‘Problem with your roof, is there?’ he said amiably. ‘Let’s have a look, then.’

He came through the house and I showed him out into the garden. Lips pursed, he gazed upwards, a hand shielding his eyes.

‘I’ll need to get my ladders,’ he said, ‘take a proper look. Can’t see owt from down here.’

I looked on as Kenny shinned up his ladder like a monkey. After closer inspection, he informed me that we needed a lot of the thatch redoing.

‘There are a few gaps all over, I’m afraid,’ he said, scratching his beard with stubby, ragged fingernails. ‘I can do you a patch-up job where it’s leaking round the chimney for now, but there’s some slippage and it looks like the thatch hasn’t been tightly packed enough in places, so there are some hollows – you’ll need the ridge and quite a bit of the rest doing before long. Definitely before the winter, anyway.’

I grimaced. ‘How much will it cost?’

‘I should be able to make the thatch good where it’s worn by inserting more thatch material in those areas, then fix the slippage problem by fitting wire netting over the thatch to stop it sliding in future. I can do the whole lot for you for ten thousand.’

I realised my mouth was gaping. ‘Oh dear. I didn’t know it would be that much.’

‘’Fraid so. It takes a good few weeks, see. And there’s plenty more out there would double that; you ask anyone round here.’

‘Well, can you fix the leak for us anyway, please, and I’ll have a word with my husband and get back to you about the rest.’ I groaned inwardly as I contemplated the size of loan we would have to negotiate with the bank.

He nodded towards Mrs Barley’s roof. ‘It looks all right from the ground, but there are a few gaps in next door’s, too. I can do you a good deal if I do both at the same time – d’you want to ask your neighbour, or shall I knock on the door when I finish up here?’

‘I’ll pop and ask – she’s an elderly lady, so money may be a problem.’

*

Mrs Barley was quite concerned to learn that her roof was in need of repair. She came out into the back garden and looked up apprehensively to where Kenny was busy with hammer and nails, straddling our chimney and whistling through his teeth as he fixed the flashing.

‘If there’s work to be done, I’d rather it was sorted before I start to get problems,’ she told me, arms wrapped anxiously across her chest. ‘Where did you find this chap?’