All Work and No Play

The footings for the house went in well and although the photographs don't show me at work I can assure you that I pulled my full weight, not only in preparing them for the concrete but also in smoothing and settling the mix as it was poured.  The frames have been removed and will be used again for the footings for the garage and as a base for the frames for the foundation walls.

The footings ready for the cement.  8 -10 inches deep - note the reinforcing steel bars

The cement truck arrived an hour and a half late - no surprises there then - but when it eventually came it hooked up to the pump in double quick time and we were  pouring in less than 10 minutes

The pouring commences

The A Team:  Dennis (of jump leads fame) on the left in the red shirt is the ground work specialist.  He operates the digger and has a special award for laying over one million yards of cement, which on the day was poured by the pump driver.  Kevin, furthest away, is actually the wood expert but has several building qualifications and skills.  Owen - doing officer's work.  The pump driver, who didn't spill an ounce and the photographer just before he got stuck in - honest gov.

A neat self portrait (note the beard and pony tail - only kidding) and in the background all done and complete with steel rods to anchor and strengthen the foundation walls.

At the end of that day it left me with a real sense that things have started.  The next step is to prepare the garage footings and framing for the foundation walls and the next pouring should be sometime next week


Before they left, I put Angie and James to work because I know they really wanted to help!  Angie moved a few tons of dirt and James (with Angie's help) checked to see that everything was level and ready for the pouring - it was.

Angie at home in the diggger

James doing a quality control check

I have rediscovered the delights of the egg banjo.  They take me back to my old RTR days in Germany on Chieftains in the early 1970s and my ever resourceful tank drivers Higgy and Bugsy Morrell, whose banjos I will never equal.  Mine seem to lack a certain, je ne sais pas quoi, probably their thick black finger prints made from OMD 75 and Diesel (in equal measures) with a pinch of Saltau sand from the Luneburger Heide.  On the other hand, mine do occasionally have the odd mosquito or midge to add a bit of protein.

Talking of flies they have generally been noticeable by their absence.  There were none when I came over in June and only a few when I first arrived at the beginning of August after a period of heavy rain.  Nowadays, they are pretty rare and if you ask me, one is jolly lucky to have one in one's egg banjo.  The midges don't seem to bite and the very rare mosquito bites don't flame up and are not itchy - very odd, but very acceptable.

A few have asked how my old broken bones, artificial hip etc are all holding up to the manual work.  The answer is, not badly.  I'm never actually without pain so really it's a question of managing it.  I try to pace myself so I don't have to resort to taking anything either for the pain or for swelling.  Sometimes, I get it wrong and have to take something and I've got some quite strong stuff just in case.  The trouble with taking anything is, it always has to be payed back and sometimes that can take days.  I don't normally get it that wrong and know the signs when I should stop - ankles stiffen up, hip starts to squeak or clunk, fingers start to tingle or the hands go numb.  The acid test comes at night and whether or not I can sleep without pain killers.  Lately, I've been sleeping well without them.

I am scratching my head for a name for the cabin - suggestions please.  Winner gets a free week stay in the guest room (once it's built) - flights not included.  Competition open until the cabin is finished and the winner will be announced at the house warming party.  Someone is going to have to remind me I said this.

I'll post again at the end of next week after the next pouring.