Loombucket's Paradise on earth

[Loombucket]

Are there any photo's of the dance you did when the brick fell on your toe?

Sorry no, but onlookers did learn a new word, or two, of very bad English.

Okay, back to the plot. You remember, yesterday I was talking about a tad more soil? Well here it is, two thirds of the way up the bladdy fence.



Khun Mau was very good at counting the soil trucks, but he didn't know when to stop. Khun Wan, the soil man, knew when to stop, but he was off fishing. Fortunately, the digger was coming anyway, for free, so it was a case of, you want money, you do what I want. In the nicest possible way, of course, with both of us wearing our best smiles. Here are the boys making good and adding a little more to the polution content of the area.



After an hour, or tway, they had managed a passable version of the slope that I had wanted in the first place and cleaned up the area at the back of the house.



Here, Khun Mau and Khun Wan fail to agree on the price. Mau used a pen and paper, Wan used the calculater on his phone and tried to under charge us.



With everyone happy, they all drove off into the gardening thread. (Starts later). Meanwhile, back at the house, Shuttering was still going on, or should I say, up.



The big bits were easy but the bits left over, and the small holes, took time to finish. Here, we see in action, the great building game called 'toss the stick'. If you look carefully, you can just make out the stick as it sails past the left 'mast' on it's way to the open hand.



After lunch, it was getting quite close to a serious fire risk inside and vitually impossible to photograph anyone working.



At the end of the day, we were looking good and on target for the cement on Monday.



As I have missed certain parties, of late, it seemed only fair to give you a vague idea of what I look like, so, this is a vague idea, taken with my other hand. Have a nice Sunday folks!

[jandajoy]

Brilliant thread. Well done. Loved it all as did wife. She's now dead keen on doing the same. Hmmmm we'll see.

Nasty knuckle there mate. Another brick?

[andy55]

hope the whole lot doesn,t collapse when the pour the concrete !

[jizzybloke]

He seems to have a small girl growing out of his right leg?


Enjoying this thread immensely, thanks Loomy!

[Loombucket]

Nasty knuckle there mate. Another brick?

Heh heh, no, that was a brick wall scrape from my pushbike when I was a kid. Never was the same again.

hope the whole lot doesn,t collapse when the pour the concrete !

It seems to be very strong and each section supports three Thai workers and a couple of buckets of nails. It would probably support me too but the ladder won't.

He seems to have a small girl growing out of his right leg?

That's his Granddaughter, they seemed very close.

Enjoying this thread immensely

Me too, thanks very much.

[Loombucket]

It positively hammered down last night, for about four or five hours. Subsequently the going was soft, to say the least. Last day for the shuttering and everyone knew exactly what they had to do. Aloft, our surviving 'young lad', patiently waited for small bits to stuff in small corners and dreamed of sitting by a lake, somewhere.



Khun Udom handled the larger bits and kept up his running stream of friendly banter. I never understood more than the odd word but he has the team in stitches.



On the ground, it looked like the girls were doing all the work. Carrying shuttering,



...making patches,



...and only stopping for a quick wash before lunch.



By about three in the afternoon, even the patches had been patched,



....and the girls took in the shade and kept an eye on the boss.



By four o'clock we had run out of usefull flat bits of wood, so Udom and Mau dashed off to find some. The cement truck is due at about Ten o'clock tomorrow, it could be another fun day.

[Propagator]

A great thread Loombucket and such good pictures. Another green as long as I can do.

[Loombucket]

^ Cheers Props.

This morning the team were hard at work filling in all the crooks and nanies. It doesn't need to look that good but it stops the water from draining away on everyones heads. Large cracks were stuffed with wet cement bags,



Smaller cracks were given a spot of loving care with a trowel and some 'pug'.



Bang on one o'clock, the cement truck arrives and with it about six more people. These were quickly organised into passers, pourers, bucket retrievers and the one at the bottom by the truck.



Here we see one of the girls doing all the work, whilst the two guys on the right make sure she doesn't fall in. At this point, we are running two chains of buckets.



Here is the 'head' of one chain. When the bucket is empty, it goes over the side and is retrieved. The mess was incredible with small stuff going everywhere, including all over me.



Seeking a, relatively, safer place, I noticed another truck pulling onto the site. It was the guys with the steel for the roof and some primer and stuff.



Khun Mau checks the paperwork having counted the bars. It is important to have someone that you trust to do this for you.



As the cement was in two loads, there was a certain amount of down time that the team don't normally get. Here they are enjoying a watermellon and some very cold water. Note the delicate Isaan stlye cutting knife.



A very rare shot of the Boss, sitting in the shade before the day is done.



Before I close, I just had to share this. From the lid of the tin of primer. Why they don't say it like this in Blighty, is beyond me.



There is a rest day tomorrow, before the struts are removed. Water splashing will continue, however, for the required period. Maybe I will go and photograph some natives.

[SEA Traveler]

Thanks for sharing Khun Loom. Looking good.

[sunsetter]

love that primer can message, so many ways that can be used! green!

ooops gotta spead some first!!

[astasinim]

Looks like its comeing on a treat Loom. This has to be one of the best building threads to date.

[Jet Gorgon]

I like the people shots, not being a cement girl, meself. Makes me homesick for Thailand that's for sure.

[a. boozer]

Loombucket. Your project is coming along in leaps and bounds at the moment and you are giving us a great thread with some super pictures - keep it coming!

[jandajoy]

Looking good. Does your bossman and his team travel?

[Travelmate]

good thread, have great success with your build.

[DrAndy]

good thread LB

the difficult part comes next!

[Loombucket]

Thanks for all the great comments everyone. People shots are my favorite but they do require a bit of patience and some respect from the workers. Fortunately, they all live in the Moo ban across the road and they all go home for dinner. The Boss stays onsite, sleeping in the shed anex. Having been a casual reader, of the forum, for some time before I started posting, It feels good to be able to give something back.

I've just got in and desperately need food, water and an episode of 'Shaun the Sheep', to freshen my body, mind and soul. Will update tomorrow. Cheers, LoomB.

[johpam]

I've just got in and desperately need food, water and an episode of 'Shaun the Sheep', to freshen my body, mind and soul.


What is or what does that mean 'Shaun the Sheep'?

[TizMe]

Shaun The Sheep - Video

[maily]

Great Thread, keep it up.

Maily

[maily]

Sorry, I have read everything, I think, did you say how much your home was costing you?

Maily

[johpam]

Shaun The Sheep - Video

Thanks TizMe for that link
I spend about an hour looking and laughing, very entertaining

[Loombucket]

Sorry, I have read everything, I think, did you say how much your home was costing you?

Not yet Maily. The home alone will be about 1.8M. That does not include the land and a small fortune on soil. We have kept a record and I will do a breakdown, of costs, later on. Rather not see it in print at the mo.

[Loombucket]

So much for my day off in Khorat. When I popped in to see what was happening, the Girls were busy whacking some primer on the roof bars,



The Boys were starting on removing the the shuttering from the upstais beams......



...and Khun Udon was knocking up a reinforced frame to take the cement for the upstais toilet floor.



Meanwhile, two dejected steel workers, sit in their truck, having discovered that the stupid Farrang has hired someone to check his paperwork.



Ih've had to split this one because I keep loosing the connection.

[Loombucket]

Later on, we had a few more roof bars delivered. This is the same guy as yesterday, in a different shirt.



Having got to know the team a little better, I can reveal that the old chap, the slow one, is referred to as Lung, or Uncle. He has a great sense of humour and often hides the Bosses hammer for a laugh. He he is, explaining why he is using the wrong hammer. Not the broken one by his foot.



In the afternoon the girls, having complained of backache, were working on a frame in the shed.



Tomorrow, they are threatening to bring a crane in so I will try to get there early