Friday, December 03, 2021

OFF TO CAMBRIDGE

 Just when I think of stepping away from the Cambridge walking group, the FBG's... I get reminded that some of them have become lovely friends.

I have been invited to an FBG friend's Birthday Morning Tea this morning, out at Cambridge.

So, instead of sitting here on my own, waiting to see if the driveway gets re-sealed today (or NOT), I'm going to spend an hour or two with friends.

I can't wait.  There is going to be about 13 of us going, and we are all ORIGINAL FBG'ers.  The group has grown and evolved over the past 4 years... members have left, new members have joined.

But, there's a solid core of original girls, and I'm one of them.

Next year I really hope to be more active in the group.  The past two years have been really mucked up, and I've not participated much with walks at all.  I want to do better next year.

So, I will be leaving around 10 am for Cambridge.

I will be extremely surprised if the asphalt guys turn up before I leave... but if they do, I'll let ya know!

While I'm in Cambridge, I will be getting one more Christmas present.

It's Stew's gift to me.  I'm getting it this year, so he doesn't get it wrong!  He has no idea what to get me... I think this is a man thing?

Moving on... I'm going to get up soon and do some housework, before heading over to Cambridge.


ABOVE:   8 am.  Nobody here doing me driveway.

8.15 am:  And a bloke in a truck comes to my door.
He's here to sweep the driveway.  I say:  "Well I have already done it, to save you some time".
Yep.
Then he tells me they won't be doing the asphalt today cos they are a bit busy, and they will be here 'sometime' next week!

I said FINE.... and slammed the door in his face.
NOT NICE of me, but OMG I was about to cry.

Then the other guy in the truck comes and knocks on the door. Clearly he's 'in charge' of sweeping.  He has his bit of paper in his hands.
Says sorry but there is nothing he can do about it, they simply won't be doing our job today.

I tell him it's just NOT ON, we have people lined up to assemble a CARPORT tomorrow, on the new driveway.
I show him the carport, all in bits in me garage, so he believes me.

He says SORRY again, mumbles something about talking to the boss, and leaves.
By now I am crying.  

Fucking pissed off, I just knew they would not be doing it today.

ABOVE: Yep, the 'parcel' that got dropped off  was a Carport.  And it will sit there in my garage for another week probably.

Actually, no it won't. It will have to be moved somewhere else because Brylee is moving into the garage this weekend.  

ANON:  Really?  I have spare bedrooms for visitors over summer.  I have all my stuff in said 'spare' bedrooms and I have no intention of moving ANY of it into the garage, when Brylee may only be here for a few weeks.
FUCK OFF and annoy someone else you arsehole.

I just tripped over a roll of carpet in the back shed.  Sore toes. Sore fingers.  Sore leg.  Did the splits.  Landed on the two paint pails I was carrying, sore ribs now as well. Lucky I'm short, didn't have too far to fall. Fuck my day is going SO WELL.

It's 12. 30 pm:  I just got home from Cambridge, where I had been spending a lovely morning with me girlfriends.
Then Brylee rang me, she was at our house getting something... and she said the asphalt guys were back!!!!  

So I had to cut my time in Cambridge short, and get back here pronto.




ABOVE:  I'm gobsmacked!
So I go out and talk to the head honcho.... and say how surprised I am that they are here, after being told they couldn't come till next week.

You know what he said to me?  He said the man who told me that, this morning,  was 'just a worker' and he was wrong.   They were always going to do our driveway today.

I don't believe  him.  But I am very thankful that they are here and doing the job.
Now I can get this weekend's ducks lined up and not have to move the carport pieces twice after all.

I'm very relieved I didn't send the shitty email I  had typed out, ready to send when I got home!   That might have changed things dramatically.

Worth saying, I would be perfectly HAPPY to sleep in my garage.  Come to think of it, Stew and I did use the garage as our bedroom, for a couple of years, when we lived in Auckland.

ABOVE:  1. 30 pm, and the progress is amazing! There's 7 men here, working hard.  It is a very hot, exhausting job by the look of it.

2 pm:  The men are almost finished, so I went out and gave them all a box of chocolates as a Thank You.
The boss man was very appreciative, and said usually no one bothers to even thank them!

We can't drive or park on the driveway until Monday, as we are expecting a very hot weekend and the asphalt needs to settle, and not have our car tyres turning on it... which can damage hot asphalt.

So... family.... park on the road!

Day one of having to use our Vaccine Passports, and I had to use it at the coffee shop this morning.  Tis a weird world we are now living in, for sure.

For dinner this evening Stew and I had lamb chops and veges.  I overcooked it a bit, but it was still delicious.

Steve, Bex and the boys called in after dinner, Steve wanted to critique the driveway.  He was a little concerned about some edges and divots, but overall, it's not too bad.

Once they left Stew and I settled down to watch some mindless TV etc.
Time for bed in an hour or two, we are both tired.

21 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:44 AM

    Would it be possible for Brylee to use one of the spare bedrooms until the carport is erected on the new driveway? It would save having to move the carport pieces elsewhere - just a suggestion. Less is more when it comes to causing as little stress as possible. Audrey

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  2. What a bunch of unreliable folk! Good Heavens. If they can't do it today - I understand. Telling you ON the day of the work - I don't understand!

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  3. Anonymous9:28 AM

    Don’t you like Brylee? Putting her in a garage when you have spare bedrooms?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous1:04 PM

      Chris's garage is not like everyone else's. It is very tidy and clean. I would be glad to sleep in it. If Brylee moves into a bedroom she'll stop looking like my son did for 3 years!!! Caused me so much stress. Kj

      Delete
  4. You are definitely having a very bad run with tradespeople lately. I would be annoyed too. I hope you didn't hurt yourself too much with your fall and that your day improves.

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  5. I was assuming you were putting brylee in garage so she could have all her stuff in there with her and set up a little of it, like her bed and chair, electronics, etc. I was also assuming that it was perfectly fine with her. Your garage is basically an extension of your house/finished/nice. Mine is too.

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  6. What a shit storm start to the day. I hope it gets better.

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  7. Unfucking believable!!! They are supposed to be here to do the job TODAY, the service from them & the Carpet people is totally unacceptable and quite frankly I would have bloody well burst into tears out os sheer frustration. Frankly he is lucky you just shut the door in his face, I would have wanted to punch him (although technically not actually his fault).

    As for Brylee in the garage - seriously mind your own business Anon, it is a perfectly acceptable temporary accommodation until she finds somewhere suitable. It is not like she is in a tent on the front law - although it is an option lol.

    I hope you got to see the FBG girls, a good natter & laugh with some mates is just the ticket, trust me, that is the one thing I have really missed in this lockdown (apart from my hairdresser).

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  8. Sheesh that's just crazy but glad they finally showed up! Hope you are ok after your fall, probably hurt more tomorrow :(

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  9. Wow! What a fiasco. Can not believe they showed up!

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  10. Well goodness!

    I'm sure Brylee isn't complaining about sleeping in the garage, given that it's only temporary until she can find something else. If she's clever, she'll be grateful to have somewhere safe to go. xx

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  11. Holy shit some people I tell ya what I have slept lived in a garage there’s nothing wrong with it! And shit I’d sleep in Chris wardrobe (old wardrobe it’s so nice) and even sleep in her new bathroom a bed is a bed is a bed at the end of the day.
    I call bullshit on asphalt guys cause why would the sweepers be there.

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  12. Oh wow I remember when you moved into the garage up the botanical heights way eh! Shit that was a nice garage too 😁

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  13. I think you’re right about men and gifts. My 89 year old mother looked at me the other day and asked, in a worried tone, “And you will be going with your dad, right, to get his Christmas present to me?” I will be going with him.

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  14. Anonymous2:00 PM

    I thought it was odd that they would come to sweep the driveway and then not come to lay the asphalt until next week - hope that it all works out for you. Question: can you drive on the asphalt straight away or do you have to wait 24 hours. Good luck with what seems to be a very busy weekend. Audrey

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  15. Can you explain Vaccine Passports? Sounds like a great idea (Minnesota already up to two Omicron cases).
    Funny asphalt story.
    Last summer - pretty much at a Covid peak... so we were Social Distancing to the extreme..
    Some friends of ours in a band, did a rooftop concert. So the band was playing outside on a rooftop. The parking area was a newly asphalted parking lot. We brought little folding camping chairs.
    My husbands chair has tiny little legs. Well - at the end of the concert we picked up our chairs and.... OOPS. Hubbies chair left four fairly deep divots in the brand new parking lot! I wonder if they are still there??!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You now need a Vaccine Pass to get into pubs/events/public venues etc. You have to prove you had had both your Covid Vaccinations. If you have not had them, you won't get a Vaccine Pass, and cannot get into gyms, restaurants, hairdressers, public events, etc etc. About 90% of our population are double vaccinated, or close to being double vaccinated.

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    2. 90% ??!! That is amazing! Did Steve have a bad reaction after the 2nd dose?
      I know people here who pass around the same phone or vaccination card to get into big concerts. Or borrow one from a vaccinated person. No wonder it won't get under control here.

      Delete
  16. I was amazed at our asphalt guys. We love our driveway.
    Glad your day got better. Doesn't matter why they came, they came and that's the most important thing.
    I would sleep in your garage. I would eat off your garage floor!

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  17. I have a kid living in our "garage" too, she has it set up quite nicely. Don't you just love anonymous chicken sh*t comments? Also OUCH. And so glad the driveway got done.

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