A rational response
I feel like killing someone today.
I think this is a perfectly normal reaction to circumstances, and I doubt there isn’t a judge in the land who would convict me of anything on the grounds that my actions are a natural response of a rational person to events.
You see, I didn’t sleep well last night.
I don’t know why but I had some difficulty getting to sleep. I was cold and had a quilt, a wool blanket and a dressing gown on the bed but I was still cold. This isn’t like me. I used to love a cold bed and used to infuriate Herself by switching off the heating in the bedroom. It was the one good thing about winter – cold nights. But now I have noticed that my old hardiness is beginning to wane. I am beginning to notice chills and breezes. Above all, I notice if my bed is cold.
I think I finally got to sleep around five or six.
Then the bastards out on the lane started up again. I thought they had finally finished but in typical Irish fashion, having made a road with a nice smooth surface they have decided to dig it up again. They were out there at the crack of dawn with a fucking pneumatic drill sounding like the D-Day landings. I don’t know what the fuck they’re at as it’s just out of range of my CCTV so all I know is that there is the constant throb of a diesel compressor with frequent and loud bursts of drilling. There is also something driving backwards constantly with its accompanying irritating beep beep beep.
I am dog tired now and have a headache which is throbbing in harmony with the sound of the compressor.
I rest my case m’lud.
It was probably just a foundation layer yesterday, especially since the drains were standing proud. Today will be the top surface, and it will be over.
No. They laid the foundation a few days ago. This was the final top layer. The drains are flush with the surface but naturally aren’t at the lowest point, so any groundwater will still just flow past them [into my gate].
I just went out to collect my bin. It seems they were re-setting a manhole cover. I don’t know why…..
Last time I observed a road rebuilt to foundations it went like this:
1. Set drain/manhole covers in road;
2. remove covers and lay steel plate over holes;
3. lay top surface;
4. dig up road to remove plate and replace with original cover
5. fill in gap around cover.
This creates a nice weak patch around every drain and manhole so the weather and traffic gets to work right away making potholes.
I’d acquit you. But I’d recommend trying a hot water bottle first.
I would usually have the dog. She’s better than any hot water bottle because she doesn’t go cold overnight. Last night she slept on the other bed. It must have been something I said…..
preinstalling the pot holes.
Planting pothole seeds? That is a distinctly possibility, though it’s a little early for seeds?
It seems they were re-setting a manhole cover. I don’t know why.
This could explain why the job was running behind schedule. The correct (politically that is) manhole covers were on back order. The project manager was waiting for the email from Amazon confirming the order has shipped.
I don’t know why either. I was down the lane after they packed up on Thursday and the manhole looked fine to me. It still looks fine but is now surrounded by freshly laid tarmac.
I’m just waiting now for Irish Water to decide to rip up the lane again to lay a new pipe or two.
Replacement of water lines is scheduled in phase two of the project. (There is always a phase two.)
Phase three follows a couple of weeks after – digging up the lane to lay telephone cables.