was ghastly. Buffeting, sudden wind gusts made driving a high-sided vehicle with a trailer quite exciting.

Good Thing: I got a great deal on just the flashing kit I needed, and a good deal on the right amount of scaffolding. And all the people involved were really helpful and nice.

Bad Thing: on arrival at the land, I got stuck on the really sharp bend with the trailer. And you know, in all the time, all summer, that I’ve been driving up and down that lane, I swear I’ve met anyone coming the other way about twice. Well, there were three of them this time.

Good Thing: among them were a very helpful couple from the house on the corner (whose names I don’t know yet) who very calmly got out and helped direct me to get unstuck.

Bad Thing: another guy honked his horn and gave me a cutting look (though at that point I’d delayed him by about a minute.)

Good Thing: the last one was a sweet, elderly lady from down the road who waited patiently and then shot me an enormous grin and thumbs up as she went past.

Bad Thing: here I am in the marquee, having now closed the zips that had worked their way open and re-pegged the pegs that had worked their way out, but in the gusts, I do wonder whether the whole thing is going to blow down on top of me.

Good Thing: the super-tarp over the straw building seems almost entirely unperturbed and the straw is bone dry.

Best thing: the milk I accidentally left in the “fridge ” (the shady side of the marquee) two days ago has not gone off and I can therefore have a cup of tea.