It's nine months since we last visited the site for the opening of the stage one development, so we were delighted to accept an invitation from Fyne Homes' Craig Baxter to visit the site again this week for a progress report.

Alongside Craig and George Hanson, managing director of the project's main contractor, George Hanson Ltd., we took a closer look at the second phase, situated in a triangle of land between St Bride's Road to the north and north-east and Blain Terrace to the east.

From Blain Terrace the virtually complete houses look like large garages, but as we looked down the hill towards central Rothesay we could see that they are tiered to fit the hillside and look much larger from the front - and as soon as Craig opened the door to one of the three-bedroomed, split-level houses, it was as if we had stepped inside Doctor Who's Tardis.

We were immediately impressed by the spaciousness of the house. The top floor living room is light and airy, with at least nine power points, as well as wiring for lights, two telephone and two TV outlets.

It's difficult to take in all this detail, though, because the view is breathtaking and demands that you gaze out of the windows. One window looks over to Ardyne and the mouth of Loch Striven, the front window looks right over Rothesay and out to Wemyss Bay, Toward and beyond while yet another window looks south to Loch Fad and Arran.

Downstairs the house has two spacious bedrooms, with immense walk-in cupboards, plus a small bedroom which would be fine for a child or, with bunk beds, two wee ones.

A large hall with walk in cupboord space leads to a large kitchen with adequate space for a full sized dining table with a door leading out on to a secluded garden - ideal for al fresco meals when the weather improves.

The second stage development has 14 houses in total as well as six building plots for outright sale. The houses are varied in style and size, with six available through Homestake, while there are four two-bedroomed and two three-bedroomed houses for outright sale.

Said Craig: "These are absolutely brilliant homes for first time buyers and are aimed to be affordable for young couples.

"People on modest wages who feel that they are unable to secure a place on the housing ladder should be able to consider a home here in Ballochgoy."

As we walked around the site we could see the ravages caused by the winter's non stop rain. Blain Terrace looked like the set for a World War Two movie in which marines struggle through waist deep jungle swamps.

But with a in his voice, George Hanson told us: "It is now taking shape with the worst of the winter weather behind us. It has been an uphill struggle, because we have had to dig into the hillside, and the rain has just washed so much earth down turning it into mud and silt.

"We have removed a hundred tons of silt, but we can't get the mud off site without mixing it with straw because it is just like pea soup.

"Normally road gulleys are cleaned every three months but here we are doing it on a weekly basis."

George has been doing some research on just how bad the rain has been, and he told us that Scotland experienced more than double the average rainfall in the recent four-week period, with the unusually wet February weather coming hard on the heels of the third-wettest January on record.

Coupled with the heavy rain, the work force has also had to contend with gale force wind after gale force wind, causing problems not just with building work on exposed parts of the site, but with the late deliveries of vital materials due to disrupted ferries from Ireland and on the Clyde.

But Craig said: "The boys have been working really hard to combat the weather conditions and are bringing this phase in on time against all the odds.

"It must be a nightmare trying to keep clothes dry every day and then having to slither and slide about in the glaur."

The one thing the weather has delayed is the 'Serpentine' pathway feature down the centre of the development, mirroring the 'real' Serpentine road on the hill opposite Ballochgoy.

Said George: "The feature runs down the south side of this phase of the site, and we will cordon it off until it dries out sufficiently to allow us to finish the twisting path."