Step 7: I hate to be right

The tiles that form the platform started to go on today. There is now a weatherproof covering over about three quarters of the house. Good news eh? But now for the bad.

Following the problem with the neighbour yesterday our architect came to have a look. Basically he said that the neighbour had no room for complaint and that we should just keep going. But when the neighbour came to his house this evening it got nasty. I managed not to raise my voice or swear but I did walk away. The neighbour said he would prefer to talk to Maggie as I was unreasonable. A few minutes later Maggie walked away; she too is unreasonable. We couldn't get him to say what he wanted us to do. We left it that he was going to go to the planning authorities on Monday morning and get the work stopped.

Maggie and I were in the slough of despair. I went into town to buy cigars. Nothing like inhaling smoke to make me cough and feel better. Whilst I was there I decided that I had to try again. If the man did go to complain all I could foresee was extra expense and potentially months of trying to live in the shell of the house.

By the end of the conversation we had a truce, we shook hands, I even managed a feeble joke that he laughed at. He wants a column building to support the beam - stupid and unnecessary but doable - and, of course he wants his interior decoration sorting out.

I was quite proud of myself.