Day 18 February 11th

Welcome back blogfans - a couple of days off and we are raring to go again.
So, whats been happening while we have been away?

Well as of today there will be no floorboards left - all levered up,denailed, numbered and stored away in the metal box ready for putting back down again. This is half of the biggest job done.

The prospect of some interesting finds underneath the boards has disappointingly faded. Every building project of note needs to be halted by the finding of a newts nest/rare butterfly breed/burial site/site of significant historical interest but not for us it seems. At the very least WycliffeRefurbBlog hoped for a yellowing visitors slip from a Mr Palmer, asking us to 'pray for my new biscuit making venture' but it is not to be.

The team can now start laying down cabling as per Andrew Hearns instructions and I steel myself for a conversation with the boys from the black country. Its not too bad - perhaps a few weeks of Reading life has softened the accent and we are able to communicate fairly well and they understand that the cables are in the Warehouse loft. We walk down to get them and in to Wednesday toddlers. Its clear that the electricians don't 'do' toddlers - its like oil and water, and the whole situation feels like Narnia in reverse - the lads have come back out of our Wardrobe(the church), which is their reality, into their wardrobe (Wednesday toddlers),which is our reality.

Anyway we safely gather the cables (they are impressed that we have them all ready for them - thanks Andrew H), leave the Warehouse, and the men start to feel a bit more comfortable. Getting the cables to where they want them to be is challenging because there is no floor, only joists, and we are all fully laden. It feels like one of those extreme Japanese game shows - 'AV Sensei in Church', 'Banzai Cable!Historical Building' as we balance/wobble across the joists trying not to be the one to fall down.

Toddlers are here today, but the prospect of Cordon Breaching is completely snuffed out today due to a funeral taking place in the church hall and a toddler proof ring of steel being throw up to discourage any escapees from the sports hall (well,ok, a couple of room dividers count as our ring of steel, but its the thought that counts).
Had a toddler actually managed to breach the cordon it would be rather like one of those humane traps - they would have fallen between the joists but not hurt themselves as it is'nt far to fall, but they would'nt have been able to climb out so could just run up and down between the joists until discovery.

The funeral directors were with us last Friday for a large funeral in the sports hall and they brought the coffin in via the fire doors at the bottom of the sports hall. They are organising another funeral here today in the church hall and called on Monday to inform us that if it was OK they would like to enter via the same route as Friday. They would arrive at 11.45. Toddlers finish at 12 noon. You work it out. So while the overwhelming desire was to say 'Yes, you do that' and stand back and watch, pragmatism cut in and the funeral cortege squeezed in to the front of the church.

Our thanks to Toddlers who very graciously give up their buggy parking space in the hall and squeezed everyone in to the Warehouse to accomodate the funeral.