Things you just don't want to hear from trained professionals doing a big job on your house & property:

1. Oo-er, bit steeper than I remember.
2. You know that watermain we said we had to be careful not to sever?

I had an Arthur Dent moment this morning. Opened the front door to be confronted by 4 burly guys & a big digging machine looking over our front fence....

Said hello & went back inside for a few minutes, came back out & the fence was gone...

As I left for work, I did snap a picture of the digger advancing down the hill (which I will post in due course)... even though the gradient is steeper than he remembered... he told me not to worry, it'll all be OK "It's GOT to be!" which I decided not to mention was still not the most reassuring thing to say...

M came up our garden path to take Wilma for her walk. By the time she got back, apparently, the path & steps were gone too...

At least when they rang later, it was only about the water & our newly forming front lake. I had visions that they may have slid the digger down the hill & into our lounge via the four 12 foot high windows out the front... (Memo to self: DON'T EVEN SAY THAT!!)

So, for the next 3 months we will be coming & going via our next door neighbour's garden path & some temporary steps. It could be worse.

It occurs to me now that I haven't actually thought about what to do about the letter-box that got demolished this morning. Hopefully the postie will improvise (as if). Later, a lot of other things will occur to me that I hadn't considered. I guess that's progress.

We were lucky that all the preparation was done in time. Or most of it anyway. The power & phone now go underground. The gas company had a meter to replace, and move, so the digger could get in. I noted last night that they visited yesterday & replaced it, but hadn't moved it. (Hence the digger took the alternative, steeper route). Since the gas company don't return phonecalls ever, and the guy I need to speak to is never, ever in the office, I have no idea what the story is. They were supposed to quote on the job too, before doing it. But that seems to have gone by the way... I guess I'm a captive customer in this situation... (Hello Contact Energy, I'm talking to YOU!)

At least the owner of the house next door & his tenants are happy to have us trooping down their steps to get to our place. We'll invite them to our car deck warming party. And the builder, and the electrician. But not the gas company man. That'll teach him.