Today was our second day of ‘full-on’ building work, with the builders, at the new house and I’m pleased to say things have gone well. Let’s hope that’s how they continue.

The vast majority of the work has been the lads knocking down internal walls and removing 3 fireplaces, with acrow props inserted at suitable intervals, and carting away the resulting debris, of which there has been plenty.

We’ve been on site both days from 8.30am, as at this delicate stage, we don’t want the wrong walls removing!

There wasn’t much I could do to help the process, so I did a bit of weeding in my new garden whilst Peter supervised indoors.

However, in the afternoon we decided to dismantle the large wooden shed in the garden.

Both the garage (which I will be writing about later) and the shed have seen better days, indeed the 14′ by 10′ shed, with it’s door hanging off and wonky roof, looked like a strong gust of wind would blow it over. Isn’t it funny how appearances can be deceptive?

I’m the first to admit that, just like the shed, Peter and I are not in the first flush of youth, and our ability to tackle such a physically demanding job is diminished. However, age had not diminished the shed in the same way. It put up one hell of a fight.

The floor was rotten, and the widows broken, which made even walking inside a hazardous task. There was a box with old wooden buffets in it, packed with ‘something’ and evidence of mice, wasps and a dead rat!

Added to this there was the asbestos garage right next to it and finally it was perilously near next doors garden, and we didn’t want to disturb the asbestos or collapse the shed into the neighbours herbaceous borders.

It took a huge amount of effort and strength to make any progress at all. Then, whilst I’d taken a break to ‘harvest’ some old quarry tiles from the old pantry floor for later use, Peter came to say the shed was leaning dangerously close to next doors hedge and could I come to stop it falling!

Who does he think I am, Desperate Dan?! I’m 5′ tall and 9 stone wet through!!

As it turned out it was only one end that was leaning, but it was still a huge weight.

As I stood, legs and arms spreadeagled and all my weight leaning back on the gable end, I was pleased to hear the arrival of one of the builders. What a difference a fit young man makes!

It might have looked like the shed was on it’s last legs, but there was plenty of life left in it. We now have a huge pile of rotten wood, all we have to do now is get rid of that!!