fixing a hole

P2B = quite a lot, to be fuelled by beer. And chips.



1) Like many, I guess, I peruse the excerpts from the various blogs on Oz Politics. I probably should get stuff by RSS feed but the couple of times I tried I couldn't get it to work.



That's an aside. Back to Oz Politics. I've noticed that the more extreme conservative blogs, but you can include some commentators at "libertarian" blogs, are always banging on about the "the left" and "leftists", often accompanied by colourful adjectives. Whereas on the other side of the 'sphere, the targets are narrower, or indeed more personal (Howard, other Ministers, Bush, etc). The adjectives tend to be just as colourful, though.



Why would this be, do you reckon? I don't have too much against conservatives as a breed (I wish Howard was more conservative in certain things, such maybe not dismantling the few checks and balances of our parliamentary system). What I do have a lot against is reactionaries (you could include "knuckle-dragging" there, as an example of a typical colourful adjective that is often applied). But I don't bang on about "the right". The adjectives I would apply to Howard refer to his behaviour: petty, vindictive, myopic. The closest to stereotyping I would get is in relation to Ruddock (fascist) and Downer (born-to rule, useless).



So, what's with the stereo? Typing, I mean?



2) Why I am not a quantity surveyor.



The water tank got installed during the week. This time I, rather than Mrs VVB, stayed home to supervise. I had some work to do, but only a couple of hours' worth. I rang after 10 to inquire about delivery, to be told it was an hour to 90 minutes off. At about 11 the installers arrived and did the bits they could, such as digging a little trench from the slab to my drainage pit. They asked did I dig it myself? Indeed I had, but I rented a small post hole auger as after 250 mm down you're into clay.



The tank arrived at 1pm, but it only took them a few minutes to hook it up.

Today I went to get some gravel for the drainage pit. I looked in the hole and thought "about half a cubic metre." I thought that I'd be able to pick it up in the heavy plastic bags that the landscape place sells, but no dice, they said, I needed a trailer. We used to have one, but as it never got even half the work it got in Canberra, we sold it years ago.

So I came home to think about it, and also to measure the hole properly, which turned out to be .3 of a cubic metre. I found a large plastic tub and an old garbage bin that totalled .2 of a cubic metre so off I went back to the shop. I figured I could make the rest of the volume up with broken bricks we have at home and bloke thought this was a good idea. The bloke cautioned me about overloading the car, particularly in relation to braking, but it was fine.

In fact the main problem with driving to and from the place was avoiding the western suburbs acreage women carefully navigating their Benzes and Bimmers wherever it is they go, in their splendidly coiffed glory on a Saturday at a steady 10-20 kph under whatever the speed limit is, peering frantically over the wheel lest a speck of dust land on the bonnet. Or they see another car, maybe an enthusiastically driven bright yellow Saab with an extra 200 kg of gravel aboard, actually travelling at the speed limit,

Except it turned out I did need .3 of a metre of gravel , so I went back the third time. I think I have now seen the look someone makes when they have to keep a straight face, but are actually rolling their eyes inwardly.


Anyway, it all looks fine and all I have to do is make a cover with some leftover timber, which I almost finished except the battery on the cordless drill didn't last so I'll have to finish it off tomorrow as well as reinstall the lattice fence that used to be there to hide the tank a bit.

The subsequent job is to make it rain.