We got a lot done in our 2 1/2 hours today. Not that I joined in from the start, as I was looking after the children until 10 o’clock. The first photo shows (to the right about from the yellow spirit level) what was done today.
The second shows what we’ve done so far.

Dave is busy tomorrow and the Sage has a couple of things on too so, weather permitting, we’ll be back on the job on Thursday. I’ll be filling up the lower levels to 9 courses (not including the footings) and Dave will get on with the next decorative brick and the higher ones. Then I’ll move on to the other side of the pillar so that Dave can finish that off. The Sage is kept busy supplying mortar and cleaned and wetted bricks.

During the morning, Dave mentioned that the Sage has now decided to have pillars at the ends: that is, that we’ll add a couple of extra courses of bricks on each pillar before putting on the cappings. Dave suggested this some weeks ago but the Sage reserved judgement. He still has said nothing to me. I’m waiting, I’m patient. When he finally refers to it in passing, he’ll have completely forgotten that he hadn’t consulted me at all stages. I’m used to it. On this occasion it doesn’t matter at all as it’s his choice, but it would be all the same if we’d definitely decided together about something and then he’d changed his mind. One has to make a decision about how much this sort of thing matters, as a principle. The simple thing is that he spent 36 years as a bachelor and he became used to pondering things through by himself. If a further 36 as a married man hasn’t changed him, nothing will. Having said that, he has improved. Time was, he’d not have talked about it to me in the first place about the original decision, let alone before he changed his mind.