ProgressMario was true to his word. A week later, he phoned to say the scaffolding had arrived on site. I took the opportunity to thank him, conveying my appreciation of his efforts. We chatted briefly about the weather and I assured him I would stay away and not interfere with the build. He told me I would be more than welcome to visit any time I wanted. There was no sign of the hostile and obstructive Mario I first encountered.
Our relationship had changed the day after we went to Tuineje to visit the council, when he sent me the invoice for the barn restoration and, seeing he had chosen to charge me half-price after all for the roof timbers he had acquired from another job, I paid the invoice without a quibble. He then phoned to thank me. On a sudden impulse, I offered him a handsome b
