However, I still needed a supply of battens to go across any rafters I installed.

There was no point installing the rafters without battens as then my roof sheeting would not sit correctly in the meantime and the floorboards would not be protected properly from the rain.

So a supply of battens was imperative.

My utility has been away for two weeks having the head replaced.

I guess I could have had a go at this myself but I really need to concentrate on getting work done for my clients and after that, getting the roof installed.

So I ended up paying out over $2K for a mechanic - it was a bit pricier than I hoped because the old head could not be reconditioned.

Anyway - the car was set to be returned to me at 3.00 pm on Friday and I had ideas of shooting down to Vinsans to collect battens, ready for the next day.

For various reasons the utility did not get back to me until 5.00 pm so the batten collection expedition was moved to 8.30 am Saturday morning.

Saturday

It was raining early on Saturday monring when I got up.

However, a look at the radar web page indicated that this band would pass over soon and very little rain was expected for the rest of the day.

I was down at Vinsans bright and early and selected about 60 metres of 40 x 70 mm battens.

The only complication was that 3 pieces were 6 metres long.

A 4 metre length will sit quite comfortably over the cabin but a 6 metre length could draw the attention of the constabulary - particularly as it was a relatively long journey from Bayswater to Wooroloo.

I had not brought a hand saw with me and the good people at Vinsans could not find theirs either.

I did, however, have my drop saw in the cabin.

For electrical power I was directed to a work shed some distance away. I carried the drop saw and the timbers backwards and forwards until they were all cropped down to 4 metres.

By the time all this was done, the battens were loaded and secured, and I had made my way to Wooroloo and taken them up to the loft level - it was 11 am.

After a coffee break, hoisting the tarpaulin, and rolling back the black plastic and sheeting - it was 12.30 pm and I was finally ready to make a start.

The next job was to add risers and cross pieces to the spines I had already installed across the floorboards.

This would give me a mid way fastening points / supports for the rafters.

This whole process was made stressful by very high winds dashing the tarpaulin down on to my head and the nagging anxiety experienced by the sensation of very light drizzle constantly falling on my skin.

Consequently I was always on edge in case I suddenly needed to roll the black plastic back in place quickly during a downpour.

I had the rafter supports completed by 4.30 and then proceeded to drill and bolt some of the rafters in to position.

This was frustrating in that I knew that I would need to remove the rafters again at the end of the day because the job was too incomplete to lay the sheeting cleanly across them.

At around 6.30 I removed the rafters, replaced the sheeting in its temporary position, rolled back the black plastic, put away all my tools and dropped the tarpaulin.