the thunder of hooves through the frosty mist... Roger to the Rescue!!

da daa da daa da daa ... came the sound of Roger on horse back with sword brandished high, glinting through the freezing fog. Or rather the rumble of the engine of his car ladened with pots, brushes, pasting table, dust sheets, kettle, coffee, sleeping bag and much else all the way from Oxford.

I had a secret weapon and it came from my old life which was peopled and functioning (more of less). It was Roger the best of decorators and carpenters and fixing broken things. And the very kindest of people. He would have been a Knight in former times though he might not have liked the chainmail as he prefers to wear board shorts in all weathers. 

Roger had been in the wings of our lives since September. I had him lined up to help when we were first going to move in in October..then had to ask him to rejig plans to pre Christmas then finally he was given the 'go' in the coldest of months in February, once we had finally exchanged. Despite the shorts Roger has reunards and has to have warm hands to function and paint. All I could see was the shimmering armour and forgot the important detail like the blistering cold. 

I now see I was in a sort of fog and so keen to find a way through that poor Roger bore the brunt of our inhospitable house. He had to find somewhere to sleep and it had no heating and was empty. I ran to Handyman House, a life saving DIY shop in Monmouth and scooped up a microwave, hotwater bottle and two electric heaters. Our stuff was still in storage and arriving in a week. We were still lodged in Raglan. I invited Roger to eat with us but it was quite a drive and he soon saw the size of the job emerging through the frosty mist.

The aim was to make the children's bedrooms welcoming and homely, a refuge of comfort if all else felt hostile. He had to make pools of heat, so his hands would thaw and the paint would dry. Then he was left there at night with no internet and only the hoot of owls for company. It was a really really bad proposition. When I had first asked Roger I imagined green hills, time for him to seek out local pubs, river walks and join us on a jolly adventure. Not this hell! But he faced it head on with his usual great humour and worked and worked. Queenie found his company very welcome. She would sit and watch him and soak up the only hotspot. His nickname is Scooby and she enjoyed her other persona Scrappy the sidekick.

What would we have done without you Roger? You literally launched us and created hope in the dark. The kids bedrooms are now happy and full of warmth thanks to you.