Men at work

Our wonderful builder Tom builds housing for the unsightly LPG tanks that stand outside our kitchen door while his erstwhile assistant T (who looks grumpy in this picture, but wasn't) learns the finer points of brick pointing.

The construction work at home is coming to an end. Tom has done a fantastic job repairing the roof and building us a new terrace. After 20 years we finally found a builder who takes his craft seriously, shows up when he says he will, respects our budget and stays cheerful in a merciless heatwave. Best of all, Tom has delivered something much nicer than what we had in mind.

In a couple of days we'll be sitting out here without piles of sawdust or broken bricks, enjoying an uncluttered view of our crispy garden.