There was nothing in that regulation to prevent him changing the building's use, so in 1996 he went ahead and converted it, getting John Whitton, an architect, to transform the entrance end with an impressive, neo-Palladian facade.The barn's classical pediment and white pilasters against a deep- pink background create a striking effect - even if the asbestos roof and wooden upper wall of the barn, which you see first as you approach, remain unmistakably agricultural. His wife's bantams, rushing to greet any newcomer, enhance the rustic component of the picture.Inevitably, the planners did object - and so did Mr Graham, when the Cotswold District Council's enforcement officer came on to his property, unannounced and uninvited, and took notes, while he himself was on holiday. A furious row erupted; the council officer recommended that the building be demolished, but Mr Graham knew his ground and, in the end, saw the planning committee off."It was easy meat," he says "Nobody loves planners - it's a horrid business to be in. But it all ended all right." Not being one to lose an opportunity, he still embellishes his own postcards, which carry a picture of the Longborough opera house, with the legend, "Demolition sought by Cotswold District Council 1998".Since the opening season, facilities have been steadily improved, not least by the installation of 500 plush, crimson seats given away by Covent Garden when refurbishment of the Royal Opera House began last year. The acoustics are said to be excellent, because, by good luck, the volume of the auditorium works out exactly at the optimum figure of seven cubic metres per person. As yet he has no catering facilities, but visitors can eat their picnic suppers on an attractive, sloping grass field.When I visited recently, the site was in chaos, with building materials everywhere.

Twelve men were at work, but when I expressed doubt about everything being ready for the start of the season on 25 June, Mr Graham brushed my worries aside, remarking that, last year, the capacious orchestra pit had been dug out and built in only a week."I took the family to Ireland for a few days," he recalls. "I said to my man, it needs to be 15 metres long, five wide and two deep. When I came back, there it was, done."The proprietor being who he is, I feel sure everything will be all right on the night "Confidence!" he cried "That's what it's all about That's what gets you through.". THE BIG cats are back again.

Every year they appear on the front page of my local paper alongside other matters of rural concern: bypass protests, hospital closures and dogs that have choked to death on cheese. They are now as sure a sign of the approach of summer as the twittering of swallows and the roar of Dutch- men's motorcycles fresh off the boat from Ijmuiden. While the trees are in blossom and the days are long, the giant felines roam around this part of Northumberland, strolling in suburban gardens, lolloping along the side of railway lines and harassing sheep and chickens. Once the harvest is home and the weight of berries bows the branches of the elder, however, the panthers seem mysteriously to disappear. Though no one else seems yet to have made the connection, I cannot help wondering whether the fact that their departure coincides with the ending of the summer ferry service from North Shields to Hamburg is any more than simple blind chance.The big cat phenomenon is common to practically every unspoilt area of Britain. Experts who have made a study of British panthers tell us that they stand about 2ft at the shoulder, weigh around 70lb, have smooth fur and come in two colours: dull yellow, and black. Since this description also fits that of the common Labrador, there are those who are sceptical about the sightings.

I fit into this category.Mind you, I am careful to whom I reveal this scepticism. Last year I got into an argument about the existence of the big cats, with the builder who was fixing our roof."You shouldn't be so cynical," he said, and somehow I knew what was coming next. For there is an immutable law in these matters which dictates that, at some point, Shakespeare will be quoted.The immortal Bard was a fount of wisdom whose name should be honoured daily, but there is one line for which he deserved belabouring about his shiny pate with a flatiron. "After all," the builder said, "there are more things in heaven and earth." Flush with success, he continued: "I mean, some people don't believe in mental illness.""They would if they listened to you for 30 seconds," I replied. He still hasn't been back to re-point the chimney.The tenant of the non-conclusive proof theory is the thing that underpins the philosophy of all people who hero-worship The X-Files's male protagonist Agent Fox Mulder (catch-phrase: "There's got be an irrational explanation for this"), a man incapable of misplacing one of his own cufflinks without suspecting alien abduction.