Sting in the tail

I came down off the roof in the cool evening at around 7:30pm. It was a disappointment that I couldn’t finish today, but it was too big a task. The disappointment was matched by pain as I filled a glass with juice and put it to my lips without noticing the wasp. It’s cheaper that collagen treatment and probably no more painful. I’m sure the swelling will go down soon, but I’m not planning on having the lower lip done to match; The wasp paid the price …

Today was Velux day. It was a clear morning, blue skies all around. I unpacked the window and worked through the instructions. Very clear. Not a written word, just pictures, yet still understandable. On the roof, I set out the battens, checked and recheck the measurements. As the wind freshened, I fetched the jigsaw ready to do the deed. At that moment the first spots of rain hit the hot tiles and evaporated. It’s true, you can control the weather with Sod’s law.

I decided that I should paint on the bitumen primer for the flashband before cutting the hole. Putting down the jigsaw, the rain stopped and I duly painted everything. The skies cleared and the hot sun returned. I cut the hole and fitted the Velux frame. I spent the next hour or two carefully cutting flashband and moulding it around the battens and window frame as per the instructions. It was tricky as the heat melted the flashband which stuck to everything, including me, and refused to come off. In the end I was happy that it cannot leak. No water should get to the flash band anyway as the Velux flashing kit should carry it all away. The flash band is just a seal and is watertight for good measure.

After lunch I continued tiling and added the missing battens at the top of the roof. I filled the final gap in the Homertherm on the ridge and added the last strips of T&G. By the end I was exhausted and could only tile out a few rows. Looks like tomorrow before we can leave. Monika and the boys are disappointed.