While waiting to go to our house today, I examine a motorbike outside the local committee office. One of the guys notices my interest, and it turns out its his... A CK 150cm2 import, with local mods for transport (decoratif wrought iron "shelves" like paniers on the back...). He produces the keys, and indicates I can have a go.... It starts ok, but isn't exactly eco-friendly. I cautiously engage 1st, and move off to great amusement and a shouted warning 'watch the brakes, they're not very .... good....". Not that I'm going to go very fast along a dirt bumpy road with people, children chickens and donkeys on all sides..... I make it down the road and back alive.
Peter appears (and of course has 3 or 4 classic motorbikes) so has a go also.... Street entertainment for the entire place - we could have sold tickets! I manage to explain I don't really want to buy it...
We move off to a new house, by taxi (not because its far, but to avoid ending up in a big procession!) Brick wall building today. On the 2nd floor of a house, they're building a new story to house the son and his wife (as far I understand it!). Professional brickie already hard at work - we start off carrying up bricks from the ground level, and washing them ready for use. I get promoted to brickie and invited up on the scaffolding... same concept as yesterday, but 2 stories up next to the half build outside wall. One false move and I'm likely to find myself and the wall on the ground below... Not sure that health and safety have made it to Egypt yet, but its amusing enough.... I get on with one end of the wall while the pro is working on the corner at the other end. I think its not so bad, but he keeps making me straighten it up....
I think its leaning inwards because its frightened of falling to the ground..... Anyway, we live thru that, and then start on the wall on the other end of the house - this time its against an existing wall of the neighbour and its a double thickness, so I don't feel so exposed.....
We break for lunch, and when we come back, no problem, he has his assistant doing one end and immediately get me up doing the other while he has a fag break! With Dot and Bill washing bricks, Joan mixing cement, and me throwing it all on the wall we get it finished! I write our initials in the cement on the top! Not sure if Google Earth will be able to pick them out.....
While waiting for the taxi, we're watching the guy carrying bricks up. He piles up 20 bricks in a particular way, and then upends the pile onto his shoulder. I can't even lift 20 bricks..... let alone carry them up 2 flights of stairs. I can build a pile in the approved manner though, and it even survived him putting it on his shoulder!
posted by brian.wyld @ 1:59 AM
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