I didn't get my rice pudding last night.

I was far too busy. We had 25.5mm of rain yesterday and during that time I was refitting the temporary roof back on the lean-to. I had intended to start to fit the new one but with no let-up in the rain, it was a case of doing what I could before I was soaked to the skin.

That took until about 14:00 when the waterproof overall became waterlooged and that was it - I called it a day. There's only so much you can do in weather like that.

Caliburn was emptied and then loaded up with the stuff I was taking to Brussels, and then I warmed up in front of the fire until it was time to go.

The rain streamed down all the way to Varzy where I stopped for a very uncomfortable night. And then it was on to Brussels. And something happened on the way that was so astonishing that it deserves to be reported. A French lorry, in the steep winding hills around Clamecy, actually pulled over into a layby to let me roar past. That has never happened before and it won't ever happen again.

And now I'm in Brussels with a hiccupy Caliburn because I put a few litres of petrol in by mistake before I realised - it's the ethanol-based fuel that has the yellow handle, not the diesel in Belgium. I hope he won't have too many ill effects.