The mud has definitely abated. Shortly after the last post a few tons of hardcore and concrete mix went down on the mud in the "kitchen" and "patio". And now the world is drying out and mud levels are not what they were in January. Thankfully. The chippies turned up for a week and built the porch, it's kinda remarkable to see how quickly we went from having simply a brick and concrete footing to having a full mostly weatherproof structure. It's just timber frame and membrane, but it feels like a room when we step out the front door. And steadily the shape of the new kitchen is emerging. Some blocks have gone down that represent the side and outside walls of the kitchen - no larger than before. And the internal wall that had been completely demolished has now been mostly rebuilt to show the new location of the larger doors to the playroom and kitchen. The door to the study (currently our mini-lounge" has also been bricked up and some marks have a...