Well hello there, fancy seeing you again so soon,
Firstly, Happy Birthday Jen!
Less importantly, we had some dramas yesterday during our concrete pours that’s for sure
Photo 2390 shows the first section of wall being poured. About a minute after I took this, the boys managed to break their vibrator. We’ve lent them one of ours but on the understanding that if they bugger that one as well, it comes out of their pay. Theirs was brand new when they came here about 3 or 4 weeks ago so they’ve done well to destroy it so quickly.
About half an hour after this, the boxing on one section blew out at the bottom as well so the boys had to dig out a fair bit of wet concrete.
Even with this, we did 12.6m3 of concrete yesterday.
Today we’ve poured a few more top bolt sections of the column bases and some wall sections and have done another 9.6m3.
We’ve now put in a lot more substantial bracing to ensure it doesn’t happen again- see photo 2397 which shows that a small rainforest has been sacrificed in order to keep our shutters in place.
We now have a night shift. We’ve added to our drainage team and have another excavation crew who start at 6pm and will finish at 4am. We have floodlights in place and this is helping us get a little bit further ahead without getting in the concrete guys/boxing crew’s way. They worked last night and have done bloody well so far.
Our drainage supervisor, Ibrahim, is working out very well. I can’t remember if I told you already but he fired one of his crew for turning up late and then complaining he had a sore hand from all the barrowing. The rest of the drainage guys are our most conscientious and enthusiastic workers on the site at the moment. They’re always in early, and are working away before the 8 am start time.
Also attached is a photo (2393) of our loader/truck clearing away some spoil. Note the fully air conditioned safety cab.
We’re now hiring gear and guys direct as it is much easier and gives us more control than engaging contractors who don’t seem to do what they’re contracted to do anyway.
We also don’t have to give any notice to them if we’re not happy- it’s just Au revoir, and off they go.
I went to see another villa yesterday, which we have now rented for the concrete placers and others who arrive next month. It has 10 bedrooms, all of which are en-suite so suits us down to the ground. See photos 2376 of the main lounge area and 2386 of the pool.
It needs a dam good clean and I’ll send the sparkies round to sort air con units out, check plugs and lights etc as given by our experiences so far, less than half will be working properly.
I had a whole section written at this point about our standard day, and the various challenges that we encounter every day over here, but having just re-read it I’ve decided you’re just not ready for it yet so I’ve taken it out.
I may include it in a later update.
Not that you needed to know any of this of course. I could have kept quiet on the whole thing and you wouldn’t have been any the wiser.
In fact I could have saved myself the trouble of the last paragraph too.
I think I’ll just leave it right there if that’s ok.
Bye for now
me
