OK, so the scaffold for the roofers went up last week and yesterday morning they turned up to put a new roof on the cottage. They took a couple of slates of the top and found a colony of bats - pipistrelles I think - they reckon about 60 including babies.

They 'phoned everybody - including RSPCA, English Nature (who manage the land hereabouts), Batline or whatever its called, and the local 'batman'. They all said the same thing - leave 'em alone. The new roof can't go on, the old roofing bits were broken as they were taken off, the bedroom goes straight up in to the eaves so there's no loft and the ceiling is exposed, it's the wettest summer for years and we're supposed to be going to Greece tomorrow (the work is supposed to be done while we're away).

Answers please, on a postcard..........