Day nine (I think): If it's not rain it's drain.

This weekend I had a makeover at the hairdressers, bought a cloakroom suite, made a lemon cheesecake and attended a fifth birthday party along with a "Cinderella" entertainer so stunning that she made every Dad's jaw hit the floor as she walked in. It was fun watching their brains scramble for equilibrium.

Saturday we nipped to Wickes and bought a very budget bathroom suite. £199 for this piece of plumbing mastery. Time will no doubt tell us whether this is a false economy.

Today dawned fairly promisingly with the main weather front having moved through overnight, so the practical types were here bright and early to crack on with the construction. They've apparently spent most of the day wrangling with the drainage system, however, and it was but for the grace of God that Ed looked up at the side of the house BEFORE either of us made a comfort visit to our ensuite bathroom... those pipes in no way line up.

Gavin emailed us at about 7.00 p.m. to inform us that we hadn't got a usable ensuite bathroom - helpful. Apparently he's coming round tomorrow to give it a good hard coat of looking at.

Apart from that there are a couple of new drain hatches, and a tonne of bricks on the front lawn, plus a load of sand. I did watch the Countryfile weather report yesterday, but I can't remember all the details. It's that odd time of year where TV programmes are all punctuated by people who are doing Strictly, so you're never quite sure whether they're about to do a Cha cha cha or at any given moment. Countryfile's Matt Baker is pretty damn good already, and frankly, I just checked out his CV - he has the credentials!

I must say I thought Ann Widdicombe was also very entertaining on Saturday evening and with the politician's rhinoceros-hide and her quick wit, I think she'll be quite popular in a John Sargent style, even if the dancing is shocking. A friend referred to her as yet another example of the cruel and unusual punishment being meted out to Anton Du Beke for managing to cause a race row on the BBC's beloved Strictly...

Gosh, I've completely digressed. Anyway, so hopefully the drainage will get done tomorrow and they'll start putting some of those bricks together...