Costa Rica Spider
Improving fitness and a few decent nights of sleep have made all the difference – Monday I managed to work solidly for 7 hours without too much bother. I spent the morning digging gravel out of a pit in the ground and using it to line the floors of the house, ready for concreting. The afternoon was spent digging out a path alongside the house so we could still get from the front to the back whilst the floors are drying. Throughout this a new chap had turned up. He looked quite European, but didn’t have any eyebrows or eyelashes, which was explained when he turned out to be the welder. He spent the day building the metal frame for the roof, so the house now looks considerably more like a house.
About midday a JCB turned up and levelled the front of the garden. I was keen to have a go, but they seemed wary of letting me wave a 30 tonne machine about in front of the house they’d just built.
The next day I started digging a 60ft long by 3ft wide by 4ft deep trench alongside the house for no discernible reason but it kept me busy for the next 3 days. Wonder how much it would have been to hire the JCB for another 30 minutes…
Quick update on my peak physical condition, seeing as the builders are worriedly trying to get me to go to the doctors for an unknown but magical sounding injection. I am currently unable to move my right elbow, left knee, any of my fingers, or my lower back without considerable pain. I’ve also been bruised, burnt, blackened and bitten all over and narrowly avoided a mini-tarantula thing. On the plus side, every three days spent digging seems to equate to a drop in belt size, so will need new clothes even without all the wear and tear.
For what it’s worth, the exact building site is a few kilometres from San Ramon, in the once green patch opposite the white house by the road on:
Hi Steve,
Been waiting for you to find some wifi – like the idea of booking online whilst in the hotel foyer.
Just read all of your posts. Up to the usual standard I'm pleased to say. Not sure about digging trenches for three days, but if it's good for the waistline! Hope your health improves and keep in touch.
Mark