Letter to my builders .. (Notes from the side of a volcano)

Dear builders,

We've known each other a while now. Much longer than I ever expected, to be honest. When we started this relationship, you swore it would be over in 6 weeks and look at us now, three months later and still going strong.

There are many times I really appreciate you being around. It was great when we went out the other day to choose bathroom fittings. We laughed and joked, and took our time to choose the perfect pieces even though that meant hunting down variations of sizes and colours. So different from when I went with The Husband to look for blinds last weekend. After ten minutes in the shop he turned into a petulant teenager and when I said there was nothing quite right so we'd have to look elsewhere, he stamped his foot and moaned about wasting another weekend.

But it's not all perfect. There are a couple of things I need to say.

Firstly, I hope it won't be long before that hole in the hallway ceiling is fixed. When we started seeing each other it was summer and everything was much easier. But now it's winter, and all my hot air is flying up that hole and it is freezing in here.

I try to keep the heat in the living areas, but trying to keep doors shut around here is impossible. I never realised before how often we use those doors. The soundtrack around here is:

"Can you please shut that door?"

"Yeah, yeah". BANG

"Don't forget to shut the door"

"Okay, okay". BANG

"Come back and shut that door please"

"Oh jeesh". BANG

"PLEASE shut the door"

"Oop, sorry Mummy". BANG.

Secondly, I really need my street access back. The house next door (yes, that one that has been empty for nearly four years) has now been sold and the people will be moving in anyday. Scrambling up the muddy bank to their property then using their steps to the street won't be possible anymore. As it was, they were there yesterday inspecting the place just as I had to leave to get Daughter-Two from school. I had to leave so had no choice but to pop up through the bushes, mud covered and dragging the dog, then run down the steps. They don't speak much English and I don't speak Mandarin so I wasn't going to enter into complex explanations. I hoped to escape without them spotting me, but I think I only got halfway down the steps. So you can see this is a matter of urgency.

Yours

Lynn.

Some team layouts

By Jen, using Rosalie.