Far from the last straw!

This cottage is about half a mile from where I live and I drive past it almost every day. The thatcher has been working on the roof, on and off - depending on the weather - since last November. I was talking to him today as I was framing up my blip. He was telling me that a thatched roof can last up to 50 years, if it is done properly, and it costs between £100 and £120 per square metre to do. Well, he's on the home stretch now - the decorative part. He does a section then climbs down, walks across the road and checks that it looks 'right' and usually makes or takes a call on his mobile phone and has a 'ciggie' at the same time. I can understand why he wouldn't want to smoke whilst working on a thatched roof, but I would have thought his mobile signal would be better up on the rooftop!