El Dorado

Hacking my way through the dense undergrowth, I finally entered El Dorado… The city (read ‘my new house’) lay in ruins (a terrible exaggeration; but in need of some repairs anyway!) and had evidently been abandoned for some time. The ruins, upon closer inspection, showed signs of a recent battle and dark deeds done in the distant past… (read: there’s a flaming BULLET-HOLE in one of my bedroom windows, that I didn’t notice before… covered with sticky-tape! AND there’s what looks suspiciously like a bloodstain on the wooden floor of my lounge!)

The peasantry (sorry Peter! Just kidding!) was mobilized to clear the undergrowth (a much better description than ‘lawn’…), but professionals had to be brought in to deal with two enormous triffids that were attacking the city walls… The first attempt was less than successful even so as the monster-plant’s root-system broke the chainsaw and blunted the axe; reserves had to be sent for before the evil critters were finally destroyed, or so I am assured, so now work can start on rebuilding the city…

Most of the guttering was done yesterday, and the concreters have been booked and should arrive someday soon I suppose… My pergola is already dismantled and my lovely verandah out the back is going to have to be deconstructed before the hole can be dug for the underpinning… I’m told it’ll all be over by Christmas… Now where have I heard that before? (Seriously, I’m told it’ll take a ‘couple of weeks’… Hmmmm builders estimates… 😉 )

Speaking of which, I now realize their quote doesn’t cover the cost of a water-tank to plumb all my downpipes into either… so that’s a bit of a shock to the system… gonna cost up to another three grand… but there may be a local council rebate scheme… gotta check the council too for a garden waste bin… Crikey! It never ends… all these new responsibilities… AND I STILL can’t find anyone to come in and clean for me… floors need doing badly… Oh well… first things first… off to pick up my pension and supplies… More later.

Asty