The current frame is 4.2 metres long - so too large to make at home and take out on the trailer.

Instead, I spent every odd minute on Friday loading up all its components, got up at 5.00 am on Saturday monring and was out on site by 7.00 am.

I had hoped to have enough time before the forecast rain to unload the trailer and utility and set up the carpentry horses and stud frame kit.

However, it started raining almost immediately that I I arrived.

Last time I went to the trouble of erecting a tarpaulin the rain stopped immediately that preparations were complete.

This time I put in about an hour's work.

I hauled out an old, tatty, but very large plastic tarpaulin and tied it to the existing steel work and some hastily erected uprights tied to the safety rail.

However, I found this did not give enough coverage out at the edge so I added in a much smaller but newer tarpaulin that I had brought with me.

This unfortunately meant I had to bob my head every time I went under it.

I shoved my large standing umbrella underneath it all to act as a giant central tent pole.

This worked quite well initially until a strong gust of wind totally mangled the umbrella and caused a litre of water to pour down the back of my neck.

For the rest of the day I made do with the two tarpaulins riding close to the ground.

It allowed me to keep working during downpours but was very tiring.- I had to constantly lift the tarpaulins as I walked through and often had to crawl under the frame I was building or scramble from the veranda to the tempoary roof.

Another discouraging incident was realising that I could not use the two large carpentry horses on the veranda.

This puzzled me initially as the stud frame is 2750 mm high and the veranda is 3 metres wide so in theory I should be able to work on the veranda using both.

Then I realised that the legs of the horses slope in quite strongly pushing the working surfaces of the horses inwards very significantly.

What with this, the wind, the rain, and water down the back of my neck I was all ready to pack up and head home.

However, I must be made of sterner stuff as I stood there, surrounded by the wild elements thinking up a solution.

Eventually I realised that I could take the top plate off the second horse, move it on to the temporary roof, raise it up with some bricks and packers and carry on that way.

This worked reasonably well.

By the end of the day I had managed to assemble the stud frame complete with noggings - this was better than giving up and going home - but I was exhausted.

I still need to add the strap bracing (about two hours work) so I might pop out to site for a while some time during the week if there is a fine day.

Around 6 pm as it grew dark, the rain set it.

I waited for a while but there was no break so I stripped down to just some tatty old pants only and wandered around the site gradually bringing everything inside.

Previously when I have erected tarpaulins I have left them set up, blowing and flapping around all week.

This time I decided to tidy up completely so I pulled them down.

Hopefully I can get back on track to install the stud frame next weekend.