Relief and respect

A bit after 4pm yesterday I emailed the two people who are in charge of the car park behind my garden to ask permission for a truck delivery over the wall at an unspecified time today. One replied at 5pm with no objections but I thought I might get a flat H&S refusal from the new Bouldering Centre, as it opened in May and there are streams of people going in and out. But at 10.10pm I got a friendly email agreeing. I'm sure it helps that I've been into the centre to introduce myself and thank them them for all their cooperation over very many months (it was good fortune that they and I were doing building work at the same time) but even so...

I realised overnight that there was not enough space within crane-reach of my back wall for the delivery driver to place the two bulk sacks of sand and ballast. So I got up early to chalk-mark the wall on the car park side with exactly where the sacks have to come over then came back home to move my piles of quarry tiles off their pallet (where they've been waiting to become the end-of-garden patio that will take the place of the shed after it's moved - I designed the layout for that ages ago and was very pleased, as I counted them off the pallet and into their new storage place, that I still have the same number of each colour as I did).

That done, I carefully lifted off the torn blue tarp covering the removed 1867 glazed alcove cupboards and front door, the 1930s living-room fire-surround and a whole lot of nail-ridden timber, then moved that lot off the back half of the pallet and out of the way. From this vantage point I have no idea why I asked the builders to keep all this stuff for me. Apart from the stair handrail that I'll probably refix to the wall, I shall start getting rid of it.

Once I'd cleared just enough room for the two bulk bags, I sat at my computer overlooking the car park to watch for the delivery truck. I should have been catching up with badly overdue emails but it was much more fun to do an alternative quarry tile layout. I do it in a spreadsheet that I've set up to count the numbers of each colour tiles I'm using so I can keep within my stock.

Access into the car park isn't easy so I'd given the builders' merchants detailed directions but I was relieved when the driver phoned me to coordinate. He was similarly relieved that I was in and once he arrived we discussed details over the wall, him standing on the back of the truck and me standing on a step-ladder. That would have made an amusing photo, had there been anyone there to take it.

The first bag went neatly onto the newly-cleared pallet and the other exactly next to it. I told the driver how much I enjoy watching precision work with heavy machinery and we parted with smiles. Relief and respect all round, I think.

I phoned S to say that the materials had arrived but he was busy. He and A arrived at 6.10 this evening, planning to finish it all tonight. They succeeded and have just left in the encroaching darkness at 9pm.

I won't be able to move the shed until the new concrete has cured about a month from now but this feels like a major milestone.