Too much happening

183.2011

BUILDING NEWS

I am so glad it is Friday evening. This week has been much too long and far too full of events. Edd and I are getting to the stage when we are too worn out to sleep and that’s bad. But, we have a fantastic crew of brick layers who are working at an amazing pace and despite everything our new house is rising rapidly.
The weather was pretty good this week, which was a great help. Edd levelled around the site with Skiddy late on Monday once the ground had started to dry out. I t was all levelled and compacted for Tuesday morning when once again, right on schedule, Boral delivered the next order of concrete blocks. We are so glad we brought Skiddy. It would have been impossible to do the work by hand.

The large back wall was built last week and half filled with concrete and this week the internal wall of the back passage is taking shape. The window makers came up trumps and Edd picked up two arched doorframes on Wednesday. One is now incorporated into the back wall and the old bricks are in place around it as a frame between the render and the wood. It took a few goes at the design before we all felt happy but the results are most satisfactory.

Our main problem resolves around plumbing. Charlie sent Pat round and he has helped Edd get conduit in for the wiring but we are having a problem working out where the pipes for radiators and other stuff goes through the walls. I remembered too late today that the stove would need pipes going from it to carry the water to the rest of the hydronic system. At least we have not core filled the internal wall yet so we can do some modification. We have arranged to pick up the hydronic system next week and we hope that when we can actually look at all the components it may become clearer.

The big windows should also be ready next week but we are worried about how we will deal with them. Apparently they are extremely heavy and need to be placed exactly where they are to be used. This will cause problems because they need to be in place before the concrete roof is poured so that means they will be out in the weather. We are not at all sure how we will deal with this. Maybe we need glad wrap!

OTHER NEWS

I feel so deeply for the Japanese people who are homeless in freezing weather and terrified by the dramas unfolding at the damaged nuclear plant. Self-pity for our own losses is an area we have had to avoid but one can release some of the feelings in empathy for others who are having things so much worse.

On the home front things are not going smoothly. Josh is thousands of miles away with pneumonia and Al has had his bank account hacked into and his car has developed big problems. He complained when we spoke to him that he was having a horror Monday. Things have to be really bad to have one of those on Tuesday. Bo is getting cooking lessons from her chef so she can fill in for absent staff, and Wayne has flu and is not well enough to have his dental treatment this week.

I am having a better time with unexpected help arriving at opportune times. Dave P came over and put the pieces of my grow box together for me and Rosemary and a friend helped me staple waste plastic from the building site as lining for the walls. We even started to fill the box. I will need to get on with this because Dave also brought a box of beautiful winter vegetable seedlings that will be perfect for planting out once the filling is done. Perhaps we will get some nice vegies this winter after all.