I think stressful is the current appropriate term to describe life here! We discovered a couple of weeks ago that to all intents and purposes Jaime has gone AWOL, apparently he has personal problems due to an addiction, it came as a big surprise to us.
He had worked his socks off for us when we moved in, as those of you who have been following the Blog will know. We never had any cause to criticise his work, any problems were resolved immediately, and I was of the opinion that he and his family had become good friends. However having talked to those closer to him, it appears that in the past year he has developed a problem (not drugs), which is effecting both work and family life, on the few occasions we have seen him, he never showed any signs, but I know from experience that it can be hidden for short spells, and he did a good job of it.
Unfortunately this is effecting the work on our balcony, he hasn’t been to supervise or consult, and I have had to take over that work, but he still has a wad of our cash, which we handed over for materials, part being for an oak doors from the house to the balcony, we don’t even know if work on fabricating the door has started, or if the Carpinter even exists, because Jaime is doing his best to avoid us.
The timber for the deck and roof arrived earlier this week, and it’s atrocious quality, the deck boards I can rescue, we waited six weeks supposedly for the Company to dry the timber, it arrived soaking wet, when we contacted the Supplier they said it was preservative, that doesn’t alter the fact that it’s still wet.
I have decided that I am going to burn the deck boards, like I did for the bunkbeds, that way they will last longer, and save me having to sand each board, because they are rough, and you wouldn’t be able to walk out onto the deck as they are, without getting a foot full of splinters.
The timber bought to screw to the deck roof under the polycarbonate, for shade, are already twisted and split, and I don’t think there would be enough to fit to provide shade, if not, I will put them in my wood pile for other projects and buy a ‘Shade Sail’ like the one we have out on the patio. To say I am disappointed is an understatement.
Oscar and his team were here again last Saturday and Sunday, more welding, I think my electric bill is going to go through the roof! Most of the parts are now ready for assembly, hopefully tomorrow, whether they will finish their part I have no idea, we’ll see. They can only work Saturday, because Sunday, we are going to take my Mother-in-law home, and my Father-in-law to catch his bus back home to Caucasia.
Oscar is worried about getting paid, as he is contracted to Jaime, so I have said as I haven’t paid Jaime for any labour yet, if there is a problem I will pay him out of those funds. We are also worried, because we still need a door from the house to the balcony, it’s going in an existing window opening, that needs enlarging, but the thought of the wall being cut open, and then leaving us with an unsupported, insecure opening fills us with dread, I might have to look for another Contractor. I am already cutting the amount I am going to pay, because I am doing the deck work, and will also have to re-route the gutter pipes, because the balcony roof it blocking the original route, Jaime countermanded my instructions to the Welding Team on the matter, I didn’t find out until it was too late.
One good thing from last week-end, the Welders, gave me a hand, and lifted the concrete top back onto my Water filter housing, so thats done and completed
Now the filters will be easy to change, I don’t know why I didn’t take the time to do it right initially!
About a week ago, Marcela was walking the dogs, and came across a Team from one of the main Phone Companies putting up cables down our road…finally… at last, we will be able to have a landline phone, and decent internet, we have already signed up, the whole package also includes TV, but we are not interested in that. The thought of having 100Mb internet insteade of 6Mb is quite exciting, little things please little minds. It will be about another three weeks before the system is ready to connect us, in the mean time, we continue, as is!
Monday, I have an appointment with the Pain Specialist, hopefully she can come up with a solution even if temporary for my knee, so realistically other than tomorrow, if the weather allows, no more work here until Tuesday!
An Englishman in Colombia 