Anna the dog

[Edmond]

They did a concrete road near here not long ago, and those expansion joints with rubber in them, they're about 0.25cm deep and appear to have been done with the tip of a bloke's finger whilst the concrete was setting, before adding a line of 0.25cm deep rubber/tar to them.

[Mendip]

^ Amateurs!

These guys didn't bother with silly expansion joints.

The concrete pour started late morning and caught me by surprise. I went to watch and couldn't help noticing that there was an absence of rebar.



I tried to explain in my best slow and loud English but no-one took any notice of me at all to be honest, so I just fumed and continued to watch.

And then I discovered why they were giving me funny looks.

After a truckload of concrete was poured, they waited until the truck removed itself, and then laid the rebar on top of the concrete and a guy in wellies walked across it to push it down.

I was somewhat reassured.



The cement lorry going back and forth made a right racket, but under the circumstances I thought it a small price to pay and I just turned Radio 5 up a few notches.



The dogs weren't quite so forgiving and looked well pissed off to have their poolside daytime slumber disturbed.



After a while it was all back to normal.



I wish I was a dog, they have a way better life than me. I sit sweltering all day and constantly see the look of ecstasy on Maya's face, as she continues her permanent holiday.

The Welsh one would probably have had a camber to allow the rain to run off

Later on I checked again... maybe no camber but this road took 22 years, 362 days less than the Welsh one. I think that cambers are vastly overrated.



My plan was to immortalise Anna by getting her footprints in my very own road and then write her name below, but the crew just wouldn't stop working.

After saying hello I discovered that this one was a female... it was impossible to tell before she spoke with the baggy top and balaclava. I reckon she was probably quite nice. Back in a previous life I once spent some time with a Thai construction worker and she had the hardest body and muscles that you wouldn't believe.

Times gone by...

I content myself with a sneaky peak under the gate these days.



And then the final pour. I have a road!

Not being at all a glass half empty kind of guy, but I hope this doesn't encourage more house building along the road. I like having the vacant land around us.



Later on I took a look and one of my newly-made friend's colleagues was raking the almost gone-off concrete. I assume they do this to key up the surface a bit and not leave leave it glassy-smooth, as beloved by Thai supermarket's car park builders. I once went absolutely flying at our local Tescos, young daughter in arms, when I slipped on the smooth concrete finish after a rain shower. The old, no-grip flip-flops didn't help, but whatever you wear on yer feet, some of these finishes are lethal after rain over here.



At the end of the day I had a little mosey about... and as suspected the new road slopes nicely down to the garage, the floor of which is several inches lower than the road level. I could do without a second pond, to be honest. Some remedial work will doubtless be necessary but we could do with some rain first to see just exactly where the water wants to go.



The workers stayed up at the end of the road until dusk, to stop people, vehicles, and dogs walking down the still not gone-off concrete. This was a problem for Tem's tea.

I usually use the rear entrance, but as it was unavailable tonight I went around the front.

To be honest, I'm not averse to using the front entrance in emergencies and with one whistle, Tem arrived. He's way more intelligent than my pack of mutts.



And that was it, another day of street dog fun... until...

After such a hectic day I took a glass of Mont Clair down to the pond, dogs in tow, when Yogi and Max raced on in front.

Yeah... one of the neighbour's chickens had flown into the garden.

I mean, for fukks sake, this was my relaxing time.

Yogi winged it, and I yelled... loud... and remarkably Yogi and Max backed off. I yelled again and pointed at the house... and they meekly retreated. I was absolutely amazed.

Anyway, this was one fast chicken...



But I succeeded where Yogi failed, and back over the wall he went!

One lucky young cock.

[Reg Dingle]

And yet another day in paradise watching folk work and reminiscing of the good old days ends with another cock in your hand

Back in a previous life I once spent some time with a Thai construction worker and she had the hardest body and muscles that you wouldn't believe.

Times gone by...

I usually use the rear entrance, but as it was unavailable tonight I went around the front.

To be honest, I'm not averse to using the front entrance in emergencies

[malmomike77]

^^ Did i miss the laying of the rebar? and the expansion joints?

[Mendip]

^ Everyone missed the expansion joints, this particular crew didn't seem to do them.

The rolls of rebar were straightened out and then trampled into the newly laid concrete bed. A new method on me, but I guess it will do for a road that will see maybe three cars and a handful of motorbikes per day.

This was the local government putting the road in, so I was a mere bystander.

[malmomike77]

^ there will be restriction put in place soon to prevent you ruining their hard work and you'll have to trade your Vigo in for a Daihatsu Hijet

[david44]

I think at some point an extra 6 inches added

You are not the first

[Mendip]

I went up to take a look this morning.

The road was closed overnight.



Although the barrier hadn't been sufficient to keep out Tem et al.



After spending ten minutes or so picking up all the litter the road crew had distributed across the area and carrying it the 4 or 5 metres to the bins, I left Tem and his gang to it.

I used to love playing on building sites when I was a kid.



I'll be up with my wheel barrow tonight if they leave that pile of sand there.

[Shutree]

^ Everyone missed the expansion joints, this particular crew didn't seem to do them.

You believe roads have expansion joints? How long have you lived here?
When they made my soi I had the opportunity to watch closely, I couldn't do much else, being stuck at the gate.
The CWMS works in local government and reviews lots of road contracts. Generally, in small concrete roads like our soi, expansion joints are specified every 10 metres.
What actually happens is that concrete trucks make a continuous pour each day, maybe they can do a couple of hundred metres at a stretch. The team then level and texturise the surface. Last of all a couple of workers come along with a straight length of rebar which they press carefully across the surface - every 10 metres. When the rebar is lifted it leaves a small channel across the concrete.
Some days later the tar team arrive and carefully pour hot tar into each of these depressions, leaving wonderfully straight black lines across the soi, exactly 10 metres apart. They look very much like expansion joints might look.
Finally the OrBorTor inspectors come and carefully check. In our soi they even took some cores to check for depth and they were spot on. They never bothered to fill in the core holes though.

[Edmond]

What actually happens is that concrete trucks make a continuous pour each day, maybe they can do a couple of hundred metres at a stretch. The team then level and texturise the surface. Last of all a couple of workers come along with a straight length of rebar which they press carefully across the surface - every 10 metres. When the rebar is lifted it leaves a small channel across the concrete.
Some days later the tar team arrive and carefully pour hot tar into each of these depressions, leaving wonderfully straight black lines across the soi, exactly 10 metres apart. They look very much like expansion joints might look.

That's exactly what happened near here.

The whole crew showed up extremely early one morning and the digger had blocked the road it was digging up leaving a couple of houses with no way out for 4-5 days without telling them first.

I later found out that this was because it was supposed to be done 3-4 years ago but the house at the front that seems to think they own the road and hang their washing out on it, had legally appealed it being concreted over. It was apparently their land some years ago and the houses inside had filed a legal throughway motion to have it turned into a legal public road, the powers agreed and the inside house owners paid the front house a measly 10k baht and they've had a bee in their bonnet over losing their strip of land and having cars and motorbikes use it all day everyday. After 3-4 years of petitioning against it the diggers showed up at sparrow's fart blocking everyone in for a few days and that was that. To add insult to injury it is higher than their land with zero drainage so they also get a nice big river flowing into their under-house chill-zone when it rains now. They're not happy campers.

[Mendip]

You believe roads have expansion joints? How long have you lived here?

Oh, ye of little faith, Shutree!

This ain't bumfuk Nong Boo Loo Woo, or wherever it is you stay.

This is the metropolis of suburban Korat where things are done differently! Or maybe the local road contract reviewer is a little stricter on enforcement than this CMWS you speak of?

My peace was rudely disturbed by a right racket this morning, so I went to investigate...



My expansion joints are being cut as we speak!

I reckon that they're closer together than 10m as well, 5m or 6m I would say, although I didn't get my tape measure out as I don't think that would have gone down so well.

I didn't like to measure the cut depth either, but will fully investigate tonight.



Another guy sweeps out the grooves and presumably some kind of bitumen will be injected later?



I'm hoping they get on with it as I can hardly hear the radio, and I can't shut the windows or I'll bake.

No way I'm turning on the aircon when it's only 30 degrees outside cos that'll open the floodgates for wife and daughter's aircon use in the future.

[malmomike77]

Better but you should have been out there wetting it for them

[Mendip]

But surely it would be illegal to take a job from a Thai?

[malmomike77]

you wouldnt have as its clearly not a job they were going to do

[DrWilly]

The AC will also help drown out the noise

[cyrille]

Of Mendip's wails?

[Mendip]

^ There's no whales around here!

Fukk but I'm good. That was worthy of David44!

My foot is better and I'm back on the horse.

[Shutree]

I didn't like to measure the cut depth

Well that's a posher and more expensive way of doing things than our two workers with the long, straight rebar. Noisier and dirtier too. You big city folks get special treatment.

Glad to see you got the obligatory dog paw prints into the wet concrete. One spot in our soi has an interestingly wavy impression, which I guess was a snake.

After they pour the tar they should sweep road dust over the top, to make it less sticky. It doesn't work well. The truck tyres will pick it up nicely.

[david44]

^ There's no whales around here!

Fukk but I'm good. That was worthy of David44!

My foot is better and I'm back on the horse.

Tread water Caerphilly , Bob Marley and the whalers, that gardener in the pool deserves a fool Brazilian.

[Joe 90]

I'll be up with my wheel barrow tonight if they leave that pile of sand there.

No way I'm turning on the aircon when it's only 30 degrees outside cos that'll open the floodgates for wife and daughter's aircon use in the future.

Respecto

[Reg Dingle]

^ If Korat Chef did yellow tickets...

[Mendip]

I took a look last night and we've got more expansion joints than Reg Dingle's driving troosers!

I paced them out at 5m intervals so we are well prepared for the upcoming 40 degrees C we usually get in March.



The workers concreted in the water pipe at the apartments entrance which I wasn't expecting, but seeing as we share the pipe with the apartments and their inlet is 'our' side of their gate, any problems and they'll have to get it fixed anyway. This is only our secondary water supply which doesn't go through the demand pump, and is mainly used for watering the garden and topping up the pool and pond. So, bollocks to it.

The joints have been nicely filled with bitumen but we didn't get Shutree's special 'dust brush over'.



There's my sand pile and I've also got my eye on that roll of rebar if it stays there for much longer. My plan is to semi hide it from the road and hope that the workers overlook it when they clear up.

[Joe 90]

I've also got my eye on that roll of rebar if it stays there for much longer. My plan is to semi hide it from the road and hope that the workers overlook it when they clear up.

Good man!

You never know when it might come in handy , perhaps a new steps project?

[Edmond]

Just out of curiosity, what does one do with a stolen roll of rebar and large pile of sand?

[david44]

more expansion joints than Reg Dingle's driving troosers!

The vice of experience, why jiggle with the monkey when you can have the conductor/organ grindr

The joints have been nicely filled

Ah the Wills Wiff puff of excellence

got my eye on that roll of rebar

Never figured you as a scrap type, other than with Yogi as leader of the pack.

Only need some nosey tyke to DOB you in and you may be in deeper doodoo than a sub seaman wrangler caught red handed in the wrong PJs

Don't do it it cost pennies,

PS V ODD ALL QUOTES FROM MENDY SEEM TO HAVE BEEN MISS ATRIBUTED, MAYBE I NEED TO REVALVE ME LINUX