26th October. Safety is Paramount.

The greatest enemy of high level work is, of course, the wind. Last nights forecast, with an extreme weather warning for most of Scotland, proved fairly accurate. "70 mph gusts by the afternoon" which made refitment of the octagonal chimney pot an operation that was somewhat fraught, particularly as the G's house is exposed to more than just simply the four winds. However here I am back in the same seat again having cheated The Pale Chappie once more. Also, I made a mental note whilst getting the ladders down, that the roof ladder is beginning to look as if it's made out of driftwood and replacement may be a wise move.

I used to think I was a slow eater but that was before developing this ulcer on the tip of my tongue, as well as a more conventional one on the inside of the cheek. I took so long rolling my, now regulation, lunchtime soup and roll around my mouth, the G's must have misread my tardiness as a reluctance to step back out into the hurricane.

I'm not making it up about the wind, public safety had been threatened by a municipal cherry tree between Tesco and the Leisure Pool. The uprooted and now horizontal tree meant we were subject to a traffic diversion as it was now parked in the middle of Glen Earn Rd.