September 8th So the man from Sanya, if he ever existed, saw our doors and said he could not do the work. Window Man said he had the couple who had installed our shower door and that they would come this morning. I took a couple of photos just to get a thumbnail.
Our friendly team turned up not long after nine and got right down to it. Huan of course took far too many photos, just to make sure I was kept busy.
Lunch break came and we didn’t stop for naps, I just edited photographs and Huan cleaned the floor. She does that multiple times while they are working too. They returned at half past two and continued with the installation of the heads, the legs/jambs along with their associated stops. (Yes, I had to Google those terms.) Some linings were also fitted.
They finished quite late. The good thing for us is that we could see progress!
Because it was so late, and Huan was still busy with the broom, I cooked dinner. A tin of fish with beans was used, along with a tin of sweet corn, one potato, half an onion and one packet of ramen noodles. It did the job, filled us up and, most importantly, kept the boss happy!
September 9th Our crack team of door installers started a little before nine this morning, they were mostly finishing off the frame preparations from yesterday.
Doors were then manoeuvred into their respective positions.
Both halves of the team then got busy, and doors were fitted into holes.
While they were busy and being supervised and recorded by the manager I went shopping. We needed fruit and a replacement tin of fish for the cupboard. I also passed by the bakery on the way so that we could have a change for lunch. I bought Huan a slice of pizza that in no way resembles a slice of pizza as you know it, and I bought myself two small sausage rolls that in no way resemble sausage rolls as you know them. I didn’t see or hear any birds today, I saw no lizards either but I did find a caterpillar and made a little video of it for Huan. She was happy.
When the team took their lunch break we went out again, back to the stone merchants for our kitchen window sill. Huan had found his number this morning and he told her that he thought we would be doing the work ourselves and therefore he was too busy. Huan told him that we would not be doing the work so he sent someone to measure this morning. Our mission now was to choose which colour the artistic designer wanted. Luck was with us and a trike turned up.
We were home early enough to grab a much needed snooze. In the afternoon Huan once again took far too many photos, over one hundred in fact. What’s more they were nearly all of the same subject, our bathroom door being finished.
So, we now have doors, all five fitted, all five opening and closing correctly but only four locking correctly. The team didn’t leave until after seven so we will call them again tomorrow.
As for our dinner, it was too late to go out as Huan was still cleaning; we didn’t really have the right stuff for cooking today, so we had cheese and biscuits with an apple each. It sufficed!
September 10th This morning we were free to do as we wished, the window sill man would not be coming until after lunch. All we did was a little shopping, first walking up the hill and past Huan’s bank, she needed some real money for her purse. Outside the post office they had one of those driverless delivery vans; they deliver to the smaller post offices.
After shopping we walked a little more through the town. Huan took this one of me chatting to a little friend while a father and son watched on. I wonder whether the son was more interested in the dog, or me, or both of us together.
Just up the road, one of the ladies we know owns a shop where her new cat has had some kittens. Sometimes they chat, sometimes they don’t.
This
is one I took purely because it also has English instructions. It is a 24 hour
tourist type tea shop; I’m not sure exactly what they sell. I also doubt
whether it is ever busy through the night. Shops like this work quite well in
Huan thought that we should have dinner at lunch time again today, just like yesterday, and also have cheese and crackers in the evening again. She is not 100% yet so I agreed with her choice of another buffet meal. I did enjoy my fish though!
Almost home and I found a flutterby, it deserves three photos.
After our naps the worker came for the kitchen window sill, he was very fast!
The
next job will be done by the arch maker. We’ll give him a call either tomorrow
or the day after. Since we had no evening meal photos yesterday, here is mine
for today. We both had the fruity cheese, Huan a miniature
September 11th More freedom before the rains arrive. The window arch man would come this afternoon so we could have a walk round the river in the morning. Our first surprise, a snowbird family has returned, a real flying family, they deserve two photos.
Huan also found a lizard so she was chuffed to bits.
Before too long she found yet another one, big smiles all round.
It’s time now for your weekly educational input. Do you know Felix the cat? If so, would you know that the date on this moped is actually correct? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_the_Cat
It was my turn then, nothing special though, just a bug.
We did try for a bird, too small and too far.
A walk is not complete without a chat with friends. Today’s walk was complete!
Finally, before lunch, a meeting with another old friend.
Our worker turned after we had finished our lunch and our naps. This was one job he was happy to do, we were paying him directly! Huan took far too many photos, again!
This was the finished job for today. Painter man will be the next visitor to plaster and paint the arch. We may ask him to finish off all the work around the doors as well. First we will call Window Man tomorrow to confirm that if we do so we will be reducing the money that we still owe him. We do have doors and windows now but things are still not to our satisfaction.
September 12th Rain stopped play so the Commander-in-Chief found ways to keep the troops from being bored. First remove the floating shelf in the second bedroom.
The next job was a lot of moving furniture which we have no photos of because I needed Huan’s help. I also needed a short break once it was all done! Next came electrical work, the replacement of all the fittings in this room. Before lunch I did the wall switch and the left side of the bed, no ‘double throws’ the wires are hidden in the wall somewhere.
After lunch and a much needed nap it was time for the other side of the bed, the wall opposite and the air conditioner socket.
Braving the rain we had noodles for dinner.
September 13th It was still raining this morning so we did some clearing out. We are giving away some furniture so we need space for things that we need. A lot was taken by friends; some was left on top of the bins for anybody who came by.
The river was a little high.
In the evening we needed shopping so we had to go out in the rain again. Dinner was another spicy one, Huan’s with soup and mine without.
September 14th Day three of the rain and we have never seen the river this swollen. Later on we heard that this is the heaviest rainfall for Wuzhishan since 1958. Everyone was asked to stay indoors unless it was really necessary to go out. Schools and businesses were closed too.
Roads near our place were not passable.
Water was also running off the roof and down the stairs.
Huan and a couple of the neighbours went up to unblock the drains. She wore a “portable rain coat”. I dread to think what a non-portable one is like.
I should add that we also had no electricity when we woke up. In fact it didn’t come back all day, that’s why the Blog post is late this week. By four o’clock the weather had improved enough that we could go out. More damage had been caused than we realised.
There was mud all over the place.
To our surprise there were also damaged cars. The river must have been very high. Like a wall of water in the river bed and quite high on the side roads too.
At the riverside, railings were down.
The river level was slowly going down. You can’t see it but there is a lot of detritus on the bridge deck from the river. It gives you an idea of how high the water must have been!
Did the river do this?
Some creatures were unperturbed of course. The last one, according to its owners, was talking to be because it ‘has babies inside’!
Can you guess what we had for dinner, again? You’re right, noodles!
Back home our entranceway was at least free of flowing water! You can see that we have a slight hill there. It might surprise you to know that the slurry was not flowing down here, but being pushed up by the force from the road at the end. In fact, all the damage you can see around the town was caused only by rain and the river, there was no wind to speak of.
The old people had to climb the stairs to get home, we still had no electricity. I wonder if I could rig a pulley system up to lift me up to our apartment. On the other hand I could end up having to write a sick note to SWMBO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaoqJ6hr1Dc I chose this version so that you can read the lyrics.
My day finished with me nagging said lady. She was bored and was cleaning windows, in the dark, and on the outside! She won’t listen to me.
Anyway, time to post this now, sorry it's late this week. See you again in the near future. Take care!
