Buildlogue #5

Thursday 19th June. Day 2 of the Contract Period. Beautifully warm and sunny weather, would you believe.

At 7:30am sharp, Builder John and the first of the earthmoving contractors Bryce O’Sullivan are at the gate, and immediately get down to understanding precisely what must be done and the specifications required according to the Building Consent documents. I’ll call the earthmover Gary (for continuity).

Gary, who lives in the town of Waikanae on a large plot, has a billy goat as a lawnmower for his uneven semi-rural abode, and shows some interest in Jacko and Beebs, our G-Men. He intimates that he will have to dispose of his goat, because it is becoming a bully goat instead of a billy, and it rears and tries to head-butt his wife. Gary confides that he simple tackles the billy and teaches him lessons in submission by upending him on his back. Interesting…

Gary sets to work with his Hitachi Zaxis 17U, and removes about 200mm lawn-covered topsoil within the extremity boundary lines of the building outline.

(Above): At 9:30 a second assistant (we’ll call him Gary The Younger) arrives with a dump-truck.

(Above): The load bin measures 1.65x1.05x0.300 , which gives approximately 0.5 cubes. 

(Above): Gary on his Zaxis digger loads the excavated material into Gary The Younger’s mini-dumper, which then gets dumped (as in the photo below) in the area behind the secret garden, hopefully to be used in the proposed new veggie patch.

(Above): The garden fill transferred, Gary and Gary The Younger left in their trucks, returning an hour later, each with a load of hard fill, best described as a grey cement-colour wet slurry mix of varying size aggregate – but no cement premix added. My estimate is that their trucks carry a bit more than a cubic metre each.  

(Above): Gary once again loads hardfill into Gary The Younger’s dump-truck, who then drives round the back to offload on the cleared site (as in the photo below).

After four loads, they left again to fetch another two deliveries of hardfill.

(Above): The stainless steel metal reinforcement which was ripped out of the rubber track.

Then disaster struck: the metal bands in one of the tracks of the dump-truck started moulting – this is the equivalent of a total blow-out of a pneumatic tyre. Further carting of the hardfill from the gate to site will have to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime, Gary levelled out the onsite material.

Dr Who In Reikorangi !

You need to believe me on this one.

On the far side of the overflow water-tank on the street-side boundary fence, I heard a strange noise – whirr, whirr, whirr, accompanied by a bright blue flashing light…

(Above): Lo and behold. There it stood, the TARDIS. Bennie smells the ground intently, obviously identifying the footsteps of Dr Who, as he alighted from his craft. Ooo, this is so exciting! I would give anything to take a ride in it, but I will have to get the Doctor to do the navigation, otherwise I am likely to remain lost in space and time forever. Hmm.. and forever is quite long.

(Above): Inside the TARDIS, which, they told me, is much larger on the inside than on the outside, but our minds simply cannot get around that concept. This time round, it is disguised as a.. would you believe it, a toilet and urinal…This Doctor is so resourceful.. what next will he think of, to protect his TARDIS from unwanted prying eyes… and inquisitive scientists.

I simply cannot wait to tell my fellow Who-ians. I’ll bet they will never believe me, or simply dismiss my story, by stating the obvious: It’s only a porta-loo! These non-believers!

Besides the TARDIS portaloo, Builder John arrived on time with his three assistants to do the preparatory work before the earthworks can commence tomorrow Thursday 19th. The workers were introduced, but (blush) I cannot remember their names – I will call them Barry, Harry and Larry. Their first job was to dig up obstructing paving slabs and stack them out of harm’s way  for possible use as lawn edging around the to-be-refurbished snake flowerbed.

(Above): Barry, Harry and Larry at work, removing obstructing paving slabs and setting out the site, in preparation of the earthworks, hopefully to-morrow

(Above and below): With the lengthening of the shadows on this sunny afternoon, it’s home-time for the workers, having completed all the levels and boundary lines marked out with luminescent spray paint, ready for a 7:30am start to-morrow by Bryce O’Sullivan (see their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bryce-OSullivan-Contracting-LTD/581566401875486 ). The bedroom/ sitting room is on the left, and on the right is the dressing room, bathroom and laundry, closest to the camera. Both photos were taken from Tyler’s upstairs bedroom window.

In The Boiling Pot

We currently have a few “projects” on the horizon. Their implementation will depend on various factors, but mostly the availability of the vital ingredients: time and money.

Project #1 relates to gardening, where we have no type of facility where the girls can grow cooking requirements, herbs, and some pretty flowers to attract the bees, nor any formalised veggie patch with proper soil in decent sunlit conditions. First prize will be a trellised square directly behind the house, in close proximity to the kitchen. Known as the “potager jardin”, this project has been discussed for a number of months, with ideas building up a picture – the term translated from the French is “vegetable garden”, consequently “kitchen garden.”

Whilst nothing is set in stone as yet, with no finalised details, it is likely that the potager will be approximately 10x10 directly behind the garage, fenced with a trellis (to keep puppy feet from trampling the delicate herbs and flowers). It could also site the gas BBQ, the metal outdoor dining table and chairs, and perhaps, sometime later, accommodate a pizza oven as well. The very first concept draft was drawn on the back of an envelope, but the final picture could look completely different…

(Above): The famous Potager Du Roi – probably a little bigger and grander than “Potager Du Chartwell”, but, hey, some people have veggies to grow… and garlic, too…

(Above): The pebbled area with the brown pipe-stand is the approximate location of where we would like to site the potager.

The other “project” in the boiling pot is a chook-coop (chicken run), which we would like to build to accommodate a team of laying hens, sufficient to provide us with eggs for a  family of six, and still have some left for omelettes and baking needs. Their existence will depend on their ability to give us eggs valued at least at the cost of their feed and upkeep. Free range organic eggs in New Zealand vary in price between 55 and 70 cents each (in SA terms that’s R5.00 to R6.40 each)…

T Minus One and Counting

Today Tuesday 17 June is not scheduled as a Building Report Day as yet. Tomorrow is, but it carries the strict proviso weather permitting. 

Looking through the window, I am not all that hopeful. Only SUNDAY will apparently be just that – sunny…

Go Fly A Kite

Brynn was given a little Chinese kite last weekend at a friend’s birthday party. When you’re ten, excitement an be flying a kite. For a while anyway.

The whole week, she has been pestering to go to the beach to fly the kite, only to be re-assured: “Wait until the weekend, then Dad can take you.”

Early Saturday morning arrived. Raining quite heavily, so there would be no netball because of a persistent head-cold and sniffles, although the vaulting appointment at the equestrian centre on Saturday afternoon was kept. Before she knew it, darkness descended and half the kite-weekend had gone. Persistent nagging produced the re-assurance from Dad that the kiting could take place on Sunday afternoon.

(Above): Drat! This gut-line has landed up in a tangled mess – it’s far too short and the kite won’t get up in the air, help Dad!

(Above): Knots in  a very fine gut-line are almost impossible to undo. Correction: it is appears that they are impossible to undo. Plan ‘B’ … Dad makes a plan with the gut. Sort of. But it works and that’s all that count at this stage…

(Above): It’s flying! It’s flying. Eventually. Thank you Dad. Even though the string is so very short…

(Above): The extra lightweight kite flies well in a virtual zero breeze. That’s good. Brynn maintains a pensive eye on the aircraft above her, the multitude of knots in her line clearly visible.

The Long Grass

Every family, to a greater or lesser extent, has “sayings” peculiar to their group, with origins frequently associated with a happy, sad, humorous, or strange event. Our extended family is no different, especially as there are three different generations involved.

For instance 10-year-old Brynn is quite comfortable and accustomed to tapping the side of her nose with a sly Monty Python “nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more, say no more” even though its origin pre-dates her by many decades. Young Tyler, at the rapid development stage, is full of organically-generated expressions, in addition to his “Chemistry” jokes.

A couple of months ago, Tyler arrived home with the bad news that he could not find his smartphone. He’d searched “everywhere”, but, alas, it was missing. He immediately contacted the bus company lost property – same status. He searched high and low, but to not avail. It was ‘gone’ forever.

“No matter, Tyler, we’ll get you a new one, and the full cost can come out of your chores allowance. It will take almost the full allowance for a year or a bit more, but you must learn to look after your stuff. Money doesn’t grow on trees…”

Tyler, knowing full well that he’d really done it this time, was not at all happy.

The next day after school, a simply radiant teenager arrived, all smiles and laughter. In his hand high above his head he waved his smartphone.

“I looked all over the place, and the last place I looked was at the bus stop where I got off yesterday! It lay there a full day and night without anyone seeing it. I’m so happy!”

“That’s marvellous, darling. Where exactly was it?”

“There at the bus stop on the verge. In the long grass.”

Sine that day, whenever anyone is looking for something, or something is misplaced, the stock comment is automatically, “It’s probably in the long grass!”

A few days after this incident, Jeanette misplaced a library DVD Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Jokingly, she was teased for dropping the DVD in the long grass. She retraced her steps and travel route to the school and library, but, alas, there was no happy ending and she ended up paying the Public Library the replacement cost of the item. Macbeth become the property of The Long Grass.

Yesterday, we went for a drive to Waikanae Beach (see next blog post) in the Toyota. This morning, when Clayton prepared for work, his Ford keys were nowhere to be found, and he made alternative transport arrangements. The keys were lost.

I have subsequently searched high and low, followed by an intensive vehicle search of his car, without success. Then I scanned to the Toyota, but without luck. Sadly, it seems as if Clayton’s keys may be in The Long Grass.

On the upside, while searching under the front passenger compartment of the Toyota, I discovered a “secret drawer” under the seat, probably for out-dated roadmaps. Imagine my surprise – the drawer is, in fact, so-called Long Grass!

In the drawer lay the long-missing Macbeth!

Outdoors in Otaki

Thursday morning 12th found us driving on SH1 with neighbour Wendy to Otaki, which is a small town in the farming region about 15 minutes north of Waikanae.

The main aim of the expedition (for the girls) was to collect driftwood for the Poo Corner Garden, as Otaki Beach is rich in such treasures owing to the mouth of the nearby Otaki River, which we’d previous;y visited early in January (See my earlier blogs ‘Otaki Forks’ and ‘Back to Otaki Town’). I went along to visit the Farmlands Co-op, in search of availability and pricing options for bulk dog food, chicken feed, and possible materials for the proposed construction of a proper veggie garden and plant nursery. 

I drew a blank as far as the construction materials were concerned, and then returned to the deserted beach where I’d left the treasure hunters. As luck usually has it, the girls found more driftwood than the wagon could carry, even with the loading seats all in the ‘down’ position.

A fairly large proportion of the Otaki population is of Maori culture, and the town is a centre for Maori learning with a large educational college, and street benches, shops and beach decor all reflect the Maori culture.

(Above): Large driftwood tree trunks which have been carved in much detail, much as the plentiful tattoos stand (informally) along the vegetated part of the coastline at Otaki Beach.  

 

(Above): Wendy and Jeanette rest up a bit for some water after their scavenging expedition. In the background are typical little homes, which, as building structures are probably not worth that much, whilst the ground on which they are located are each worth a king’s ransom. The blue one on the right displays a large “Everton” sign in the front window. No guessing as to their favourite sport!

As Wendy was previously a resident in this town, she served as a guide for a tour around the residential and commercial areas of Otaki. We visited a large nursery (‘Strik’) owned by a Dutch family, supplying supermarkets and other seedling, flower and plant retailers.

I was surprised (and pleased) to discover a paint factory in River Road, Enviro Paints, who manufacture and distribute a comprehensive range of paints throughout New Zealand. Their website is professionally balanced and is very informative. Well done, guys.

As one enters the town from the south on SH1, one of the very first places you encounter is a quaint old restaurant/cafe. River Cottage Cafe (which was formerly known as ‘Brown Sugar’) is now run by Rebecca and Taaki Te Momo. Fully licensed, this café  offers evening meals as well as daytime. There is a great outdoor garden in which to relax when the weather is fine. We stopped of for a coffee around their cosy fireplace, and then strolled around their outdoor section afterwards.

(Above): Part of the outdoor dining area in the River Cottage Cafe grounds. Being a Thursday morning, with cold-ish weather which was rather ‘iffy’, there were no takers to sit outside, most preferring the comfort from the log fire indoors.

(Above): The interior of a garage/shed which has been converted into an informal coffee ‘lounge’, with a play area for the kiddies.

(Above): Jeanette and Wendy discuss the effectively of a mirror window in the coffee lounge.

Buildlogue #4

Friday 13 June 2014: Day 31 – We’ve had another 5mm of rain, but today is pleasantly sunny and the grass is starting to dry out a bit.

Earlier, I took a call from John (In future I’ll refer to him as ‘Builder John’) advising that Wednesday 18 June will be set a Build Day 1, as he plans to start pegging out the building site that day, and Bobcat Bryce (In future I’ll refer to him as ‘Earthmover Bryce’, in case you confuse him with any of the other Bryces with whom I am acquainted) will start removing the topsoil, in preparation for placing the hardfill.

I Am A Time-Waster

“Where do these folk find all their energy? They’re always on the go, and always seem ready for the next ball before the previous one has even had a chance to reach the boundary.”

Standing in the little queue of more than a dozen people at the buffet breakfast table, I glance down at my watch. 6:22 am. The view out of the nearby window indicates two things: darkness and heavy rain pelting on the panes.

I have been on very few extended group coach tours. If one single trip qualifies as “a few”, then I’ve been on a few. At the turn of the century, in fact – Y2k. A Trafalgar U.K. tour from Chelsea, London travelling northwards up the east coast of England to Edinburgh and then back to London along the west coast via a short stab into Wales.

Standing in the queue, I am in the 18th century Blackwell Grange hotel in Darlington, which is a town off the A1 south of Newcastle on Tyne. I have just checked, and our coach driver and tour guide is outside the front entrance, his bus warming up and already welcoming some of our fellow-travellers aboard for the trip to Hadrian’s wall and Scotland.

Back home in Cape Town at the time, I would have been preparing to leave for work (if I had been working at that time). I was struck by the enthusiasm and energy exuded by fellow-travellers – they were in this holiday with earnest and devotion, and would be damned if they allowed any party-pooper to spoil the experience.

The remainder of the tour unfolded in the same fashion – every moment of each day was tasted, savoured and enjoyed to the fullest despite the inclement weather at times. In fairness to Trafalgar, their tour didn’t end early in the afternoons – no, they lasted till after dark, giving one just enough time to scrub up and have a quick beer before going in for the evening meal, where arranged.

I’m not sure whether life should be all that serious, but most of us could revise the way we use and enjoy each of the days remaining to us. Like saving a haircut appointment for the hours of darkness, where possible or wait until a rainy day when one cannot fully utilise the outdoors… Like perhaps not to be writing a blog in the middle of a sunny day, like I am currently doing?

Buildlogue #3

Day 28: 10 June 2014 – The rainfall during the past 24 hours ending 8:00am was 28mm

(Above): This morning Bianca kindly collected the Building Consent from KCDC in Paraparaumu. You can imagine our surprise at the presentation. The complete set of documents are packed in a stiff wallet/folder, which is sponsored by a number of full-colour adverts.

(Above): Unlike anything I experienced with The City of Cape Town building department when we built at Strandweg and Hamerkop Road, the Kapiti Coast Council is extremely thorough, possibly to the point of becoming anal. The covering letter guides you through all the requirements, leaving no doubt as to your responsibilities.

(Above): All important points and amendments are printed on the appropriate documents in red, with some of them high-lighted in yellow print-marker. It is your responsibility to ensure that each and every inspection is done by the appropriate officials. They must make not two, not three, but guess how many….  Yes a dozen!

Buildlogue #2

Buildlogue Day 27: 9 June 2014 – Having spoken to the examining official this morning, I felt better than the Building Consent was imminently forthcoming. As luck would have it, she called again just after 12 noon.

“Mr Andrews, building consent BC140238 is ready. If you’d like to pop in to our offices, you can collect it at the reception desk anytime.”

Since then I have contacted John, who confirmed that Bryce, the earthmover, will be bringing his Bobcat around within the next few days, weather permitting. Barry, our architect, has emphasised that one of the important phrase in New Zealand building lingo is just that: Weather permitting.

All Fall Down!

While living in the suburbs, and being involved with work most of our lives, most folk are only able to devote little snippets of time to the aspects of nature around them. With urbanisation has come fewer trees and more concrete.

This morning, nature decided that the overlap between autumn and winter had been around for long enough, and proceeded with the final rushed efforts to complete the leaf-shedding process. Even as I walked around the garden, camera in hand to capture the colours and forms, I could see small batches of leaves being released and falling to the ground in the windless conditions. This was something I’d never really witnessed in such detail in all my years.

I would like to share some of the scenes with you, without further comment.