All at once

Monday 16 July 2012

Just like buses, nothing happens for ever then three come at once.  Monday started unpropitiously.  Dave was off on a day-skipper charter for the week, and was in a pre-work twitch about what his guests would be like and what they would want, so I attempted to distract him by suggesting he use the slingshot on one of the roaming cats that come to steal left-over cat food.  The pebble (which never hits the cats) ricocheted off the drive and tapped my back windscreen.  A second frozen in time, then it crazed and fell in.  Dave was even less relaxed when he went off to work!

So I got on with the washing, but was surprised to hear chainsaws around lunch time.  The chainsaw season is well over (January), so I wondered what was going on, until I saw the first of the concrete trucks arriving (they were chainsawing clearance down the track - regardless of land ownership - it's all very blase:

 Squeezed in between conifers in front of the camper van,

 the stabilising arm only just fit in front of the Zone (I didn't think those panels were going to make it!).

 Megachuck taking cover

 Then the second truck - the mixer - arrived

 and started a multi-point turn to come in backwards

 some time later ...

 even more time, sweat, and moving our old rib, later ... (oh, and look through the trees, number two mixer has already arrived.  I had a fit of giggles at this point!).

 Finally in position.

 Getting the pouring arm in place

 The wellie man has a horrid job in this weather - he slooshed out those boots inside and out when he was done.

The first layer was done by 2 pm and everyone left to siesta.  My job was to water the concrete to stop it cracking.  My limited Greek understood that this was to be done 'for 4 hours'.  When I rang Constantine he said it was to be done 'every 4 hours'.  I tried putting a sprinkler on it, but it kept blowing off, so I got soaked more than the concrete, but at least I didn't crack!