26th July 2006. Weather far too hot. 30 deg C. Too hot to work outside.
Monday 24th July 2006, Lumsden & Carroll return with three manhole covers, and three guys.
Here they are, Colin (2 sugars), Lewis (no sugar), Chris (2 sugars).
They came to replace the three manhole covers of the public sewer around our new house,
they were not airtight, and they stank!
The lower, old manhole cover, was a problem, because the chamber was too big for the cover.
But a few mobile phone calls from them and me got the OK from Northumbrian Water for
Lumsden & Carroll to alter the brickwork of the chamber, to corbel the edge, to fit the new cover.
They had to go off and get some bricks.
What did we do before mobile phones? That is Chris laying the bricks.
Here is the new NW manhole cover. It is very heavy, and it sits on a rubber ring.
Here is the lower, old manhole cover replaced.
I can appreciate that our interest in manholes might, to you, seem obsessive
but if you were 2 yards from one that stank, you would be with us (or not!).
Same day we took delivery of the 75Kg double mentel cylinder.
Here am I helping John to deliver it. I am topless, it is so hot.
On the 25th july 2006 we got delivery of a tower scaffold. 8ft long, 5ft wide, 5.2m high.
I can now reach, with ease, the highest parts of the building. We should have got this before.
It might take half an hour to put up, but in an hour you do what took 3 hours with ladders.
And even Margie was up there.
This is the evening view out of the Cottage kitchen window to the Brookside yard.
We do like it here. The Cottage is cool in summer and warm in winter.
Today we finished treating the wood on the North face.
The West face is also done, we are working on the South and East sides.