Wednesday 14th July 2010 - Dangers of DIY

The recent sunny weather persuaded D to tackle some DIY at the Round House. We have planning permission for a double garage, but D decided to ease himself gently into DIY mode by refurbishing the carport roof first. Above you see the half-finished result. He made a fine job of replacing some of the struts and cross-members and lining the interior of the roof with treated pine sarking, fitted diagonally. Next came the fitting of the underfelt, which was going well until disaster struck when he was pulling a length of underfelt into place. He misjudged the amount of roof behind him and walked backwards off the end and landed with a thud on the concrete path 10 feet below. I saw him land and the image of his back hitting the path is etched in my brain; it was just as if someone had dropped a sack of potatoes from a great height. Some time later he was airlifted to Salisbury District Hospital in the air ambulance after a stiff dose of morphine had finally allowed the medics to straighten his legs and get him onto the stretcher.

Its ironic isn't it that such an active bloke, who last summer cycled over the Alps for 8 days, should injure himself a few feet from his front door? For injured he is, with a shattered pelvis, 10 broken or cracked ribs and a broken collar bone. It was a small relief that his head and spine escaped injury. As it is he will be mending from the pelvic surgery for an estimated 6 months.

Before the accident we had arranged for the large area of patched and degraded concrete at the front of the house to be replaced by paving and the paving workers arrived 2 days later. The result is a much tidier front of house and completed underfelt on the carport roof. The paving men were shocked by the news of D and offered to finish that part of the job. People have been so kind to us.

D is still in Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, as I write this but due to be moved back to Salisbury any day.

Signs have appeared on the street advertising the auction of The Manor at the end of the month. This is the old manor house and farm of what was Chitterne St Mary. Chitterne All Saints had its own manor house, which stood on the present day sportsfield and is now gone, and a separate manor farm house.

The house, buildings and land are to be auctioned in 3 lots by Strakers in the Corn Exchange, Devizes on 29th July. The 17th century house is described as intact. The Wallis family who have lived there since about 1823 have preserved its integrity. What will become of it in the future is anybody's guess. The two large barns, also listed, and stable, are given as 'potential for conversion'. The street scene is bound to change I suppose, but, looking on the bright side, perhaps we will get a pavement at last.