But there’s a reason for that – and I blame my own popularity. In fact I’ve never been so popular than I seem to be just recently.

I took the dolly round to Bill’s this morning and stopped for a coffee, where I was entertained by the Hound of the Baskervilles.

After that, I finished off the rest of the tongue and grooving as you can see in the pic, if you shine a torch onto it.

This afternoon, in between the phone calls, I started on the beading. I’ve done the corners of the 2 windows in the ceiling and I’ve started on the beading round the edges of the t&g. But it’s not going half as far as I reckoned it would and I’ve nowhere near enough.

And as the battery in the chopsaw went flat, I started the electric wiring at the stairwell end of the room, and just as I was getting into the throes of it, Bill and his neighbour appeared – they had brought back the dolly. So they had the guided tour too. I’ve had more visitors this last few weeks than I’ve had this last few years. Because I forgot to say – while I was round at Bill’s, Terry came round here.

What with all of that, it was dark by the time they went and so I went to take the photo. But firstly, no memory card in the camera – so back downstairs for the card. And secondly, flat batteries in the camera – so back downstairs to get some fully-charged batteries. Hence it was dark by the time I’d got my pick.

Last night it was -2.5 degrees and the water had started to freeze. In the heat exchanger it was -7 degrees. Winter is early this year. I reckon that tomorrow I’ll make a start installing the woodstove upstairs and get it running in.

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