Barbarians at the Gates

Literally at the gates: woke up the other morning to Sam barking and some vile cutting machine trimming everything back.

The explanation was that they were widening the road - like big smile, isn't that wonderful?

I glowered. What? For all the fat cat newbies to have their fat cat delivery lorries be able to trundle their fat cat belongings past?

I said no more but got my camera and snapped a few shots off and mailed them to our good neighbour Fany de Bono whose development opposite is affected.

Also our alert attorney who would know what to do.

I knew what they would do - it being a weekend.

Sure enough, later that day, a ruddy great digger arrived.

It manoeuvred into de B's property and started hacking away at the concrete border supporting the fence.

Without it - no neat and clear property boundary.

The man directing operations from the road did not like my camera activities and wanted a word.

I told him to conduct any chatter via Fany, to whom I would as usual be sending update photos.

I'll hang prints of this on Fany's gate posts and shove it all on a CD for our lawyer to do what she will.

Meanwhile, I have to lurk with camera to snap further efforts to wreck *our* side of the lane.

Good comment from Sinbad with good link to ... gosh! My old mate Melvyn Bragg's Cumbrian stalking ground.

And here - in this mélange of fotos you see the result of their cunning waiting 'til Fany (scion of the DeBono hotelier) is out of town *and* everyone else is on weekend slacking. Et voilà! The concreted borders and embedded fence uprooted and the road ready to widen.