The diggers arrived yesterday and were poised to commence digging as soon as the building permit came through and the bank rubber stamped the contract. So, all was good and today, after 3 and a half years of preparation, we finally broke ground.
Addendum 1:
Here are some photos and videos after the excavation has been completed, and filled in with compacted building sand ready for piling and concreting. The pad for the manor house is 36m x 22m. The pads for the carriage house and chapel are being excavated in a few weeks.