Thanks to good, kind weather great strides were made today, after yesterday's wind and downpours made work on the roof unsafe. Even our less athletic staff member was up on the new extension felting and battening all day. With weather like this tomorrow, the slates will be piling on.

The new little patio-to-be at the back of the house is proving a real sun trap - just the place to spend the lunch break, so likely to be a great place for our holiday visitors, even outside the summer months.

Here's the present stage, with the new, as yet empty, sewage system well protected against frost with bales of straw. Once there's a volume of water and effluent, the protection wont be necessary.

Meanwhile, look beyond the sewage system to the new door leading out of the bedroom onto the patio. It was sad to lose the lovely sash window ( which will be reused elsewhere) but great to gain so much light and be able to walk straight out onto the patio. One of the main ways we hope to improve the energy efficiency of the house is by insulation and by reducing heat loss. A double glazed door should cut down drafts and heat loss.

The new extension - with windows on three sides to capture the countryside views, light and heat, is in the right of the picture.

Tomorrow, more velux windows in the roof - I hope.