Funny Story...

Remember I told you we were getting a Excavator to help with rock breaking and sorting out the MDC site. Well it was delivered on Tuesday morning. By Tuesday lunch time my foreman came and found me asking for another 30 litres of diesel. I asked why (all diesel is monitored – in fact so are all screws everything is monitored) Well we need another excavator to pull the first one out. Yep in the space of a morning we had got it stuck.

One pulling the other out after much digger and squelching.

I then went to see the local utilities companies which are as useless out here as they are in the UK. On the way back, around 3pm I decided to check in on the site to see how excavation extraction was going. Well it was a kind of organised chaos. Made all the better by my MD turning up to have a look. Why the driver had driven in to the muddy river in the first place I do not know. Thankfully I spoke to my man who had taken the driver down to look at the mud before they drove down there to make sure it was safe – so he was covered.

The graveyard is quite close.

Anyway using the bucket, the shovel and a chain they eventually managed to pull the thing out. My MD said he was leaving now that it was safely out, which was thankful as he didn’t then see the driver try to cross back across the river about 5 minutes later and get it stuck again!

Our boggy river just as the excavator got stuck again.

 It was at that point I said bugger this and left. Not before my foreman told me he would have to spend some time tomorrow with the local chief due to the proximity of the mess we made to graveyard. I hasten to add that we did not destroy any graves....we were just quite close.

Proper stuck!

Crisis averted I left them to it. The rock breaker is doing a wonderful job of breaking rocks. It is much faster than a man with a hammer and a flame.

Thursday was rugby but rugby with a difference. Pam and Kate joined me. Not for the rugby more for the drinking games afterwards – which was very funny. Don’t tell anyone but Pam was a little hungover on Friday. But she only had to work on call till ten at night so it wasn’t too bad.

Saturday was the great Sandra cocktail party again. Can’t remember when the last entry was but this was more of the same – cocktails made with rough measures and a great time was had by all. I’d like to say we didn’t smash any more glasses, and I didn’t (I didn’t the first time either) but our party did and at 2 o’clock we got kicked out. How terrible I hear you cry……it was. 

I was very happy with my pink drink and umbrella!

But don’t worry our friend Brin was having a party and his was still going! We arrived to a fan fare of hellos and welcomes and hugs. And there we danced away until 5, when we decided to leave as bottles were being smashed and people were generally falling over.

Luckily Debbie and I had a hammock to catch us though.

Sunday was tough.

For those wondering the book survived.

Really tough.

Check out the glasses eh eh!

And Monday I finished the book. All done and dusted. Anyone who wants to read it should email me and I will send them a copy. I will only allow people to read it if they are going to make constructive criticisms.

And so today was my leaving lunch in work. Most people thought it was tomorrow including me, my QS, the MD in fact most people thought it was tomorrow so I am not sure how it ended up as today but it today.

I also feel like I owe you all an apology. Sorry. Yes I did promise last week that this would be the big summary of all things, but I just couldn’t do it to you. It didn’t feel right. The truth of the matter is that we still have over two weeks left. Two weeks – a lot can happen in those two weeks. For starters there is a crazy bike race on Saturday that I am in. Two we are going to Mozambique. So the revised and improved plan is this – blog on every Tuesday as per normal but, and I think you will like this, there will be an added blog on the very last day – I KNOW! How cool is that! Yep I will put a big ol’ summary blog on Thursday 14^th August. That way I can give you the very latest and uptodate summary possible.

I am so good to you people sometimes it makes my shoes run away!

STATMAN

Number of people watching two excavators mud wrestler – 10 workers, 4 managers and about 20 kids.

Amount of alcohol drunk this week – My mum reads this blog so I’m gonna go with 2 half lagers and a shandy.

Speeches I have made regarding leaving – 1

Speeches I will need to make regarding leaving – I think just 2 more

Presents I have received – 1

Presents I have yet to receive – loads….hopefully.

Price of the lodge in Mozambique – $65 per night

Price of the lodge next door - $450 per person per night.

Guess which lodge we are staying in! 

Final book word count - 103,897

Final Draft Number - 7