Heavy plant crossing

A lie in today. Mr B and the kids were set to get up early and go to the market (early in order to hand back the nail gun before we incur a weekend charge - that failed as they were closed). Mr B's alarm is so shockingly loud that it generally takes a good 20 minutes for my heart to stop pounding sufficiently to permit a return to sleep, and anyway I wanted to be up in time for the builders arriving. So I figured half an hour reading my book would feel as luxurious as a lie in, and it certainly did. I seem to be so exhausted at the moment that I sort of collapse into bed and get through a few pages of my book before I'm snoring.

Once up, there were the builders to make coffee for, find bits of wood and extension cables for, and then truffles to roll. The gang were back surprisingly quickly - with all the fixings for 'Christmas' dinner, including a duck. Mr B impressed me as, having found that they'd run out if ducks where I told him they'd be, he asked at the butcher's counter and came home with a duck. It was only later when he said he might chop the head off now, that he realised it was in fact, a chicken. Sigh.

So, more building is done, and we have learned for the umpteenth time that you have to get a quote first, even when you trust the guy. We will see how that pans out when he drops by tomorrow for the cash.

We are making new family Christmas traditions this year, with an official 'Us four' Christmas Day scheduled for Monday. So tomorrow is, in effect, Christmas Eve - busy busy.