No Drama

The Earthquake inspectors came and prowled around the house in the pouring rain, peered into roof cavities and under the double-layered floor that Elwin cut open last night. With a little torch, the man with the practised eye explored all the cracks, noting their age by dust, cobwebs and even paint adhesion. Historical cracks aggravated was his diagnosis. In other words there will be no insurance payout, and really we are back to where we were before 4 September, except that the chimneys will probably have to be demolished and rebuilt. Time now to hire a structural engineer.