engineers and surveyors

After a marathon meeting, we are getting closer to agreeing on Specifications, little details like where should the power sockets be located for the washing machine, what calibre of electric cable goes to the new office, no we don't want a television in the Library, thanks, but yes, we still do want to be able to show EWTN and cover all future Papal Visits to Birmingham in the Hopkins Room. We are pretty well there when it comes to the plans, room layout etc; but it is important to make sure all the pipes and cables are in the right places before they get sealed in under plaster.

Serious discussion still about various forms of heating; solid biofuel, natural gas, thermonuclear, geo-thermal, photovoltaic ...  what is going to be cheap and efficient both long-term and short term? Will today's technology still be serviceable in twenty years' time? At present the geo-thermal looks very attractive, having seen (and felt) it in action at Douai Abbey - that means drilling holes into the core of the earth to pick up heat from below. As long as it doesn't cause volcanic eruptions.

So there is still not much to show, as we warned you all along. By the time builders actually move on site (and we are still wondering how they get onto site without blocking the church), half the work is over.

And in the meantime? We were anxious, as undoubtedly all of you were, about not finding the Great Crested Grebes near their nest site, but all is well, they have just moved further up river. Here are three little not-yet-crested Grebelings sitting on the back of Ma-grebe while Pa-grebe tries to feed them.