‘What are you looking for?’ I asked, bending to fuss Bandit, who was looking forlorn.

I got the impression that he was feeling as frustrated about the early start as I was and I hoped Ned’s apparent dip in joyful mood wasn’t all down to my desire to sell up. If the crashing about was some sort of subliminal sign indicating how he really felt, then it was going to be a long, and headache inducing, few weeks.

‘A marker pen,’ he mumbled. ‘Or a Sharpie. Anything thicker than a biro.’

‘To throw about?’

‘What?’

‘It was a joke.’ I smiled. ‘A bad one apparently. I have a whole box full of markers in my room. What colour do you want?’

‘Oh,’ he said, abandoning the drawer, with a heavy sigh. ‘Right. Black. Or navy. Anything dark. Thanks,’ he added, his voice following me up the stairs as I headed back to retrieve what it was he wanted.

It turned out he was planning to write the names of everyone who’d hired a hut on separate pieces of paper so he could pin then them to the doors, letting them know where to go when they arrived.

‘It’s going to be busy today,’ he told me, sounding slightly harassed at the prospect. ‘Everyone’s coming to start setting up and I want it all to go smoothly. Two people have their own huts and the other two are being shared,’ he elaborated, scribbling a name in tiny letters in the corner of one of the sheets of paper. ‘I thought this might be a nice touch.’

‘Well, let’s hope they’ve all got good eyesight,’ I quipped.

‘Why?’

‘Because they’re going to need magnifying glasses to read that,’ I said, eyeing the paper and miniscule lettering. ‘When are you expecting everyone?’

‘From ten onwards,’ he said.

‘Plenty of time yet then,’ I yawned.

‘But I need to exercise Bandit, check a couple of the trees, make sure the paperwork’s all in order…’

‘Have a wash,’ I further added. ‘Eat breakfast.’

‘Luxuries,’ he sighed, screwing the paper up. ‘I’ll have time for neither food nor a shower this morning.’

‘Look,’ I said, grimacing as he added a tiny name to another sheet. ‘Why don’t you leave me a list of everyone’s names and I’ll write them up while you go for a run and I’ll rustle up some breakfast too. That way you won’t be so hangry when everyone arrives that you scare them all half to death.’

He pinned me with an intense stare. His dark grey eyes had a hint of green I noticed, and were as flecked as his freckled skin.

‘Really?’ he asked, sounding so surprised I was offended. ‘You’d do that?’