I would rather take my chances with the tractors than risk the wrath of an exploding Badger.

Last weekend we were joined by some friends from Sussex whom selflessly travelled up to spend their Bank Holiday weekend decorating one of the Annex bedrooms. The Annex, to remind you, is a small cottage attached to our main house which we are trying to bring into the 21st Century with an aim to using as a holiday let. Last decorated in the 70's, just like the house, this building needs a complete refurbishment, especially the kitchen and bathroom.

So it was very uplifting to obtain a boost in the form of extra help on the project and at the end of their stay we had one bedroom fully re-decorated, from scratch, and the tricky cutting of a kitchen worktop completed along with several kitchen units made.

The room as we first found it when we bought the house, notice the raised floor.

When the raised floor was removed prior to its levelling re-build.

Thanks Shirley, Graham and Matthew (who kept Stephen, our son, out of the way and also managed to paint too).

On Monday the Plumber returns to install all the items that he has created the pipework for. He has left the heated towel rail off the wall and radiators etc so that I could decorate behind them and so far I have only managed to do the tiling where the shower is to be fitted. Still, there is another two days before he arrives, so I feel sure that we will have it all done..... I think.

The milder weather has returned but there is an Autumnal smell in the air and it is clear that Summer is on its way out. I am sitting in the garden writing this and I can see the apple trees weighed down with fruit. We are also getting to grips with our first harvest of Figs. We have not had a Fig tree before and these things are quite alien to us. So far none of us have been over impressed with the flavour, which seems a little bland, but then we can't see the allure of raw Oysters either, I guess we are just philistines. We are assured that the fresh Fig is to die for if cooked with a strong blue cheese like Gorgonzola and I aim to try this out soon.

The lanes are busy with tractors. For the last few days massive trailers have been passing our house full of potatoes. I have not been on my bike for the last two or even three months and I don't plan to whilst these monsters are driving about. There is a dead Badger just out side the village, don't get me wrong I'm not a vet by any means and I only make the diagnosis from fairly basic clues such as it is laying on its back with all four of its stubby little legs pointing skywards. Also it has been in this position for 4 to 5 days although, I suppose, it may just be a coincidence that every time I drive by it just so happens that this Badger sees me coming and plays dead at the exact same spot each time. However the fact that every time I see it the beast has swollen a little bit more suggests that my original diagnosis is correct. It has swollen so much now that its tummy looks like a drum and you know that any minute now this thing is going to blow. I think I would rather take my chances with the tractors than risk the wrath of an exploding Badger and so if I do go cycling again then I will avoid the Badger lane.