time signature outside repeat bars in bagpipe music

[Graydon]

In 2.7.10 I used:

[this is the opening measure of "The 79th's Farewell to Gibraltar";
there are bunches of stuff before this invoking default.ly which has
bagpipe.ly in it, and providing header information.]

{
  % this is a bagpipe music default
  \hideKeySignature
  % set time
  \time 2/4
  % set length (in fractional notes) of the partial for any intro notes
  % gracenotes need to go *before* \partial
  %\grg \partial 8 c16.[ d32]
  
  % \skip = invisible rest; this particular tap dance is to get the opening
  % repeat bar line to both show up and be to the right of the time signature
  \partial 32 \skip 32

  \repeat volta 2 {
    \grg \partial 8 c16.[ d32]
    % notes go here
    \grg e8.[ f16] \dble e8[ c8] |
    \grg a4 \taor a8[ A8] |
    \hdblf f8[ e16. c32] \grg e16.[ f32 \grg e16. d32] |
    \dblc c8[ \grg b8] \taor b8[ \grg c16. d32] |
    \grg e8.[ f16] \dble e8[ c8] |
    \grg a4 \taor a8[ A8] |
    \hdblf f8[ e16. c32] \grg e16.[ f32 \grg e16. d32] |
    \dblc c8[ \gre a8] \wbirl a8 |
    }
  \break
% and the other three measures go here.

In 2.8.1 (on linux), this processes but I get an enormous empty space,
about 150% of the size of the other bars of music, between the time
signature and the repeat bar line, with subsequent bad side effects on
everything else.

This leads me to believe that the kludge I'm using to get the time
signature to be to the left of the repeat bar line (which is what the
College of Piping books use, so I conclude it's the approved bagpipe
music style) is the wrong way to do that.

What's the _right_ way to do that?

Thanks!
Graydon