Picnic in the rain

This morning we drove down to the coast to have a conversation with our builder and his wife. We are trying to find an amicable solution to the fact that a new veranda which has been largely paid for has never been built. This is a very difficult situation as I knew he had been in hospital but communication has been very difficult. I learnt today that his hospitalisation for two months was as a result of a suicide attempt. We had a positive discussion and of course we wanted to put no pressure on him. It was sad to see that he still appeared depressed and physically a shadow of his former self. He has decided to wind up his business but has arranged for a colleague in another company to complete the work in February. On the way back I called into the garage to correct a minor fault on the dashboard display and bought some new trainers. We pulled in to a picnic spot but had our soup and sandwiches in the car as it was raining.