Friday 23rd October 2026

Woke around 0530...didn't really get back to sleep properly. Aki got up at 0700 in the vain hope that the rain would clear so that she could go rowing. I got up and made tea. Porridged. Spotted Lynne outside with the dog, so ventured out for a chat and updated her on the scaffolding saga. She reported that the rain was coming in through her back bedroom ceiling, and through the flat roof in her bathroom...that's what I could hear last night, as I lay in the bath, making dripping sounds as the rainwater hit her bath more or less above my head! The scaffolders turned up around 0830 and finished putting the tin hat on. Gary showed up at 1000, just after they'd gone on to their next job of the day...in pouring rain. He made a quick survey of the leakages upstairs, then started to take off the roof slates. Did my exercises. Aki made ramen soup for lunch. Rain came down relentlessly...not a great day to be a roofer! Wind got up mid afternoon, too! They packed up at 1615, promising to come back tomorrow to check that the tin roof hasn't blown away in the night! Aki cooked sea bass for dinner, which we ate with the remans of the baked rice I'd cooked yesterday. Watched "Celebrity Traitors". Miranda Hart was murdered...she's been very entertaining. Watched The Ten before bath and bed...