Men!

So the plan was: get up on the roof and fit a cap over the chimney to stop the (gallons of) rain coming in. Simple.
So, no he doesn't need any help, up he goes, I grab my camera & take a few photos before going back indoors and continue to potter. Radio on covering all other noise but eventually I hear my name being screeched. turns out the getting up on the roof was the easy part. He cannot reach up to the chimney pots and neither can he reach the ladders to get down again. I first saved his glasses then had to pass the ladders up to him to try to get down on to the lower sloping roof. Trouble was, it's sloping so not safe or secure enough to take the ladders and his weight.
Cue heavy downpour. Thanks a lot!
Well after a lot of shouting! mostly cos i insists on going inside & getting my coat on, he passed the ladders back down & I repositioned them and he just had to take a leap of faith and let me yell out instructions until his foot hit the ring of the ladder and down he came.
Moral of the story - think the job through man and above all, get some longer ladders!