Unexpected developments

Tuesday 7 August 2012

We woke up bright and early, with lots to do.  We were spending Tuesday night on board the yacht we were helping take to Sicily, as we wanted to get an early start on Wednesday from Lefkas town.  So there was packing and organising to do.  Lucky we were up, as it happened, as Takis and two diggers arrived and were working by 8.30am.

 The first bucketful goes in the 'living room' against the glow of sunrise.

 Takis (Constantine the architect's foreman) helping remove remaining rebar stakes from site.

 An essential component - everyone having a good shout about what they should be doing.

 Takis watering the earth to help it compact.

 Bring on the 'Bobcat'.  We like these little diggers.  Want one!

 Bobcat hard at work compacting and leveling.

 Visualise the big yellow digger scooping and revolving; the Bobcat oscillating and Takis watering - for a moment it looked like a Victorian clockwork toy, with everything in motion at once.

 The drop from the old ground level is about 2 metres, so we asked for a scoop about 1.5 metres back and one metre deep to be taken out of it.  We can eventually terrace this into a raised garden, rather than having to fence it off as a drop.  The extra earth came in handy for filling in around the foundations, too.

Well, we couldn't leave, not with all this going on.  And, as ever, it was lucky we were there - to get things done the way we wanted them.  The work was all finished by noon, and we now had an earth-filled foundation, ground level brought up to the top of the footing all round, a step for terracing cut out of the long drop and a ramp down to the site.  An eventful morning.  Next stop - Sicily!