  Well today the trench blocks and external skin of engineering bricks to damp proof course have been started.
One of Dads mates, Shaun, is doing the work and by my inexperienced eyes he seems a quick worker. The whole of the front and garage side of the house are complete now, and he reckons he should be able to finish tomorrow. The fly in the ointment though is that Jewsons still haven't delivered all of the remainder of the trench blocks, nor the final pallet of engineering bricks.
Shaun has enough to be going on with, but it looks like we'll be skin of our teeth with the delivery. Building inspectors are a curious entity though. Ours insisted on lintels everywhere, but then was that bothered about seeing the work done today. Just means I have to fly around getting ad-hoc materials - the joys of "self-build", well "self project manage"! ! 
