Wet Works

We went up to the plot on the first Saturday in June. After the previous weeks of feeling deprived at not being able to get up there for the last two months, we went with high hopes of throwing the foundations for our little verandah extension. 

Apart from building  a platform to which we will move the water-tank off-verandah (in order to make way for a staircase to access the deck), we also wanted to extend it to create a little raised flower box as we have done on the East side.

On Monday morning, after the mist had lifted, our faithful farmer who delivers building sand for us, arrived at midday. He informed us that this would be his last trip ever as he was retiring from farming and truck-driving duties. Not good news for us.

 

Anyhow, after lunch, John and Roy took two hours to mix and cast about 1 cube of concrete. 

The Concrete Jive:

Roy, desperate to watch Survivor on a Monday evening and with nobody at home to record it for us, finally solved the problem of zero electricity. He took a teeny  B&W TV given to him by his brother, a Polaris aerial to boost the signal, one power pack, one battery. These last two powered both items with more than enough juice for us to watch another Hero get voted out of the game. I could happily never watch this program but we don't have a great deal to choose from on any given day so its a case of "better than nothing" and our version of watching a Soapie. 

This brilliant effort reveals where certain peoples' priorities lie. Six years on and we still cannot have a hot shower unless the sun shines!

A full moon the entire time we were there meant that, if one had a mind to go for a walk across the countryside at midnight, it was totally feasible. This moon photo was taken early Tuesday morning just as the sun was rising. 

On Tuesday morning they cast a shallow concrete platform for the two little water tanks we have installed to collect water from the deck. Another nearby tank will have to wait until Summer for the same treatment because it is too heavy with water to move at the moment. 

We paid John in full for the two days and let him go home at lunch-time. He really had worked so well. After his departure, we set about packing away and storing all equipment in such a manner as to maximize security against theft. But nothing is ever guaranteed as totally burglar-proof, especially on a deserted property.

That afternoon and night, the rain poured down. 28 mm in 12 hours after having rained a total of 38 mm in the last two months. Everything was pretty wet and soggy in the morning but we were delighted....plants AND foundations watered without any effort on our part.

Before building the walls on these foundations, the next time we visit the plot, we intend to use the bricks as scaffolding to reach the wooden fascias, which are in desperate need of some weather protection. Just how this will be accomplished I don't want to know and perhaps I might stay at home so as not to view the balancing act performed at 5 metres from the ground!

Back to Cape Town we went, calling in at Ou Meul in Riviersonderend for their unique Wildevleis (venison) pies. Some for freezer storage to last us until next time.