Still very much in holiday mode, the family are all in PJs at 9am when Warwick, our trusty builder, arrives at the door (probably already onsite for hours). We're still struggling to remember how to work the stovetop Atomic and receive our morning caffeine injection - the espresso machine is at the repair place, dahling - while Warwick whizzes through a few questions concerning the concreter and his large diggers who are currently tearing up The Block (as she is affectionately known) and what they can and can't rip out as they seek to carve out a spot for our house-to-be.
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| Knock 'em down, fellas |
When we finally struggle the four doors up the street to take a look in person, it's a bit of a shock to see the destruction that must come before the construction - the photos might give you an idea. Although there really weren't many plants or trees of any worth on there to begin with, it's still a little gut-wrenching to see them all tipped over in a matter of minutes, after so many years of being left in neglected peace. We have saved the big liquidamber and two black wattles at the back of the block, and one solitary Japanese maple at the front - I thought a second maple was given a reprieve for a few hours there but, while I was chatting to a neighbour for a few minutes, Warwick turned up with his chainsaw and was apparently given the all-clear to lop it by Mat! Well, that's Warwick's story anyway - Mat's is somewhat similar but in his the all-clear was given by Warwick... Is this the first of many such he-said-she-said scenarios?!
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| Jem with boogie board - just in case - in the kitchen, I think... |
So at the end of day one, we have a very large pile of soil pushed in various directions, several trees and stumps lying on their sides, and half of the neighbour's driveway dug out in the process of removing trees along the (non-existent) fenceline (I'm a teensy bit worried about this). It's been a day of high action but I feel a little gutted. Tomorrow, we mulch.
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