Right. Well I took advantage of the neighbour's absence this lunchtime to go measure the distance of the container from the boundary. It is presently 960mm from the near face of the base of the fence. Whether this represents the boundary is arguable as the fence is on a lean toward my place and there is no stable fence post anywhere i can access that might give me a more reliable mark. In my view this is as near as dammit to one metre, but then I am a reasonable person.

I have attempted to wade through the letter once more and she does not appear to have specifically agreed to the fencing, but neither has she lodged an objection. I have made various enquiries and it would seem that rabbit-proof fencing, under the Act is about four times the cost of the type of fence we currently have. Obviously this is a matter that requires a different approach. So I have been drafting and redrafting the response to her and remain unsatisfied with the letter at this point, but feel I am close to a final draft which I can post by registered mail (since that seems to be her preferred method of delivery) on Monday if Wayne gives me time off to do it. What I am trying to do is to refocus the discussion on those matters that relate to my Notice to Fence which applies solely to the paling section of the fence. The other matters she has raised are relevant only to that part of the fence that I am proposing will be her responsibility, so I am suggesting she needs to provide quotes and a notice relating to that part of the boundary so that there is a formal process established. How to do this without creating grounds for accusations of uncooperative attitudes is my challenge. What I really need is someone who is accustomed to dealing with legal matters (but not a lawyer) who can advise on wording, but I don't actually know anyone who fits that description unfortunately.

In between all of this I have been having what I assume are panic attacks - a resting pulse of 98, chest pains, a general sense of feebleness and tremors, breathlessness etc, so I attempted to see the doctor but there were no appointments available. Since that sort of thing needs to be observed, rather than described, I guess I will need to hope that next time this happens I will be lucky with an appointment.

I also contacted legal aid for advice, but the conversation wandered off into the area of restraining orders which, while attractive, are not really going to resolve anything given the local police are already on alert to any future altercations. So while the conversation was helpful in focussing my understanding of these matters I don't feel it appropriate to take the matter further unless there are further outbursts of erratic behaviour.

So - how did my day start? I woke late, having sat up stewing for much of the night and so was still in the shower when the lorry arrived with the lumber for the work Wayne and I wll be doing next week. I am not sure the truck driver has recovered yet from seeing me wrapped in a towel, but he seemed OK by the time he left, lol. He required my help offloading the longer pieces and due to the generalised weakness mentioned above I was rather less useful than normal, but we managed (I was, by this time fully clad I might add!!).

After that I spent time on the letter, and also on the phone, and then read for a while but realised this was intensifying my tension. Since it had occurred to me, during the various squirrel-in-a-wheel thoughts that were running through my head that I had forgotten to buy the damp-proof coursing we need for the work, I set off for Brighton where I picked up the required materials and an apple pie for Jonno who will be arriving later tonight with the scaffolding. I promised him a cake, but my brain is presently not up to the sort of detailed work that a cake involves, so he will be safer with a shop-bought one.

Humid and generally overcast today, we had some rain showers of the storm-drop variety, but nothing worth mentioning in terms of moistening the ground.