Day 21

Are we half an hour late getting ready today? No, Adolph is half an hour early. We're not sure why. We plied him with coffee to keep him happy while we had breakfast, until we were ready to go.

At the Barn we were amazed to see what a fantastic job Ruen's guys, Justin and Frieer, had done on the hole since we'd left them to it the night before. Unless you've been following this blog from the start, you'd never guess there used to be a hole there at all. They even put the lines across so it looks like it's always been concrete blocks there. Good job, guys!

Hole? What hole? There's no hole here, mate

Ruen arrived shortly after and tackled the next job from the discomfort of the JCB, which was getting rid of the slope (for some reason there was another shorter slope, under the original longer bigger slope) in order to clear the way for the new steps leading up to the Barn entrance. For the steps, we want to embed various animal footprints and the different types of rock that are found in the area. But first we need steps, and no slope.

We don't need no slope

Like a great big tooth being removed by a big mechanical dentist

As we watched the battle between concrete and machine, Kira found this strange (to us) little caterpillar, or more accurately as my google-fu reveals, the Geometer Moth. So named as it appears to be measuring it's journey as it moves along in a looping fashion.

You and your arithmetic

Also moving along nicely is the rest of the work on the No Crack At All, which has now been meshed ready for plastering.

Before we got started ouselves, it was a wander down to the waterhole. I'm sure you don't want to see yet another pic of the waterhole..do you..? You do? Ok..

More water in a hole

Be like water, my friend..

Time to start work afterwards, so Max got on with wirebrushing the guttering woodwork now that the guttering is off, and Kira prepared to put on the first application of paint, in this case the primer, on the walls. It's going to make a marked visible difference, and should brighten up the place even before the final coat goes on, so we're looking forward to getting it done asap.

Meanwhile, Achi, another one of Ruen's guys who arrived today plasters the No Crack At All like a pro.

Wire we brushing? Because we have to

Painting with attitude

Milky milky

The first paint on the walls since...well, ever!

The wobbliest stepladder in the known universe

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

Smurfin' good job, eh?

Just before lunchtime, it was great to see Gerhard and Catherina arrive from a few days off for a well earned rest... but without the rest part, apparently! Such is the life of a General Manager and his Assistant :) They were both really pleased with the progress made so far, and we sat down with them with our plans for the future of the Barn/Education Centre which they seemed as keen as we are to develop into reality.

Catherina also talked about our visit to the local school (previously delayed) and that the Head there was very much looking forward to us visiting. We're hoping to spend some mornings there next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday where we can meet the children and have some fun playing hockey, sharing some computer skills and doing something creative together. Unfortunately the Head won't be there, which is a shame as he is going to a conference on teaching children of a wide age range - he has 40 children of various ages, so hats off to him!

Although we would have liked to continue talking with them and Ruen, we started to feel a little uncomfortable, as Joseph and the rest of the guys were all waiting on us and they were as hungry as we were. Joseph tapping his watch at Maxi and saying "Overtime!" Sorry, Joseph!

At last! everybody except us was thinking

After a spot of lunch, with extra time for tea, it was back to reception and into the Cruiser for the lift back down. An exhausted Joseph eagerly waiting for our return...

Nnnyeeesss....

The guys got on with step building, or at least laying the foundations for them, so they're going to last probably even longer than we will, while Ines sanded the woodwork in prep for varnishing. She likes varnishing, does Ines.

When Gerhard and Catherina, and Ruen, were there earlier Ines talked about the chest or storage space for cushions for the children to sit on, in the teaching area in the Future section of the Barn, so Ruen instructed his men to build one from bricks (and then plaster to look the same as the walls), once they'd finished the steps. It'll be set about 60cm out and about 60cm high so that it can be used as a seating area as well as storage.

Frear got busy immediately setting up plumblines and levels, with Joseph getting all the bricks in, while we carried on painting as much as the walls as we could (we have to leave some areas to be recemented) trying not to get in their way. Ines had finished all the sanding of the outside woodwork and got back into her new favourite hobby of varnishing.

Ines The Varnisher

By the time it was time to go home, the guys had poured in all the cement for the steps foundations, as well as meshing up the outside of the No Crack At All. Tammy arrived and we gratefully climbed aboard to go home for some lunch.  Sorry, Max...Dinner!!