Hi RTB - welcome back! Where have you been? Hope you are not flooded out at present - weird weather we are having altogether really ... Today has been lovely around here - with sunshine and little wind.

Unfortunately the same can not be said for the neighbour front. It started at around 7:30 this morning with increasingly foul language directed at the neighbours' dogs who were barking incessantly. This built up over a couple of hours until eventually she got into her car and roared off, returning several hours later in a foul mood.

In the mean time, I went to the container to look for my shifter so I could change gas bottles, only to discover one of Kips hens emerging from the long grass between Rita's garage and my fence. Clearly she had been laying in there ...

Today I had also arranged for two ALSers to come deliver their four cockerals and take lessons in slaughter and dressing out. So in the middle of all this they arrived with four cockerals. I asked them to bring them indoors to avoid any possibility of escape and we removed each of them for slaughter, taking them outside for the deed to be done. The last one escaped and flew all around the kitchen several times, but fortunately all windows were shut so it did not escape, but it made a heck of a racket which doubtless did little to improve the mood next door.

Once all the birds were dressed out, we split up the proceeds and the ALSers set of home with two carcasses, some giblets and two sets of legs, with instructions for giblet soup.

The next door received a visitor who had clearly been summoned to support her indignation, and their first effort was to go down the side of the garage where, clearly, they found the nest. Equally clearly I am being held responsible for the nest as they then proceeded down the boundary with R carrying on and gesticulating, before coming to rest at the junction between the paling fence and the wire fence. Here they stood, leaning into my yard with various strong body language and gestures and facial expressions that showed that all my sins and failings were being listed and expanded upon. Not even my presence at the kitchen window slowed this down. If anything it encouraged it.

I am so glad Wayne is coming up tomorrow as at least some of the matters she was expounding upon can be dealt with in all innocence. And hopefully his presence will also deter any aggression when we are working close to the boundary.

While this was going on I stayed well indoors and waited till she had disappeared once more before going down to feed the chooks with the cooked remains of their cousins and to collect the eggs. So the poor dears had to wait for their dinner - I hope it was worth it.

I have to admit to feeling sick to the stomach with this latest outburst. And since no other fencing contractors have arrived despite many promises, I am planning to photocopy the one quote I have and submit it to her (via the letter box) as I would very much like to get six feet of palings between here and me at the soonest opportunity.