Plastered

A tough day. We had seven workmen in: two builders, two electricians and three painters. We all got in each other's way and the three of us had to take refuge in our bedroom. That was after we went to Bideford to take the boy to the dentist where he absolutely refused to open his mouth.

We are all stressed and exhausted as hell. The boy has been miserable, tired and badly behaved all day. As a result, he got nothing but scolding, had no treats and no fun. He went to bed utterly dejected and unhappy. Here you can see a rare and fleeting moment of pleasure as he played with his calculator (a favourite 'toy').

On a positive note, the builders are now finished and have cleared their things away and gone (apart from a few loose ends to be sorted out later). The electricians will finish off one day later this week. Next Monday, the carpenter arrives to put in the wood flooring, skirting and a load of cupboards and shelves. The painters will be in the week after to make the place look like a home again. We have an excellent but reluctant plumber who we hope to cajole to come in to fit radiators and sort out the downstairs shower room. The carpet fitter is happy to come out whenever we have a room ready for him. We're thinking of going away for a couple of weeks - taking up a friend's offer of holiday accommodation in Kent - to let everyone finish off by the Bank Holiday weekend. We'll then have two weeks to get our stuff back in and get our life back to normal before the boy's school term starts.

We continue to be blessed with brilliant workmen, working fast and doing everything to help us get our home back as soon as possible; and by absurdly kind and generous friends and neighbours. It might just all go to plan.