Sue the Builder and Phil the Wheelbarrow

Trenches dug and fought in, it was time to pour the concrete. Cue, three huge, noisy and slushy lorries liberally blocking all three routes to our house at 7am "Builders Time" (10:15ish).
I don't know if you've ever had to pour 10 cubic metres of concrete, but it is a far from tidy business. In the style of Nigella, I will recount the process:

First, take a large cement truck filled to the top with sand and cement mix. Add liberal amounts of blustery winds and generate instant sandstorm. Apply this fine mist to the recently and impeccably powerwashed drive of neighbour (Colin). Smile cringingly as said lorry reverses up drive, adding tire tracks to the newly generated beach.

Secondly, and much later, add a second truck complete with hose to attach to the first truck in order to pump the concrete through. Discover hose is too small and experiment messily and liberally with various gung ho methods. (Catching over-spray in shorts, buckets, neighbours' plant pots and eventually power wash car with it).

Finally, pump attached, lorry spewing forth, add four noisy builders and a dash of expletives to the entire affair. Discover hose is not only too b*@%dy small, but also too b*@%dy short aswell. Begin filling garage lavishly with concrete.

All things are now ready.

Unfortunately in the midst of all this chaos, our elderly neighbour fell ill (probably after watching what was being done to his vista) and the emergency services were called. The arrival of a paramedic car and an ambulance exacerbated the scene from ice road truckers and I watched on, cringing inside, as the ambulance was forced to mount the pavement and rock past the lorries at a rather alarming incline. I have since found out that fortunately, Fred is recovering well. I'm not sure I can say the same for the ambulance's suspension.

Trenches finally filled, and the garage too, the lorries and their noisy occupants left and Alex and I were able to contemplate the next few hours in dusty peace. As I surveyed the scene, trenches painstakingly dug and now full again, I felt a cold, sinking feeling...bugger, there goes another pair of wellies!