A STING IN THE TALE

Day 12












Today the temperature topped out at a body boiling 42 degrees. I was out digging foundations and brick laying with Gilbert. Another tiring, tiring day. Gilbert makes the manual work appear easy, there have been numerous (loads actually) of times when Gilbert has finished his digging, he then looks at me with a slightly wry smile, takes my spade from me and digs my trench as well. Its quite a humbling experience working with these lads. Gilbert and I have moved on a little and we can now have a little bit of a laugh at each other, though sometimes my jokes can still get lost in translation and I get the impression that there’s not many tribal jokes about questioning a mans sexuality……or maybe he just didn’t find it funny
Today I had to work without my top on and to be fair I did deserve a bit of stick. I must say though that when I was sat down and a little kid came over and slapped my stomach and said ’fatty’ whilst laughing was just not cricket. Due to working outside I have attained a slightly, erm, irregular tan. I have a brown head (that could possibly be mistaken for bright red), brown arms but only as far as my bicep, brown legs but only as far as my thigh and the rest is best of British white. When my blue t-shirt came off, due to my tan lines it looked like I’d merely replaced it with a white one. Though my pot belly did sort of give the game away. Gilbert on the other hand is evenly coloured, slim as a rake, fit as a butchers dog and surprisingly strong. So we have a bit of a joke about our subtle differences. I don’t mind though, I even start it myself sometimes, just for the humour.
We’re still waiting for the rest of the guttering order to be delivered, its so frustrating, days and days have been lost because of it. As a result the work we are carrying out is starting to drag. Today for instance was pencilled in as a big day on the guttering. We were hoping to get one if not both of the houses fully fitted with guttering and then install the Jo Jo tanks over the next two days. Instead we’ve only managed to install a small length of guttering and then cement and wall the foundations for the tanks to sit on. One of my big personal concerns is not getting the amount of work completed that I feel justifies my stay. I’ve had some brilliant times and seen some amazing things but at the end of the day I’m here to help and I need to go home feeling I have. Hopefully the gear will be delivered in the next two days so as we can crack on. Saying that, today did get the cementing jobs done and they need a day or two to dry before to much can be done with them. Gilbert and I had a professional disagreement about how the blocks should be laid to make the base for the Jo Jo tank. The tank when full will hold in weight 2,500 kilogram’s of water, a lot of weight. On the first one we built and against my better judgement, Gilbert opted for a design where he broke the breeze blocks roughly in half to maintain a nice circular shape which was more pleasing to the eye. My point of view was that yes it did look good but I felt that breaking the breeze blocks would weaken the strength of the brick. Gilberts opinion was that the bricks would be fine. I have the final say really when it comes down to it, whether my opinion is right or wrong, Gilbert is local, so I think it always best to discuss it. In the end we did the first his way and the second mine. Hopefully none of us will be proved right (if we are though, I hope its me!).
I was finished and back at the staff village for 14.45. A good result as I was going for a drive with Johan, Carl and Sam around the controlled burn site that they did today. I could see the smoke from their fires all day. This was a small ’burn’ but it still covered a few square kilometres. The idea is to burn a controlled area of land in the safest possible way. The burning gets rid of all the dead wood and shrub that is not required to the area, then the team have to take several drives around the area extinguishing any fires that may cause a problem should the wind change. Its serious as well, ten years ago a fire ’jumped’ the fire break, raged out of control, spread for miles around and burnt a lodge to the ground. Tonight’s plan was to take a few beers with us and some steaks and cook them on the ashes whilst having a chat. Sign me up.
After the serious stuff was done, Johan had to put a couple of rogue fires out, we met up next to a burning tree. We forgot the meat but it was still great to have a chat and a few beers. It was nigh on pitch black and the only glow came from the ambers of a near by tree, the shining of the stars and the glow of the moon, a really memorable moment. I love times like these as everyone just relaxes, has a laugh and tells stories. Real lads own stuff. In fact and I’m sure Clare will be thrilled to hear this one, Carl has certainly wet my appetite for an adventure. He and a friend walked for two years from Cape Town, North through the length of Africa with a plan of reaching ‘T’gypt’. They had to call it a day only one and a half thousand K’s away (they walked 11,500) due to some reason or another. It has really got me interested in a mega self sufficient walk, maybe North Africa or somewhere around the Middle East, mmmm, we'll see.
Johan looked down and very casually said ’Ant, careful there’s a scorpion next to your foot’. he said it that carefree I didn’t even register it. He then repeated ‘move, there’s a scorpion right next to your foot’ and shone his light on it. I looked down to my sandaled feet (ideal footwear for a spot of night time fire fighting I’m sure you’ll agree) and there was the biggest, angriest looking scorpion right next to my foot. Sam did say what type it was but it went in one side and out the other, I was gulping my beer to use the bottle for the upcoming ’Jason and the Argonauts’ style fight scene. Instead the scorpion stayed very still, dead still you might say. Upon closer inspection it seemed rather flat. It was also precisely entombed in a size nine sandal print. Buy some stroke of luck, if you can call flattening an animal that, I had unwittingly stood on the poor bugger as it was walking past. The lucky bit was that I did flatten it, had I just caught part of it, it would have got stuck straight into me. Sam told me that they have a good belt to their sting and they do multiple stings in quick succession. Jesus, I’d have been leaping about like something not right in front of three rather bewildered, hardened bush men. Though it’s a shame it bit the dust, I’d have chosen that over a lifetime of embarrassment. It was a gnarly little bugger though, big fat pincers, a stocky body and a more than pain inducing looking tail. I've got these rather ace sandals that i got visiting a pal in L.A and they have a bottle opener on the sole, saying 'Reef' along it. At least the scorpion can 'Rest in Reef'. Clever eh.
Tomorrow its some more bits of outside work and then a game drive with Sam and a braai whilst we watch the cricket. England v South Africa, should be exciting.