Ruby Grimshaw says goodbye to her builders

I never thought I would ever say this but I am going to miss the builders! I can honestly say that they have caused me very little inconvenience, have been great company and have caused me hours of enjoyment as I watched them scampering over my roof like mountain goats, and hauling up stacks of materials on their simple rope and tackle. It is not their fault that during their scampering they sadly found lots of other repair jobs on my house that needed doing.

Anyway, the new loft space is large, light and airy and I am going to use it for meditation and yoga. I can’t wait to get a carpet down and get started.
It will be nice to have a bit of a lie-in now though. The lads would arrive between 8am and 8.30am, full of chatter and cheer and I felt I had to get up at 7am to allow enough time to prepare myself. (Seeing me in tatty pyjamas and without a big application of slap would have been a bit of a downer and not a good start for their day.)

“I got through tea bags, milk and sugar at a great rate”

I got through tea bags, milk and sugar at a great rate. On one day I’m sure there were eight of them including roofers and plasterers. I had to use back up mugs including a psychedelic Christmas one, a Christopher Robin beaker and the girly mugs belonging to Daughters C and S which originate from their childhood and which I am not allowed to throw out. I think I heard a grunt of protest from the big chap who had to look at Pooh Bear while he drank his tea.

The workmen were superb at sweeping up and leaving everything clean at the end of the day so I was able to overlook their one weakness – washing up. They would just hunt out another clean mug as each break arrived. One evening I collected up 11 dirty mugs.

While the scaffolding was up it seemed that it might be a sensible idea to have all the other little, and not so little, problems sorted out that had been discovered during their activities up on the roof. These included repointing brickwork, mending firewalls, fixing broken drain pipes and guttering and replacing rotten wooden window sills. So I now realise I have spent the money I was holding back for such things as a fitted carpet and funky furniture for my lovely new space. I am sure meditating on bare boards for a while will be good for my spiritual welfare.