Last Tuesday we went for some Retail Therapy in Alabang to relieve the stress of house building! As part of this we decided to go to the cinema and we chose Alice in Wonderland starring Johnny Depp.
I was all prepared to be disappointed but actually really enjoyed the film. If you haven’t seen it and think you might do so, beware spoilers ahead! It is not Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, in fact that story is seen as aback story that happened to Alice when she was a little girl. Alice is now 19 and being proposed to by a chinless wonder from the aristocracy. She runs away, chases the white rabbit, falls down the hole, eats the cake, drinks the bottle to change size so she can use the key to get into the garden (all as in AinW classic). The story then is more based on Through the Looking Glass. There is a war between the Red and White Queens (who are sisters). The Mad Hatter is a leading figure in trying to overthrow the Red queen, but someone, and the prophetic scroll, says it is Alice, has to kill the Jaberwock. All the best characters are there, Tweedledum and Dee, the dormouse, the March hare, the cheshire Cat, he is wonderful, but the Hatter steals the film. It has quite dark moments and I wouldn’t take small child to see it, but if you fancy an adult Alice, go see!!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
End of Week Two
I keep updating the pictures, same link as before, so interested parties can see, how things are going.
At the north end of the house the concrete pillars are up and I expect we will see walls very soon, - as we progress southwards, we can seee footings and foundations. The middle of the house, dining/kitchen and lounge segments are up to their floor level, our end, south end, is still below floor level because of the slope. Footings are in andf we wait to see the undercroft support pillars for the floor above.
All are working hard, Grace thinks we moght have a roof in 2 to 3 weeks!
Watch this space!!
At the north end of the house the concrete pillars are up and I expect we will see walls very soon, - as we progress southwards, we can seee footings and foundations. The middle of the house, dining/kitchen and lounge segments are up to their floor level, our end, south end, is still below floor level because of the slope. Footings are in andf we wait to see the undercroft support pillars for the floor above.
All are working hard, Grace thinks we moght have a roof in 2 to 3 weeks!
Watch this space!!
Friday, February 26, 2010
First week of house building
Amid trepidation about the falling value of the pound, yet again(!), we started the house building this week.
You will find photographs with captions here:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/JPD.Britt/Housebuilding#
Everything began well with Fr Rico blessing the site, then we got a substandard delivery of hollow blocks (breeze blocks) You can see from the photos that I could (and did) crumble one with my own fair hands. Not what you want to use to build a house!
There has been much digging and pouring in of cement and all seemed to be going well until this afternoon. Now the actual site has a slope on it and I, foolishly, thought we might get a JCB and level the ground first. Apparently not. The work on the foundations has proceeded on the uneven ground with the result that the floor level at one end of the house, which is a foot or so above ground level, is 4 metres above ground level at the other! No the engineer and the architect didn't spot this problem either.
So now we are going to have an undercroft at one end of the house and my office is going to be high in the sky! I can't see any feasible alternative, so that is how it will be.
Actually the undercroft will provide another terrace facing a different direction from the main one and might also be useful as a small photo studio, who knows?
You will find photographs with captions here:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/JPD.Britt/Housebuilding#
Everything began well with Fr Rico blessing the site, then we got a substandard delivery of hollow blocks (breeze blocks) You can see from the photos that I could (and did) crumble one with my own fair hands. Not what you want to use to build a house!
There has been much digging and pouring in of cement and all seemed to be going well until this afternoon. Now the actual site has a slope on it and I, foolishly, thought we might get a JCB and level the ground first. Apparently not. The work on the foundations has proceeded on the uneven ground with the result that the floor level at one end of the house, which is a foot or so above ground level, is 4 metres above ground level at the other! No the engineer and the architect didn't spot this problem either.
So now we are going to have an undercroft at one end of the house and my office is going to be high in the sky! I can't see any feasible alternative, so that is how it will be.
Actually the undercroft will provide another terrace facing a different direction from the main one and might also be useful as a small photo studio, who knows?
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Nothing like a Sunday afternoon stroll
Last Sunday, Valentine's day, Grace decided we would go for a walk. When I say we, there were 13 people involved. Because the walk actually started at the Japenese Garden, the Pajero was crammed full of people for the short drive down there.
We were aiming for a waterfall. It all started well, we went through Japenese Garden, branched off and were walking in fields in a general downwards direction. Japenese Garden is at the top of our mountain so i guess any direction is down. We had a bit of a scramble down a narrow path and after 20 minutes came to a pleasant river.
We then set off up and down very narrow and muddy paths for a further 45 minutes and finally decided we were lost. Because , on average, there had been more down than up, on the way back to the river there was more up than down, so I was quite tired when we got back there. However we met a lady who told us where we should have gone and so off we set once more. Again we had narrow and muddy tracks, I had the wrong footwear for this, and more down than up until finally we found the waterfall.
It was definitely worth the effort! Various members of our party swam across and besported themselves in the waterfall, including Annabell and Michelle.
More pictures can be seen at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JPD.Britt/Waterfall#
The walk back was a lot of up and not much down and by the time we were getting near to the Jaopenese garden I was puffing like an old grampus, which I probably am anyway!.
Given that we started about 11 and finally got home about 4.30/ 5.00 it was quite an expedition. Oh yes, I got attacked by leeches as well, I think when I was sitting taking the photographs. So there was quite a bit of blood.
Still not everyone can do a jungle trek on Valentine's Day!!
We were aiming for a waterfall. It all started well, we went through Japenese Garden, branched off and were walking in fields in a general downwards direction. Japenese Garden is at the top of our mountain so i guess any direction is down. We had a bit of a scramble down a narrow path and after 20 minutes came to a pleasant river.
 |
| From Waterfall |
We then set off up and down very narrow and muddy paths for a further 45 minutes and finally decided we were lost. Because , on average, there had been more down than up, on the way back to the river there was more up than down, so I was quite tired when we got back there. However we met a lady who told us where we should have gone and so off we set once more. Again we had narrow and muddy tracks, I had the wrong footwear for this, and more down than up until finally we found the waterfall.
 |
| From Waterfall |
It was definitely worth the effort! Various members of our party swam across and besported themselves in the waterfall, including Annabell and Michelle.
 |
| From Waterfall |
 |
| From Waterfall |
More pictures can be seen at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JPD.Britt/Waterfall#
The walk back was a lot of up and not much down and by the time we were getting near to the Jaopenese garden I was puffing like an old grampus, which I probably am anyway!.
Given that we started about 11 and finally got home about 4.30/ 5.00 it was quite an expedition. Oh yes, I got attacked by leeches as well, I think when I was sitting taking the photographs. So there was quite a bit of blood.
Still not everyone can do a jungle trek on Valentine's Day!!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
A new member of our family
After much thinking about whether we should or not, we have finally taken the plunge and acquired a lady friend for Sisa. She is called Cassie, also a Golden Retriever, but of the American strain, so smaller and lighter than Sisa. She is 2 years old, the idea being we can have puppies!!!!!
She joined us on Friday and is still settling in. Sisa likes her but she hasn't yet learned how to play, sticks close to humans while being walked.
I have posted some photos of her here:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/JPD.Britt/Dogs#
She joined us on Friday and is still settling in. Sisa likes her but she hasn't yet learned how to play, sticks close to humans while being walked.
I have posted some photos of her here:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/JPD.Britt/Dogs#
Just So Stories
I have always remebered these fondly from my childhood so couldn't wait to read them to Mary, my great-niece who lives with us. Having finished both original Pooh book and the new Pooh book not having arrived, we embarked on these a few weeks ago.
They are as wonderful as I remember with the proviso that in places they are totally non-PC. "The Ethiopian was a n****r and so his name was Sa**o". "Your children will be so lazy they will be known as the Mal**y people" that was last night's offering.
Perhaps life was just simpler then?
They are as wonderful as I remember with the proviso that in places they are totally non-PC. "The Ethiopian was a n****r and so his name was Sa**o". "Your children will be so lazy they will be known as the Mal**y people" that was last night's offering.
Perhaps life was just simpler then?
A Tale of Three Typhoons
This is Typhoon season in the Philippines, but the ones we have just had are much worse than normal.
The first, which shot across central Luzon caused widespread flooding. The biggest town nearest us, Santa Cruz has its centre under water still and the only way to go any further than the main church into the centre is by boat!
The second typhoon brought winds more than rain, it ran over the north
of Luzon, then met up with a mate, another typhoon, turned round and
came back to Luzon and headed to central Luzon bringing rain and
winds.
But the worst was last weekend, Friday night, for us because it passed directly overhead with winds in excess of 150 mph. All night we just heard the terrible noise of the wind and rain except for an hour when the eye was passing overhead when there was a deathly silence.
Next day we had little damage, some banana plants damged, leaves torn off coconut trees, one mahogany tree uprooted but it fell onto a concrete post rather than the fence so didn't do any more damage. And, of course, our Internet access module blown down. However around and about, there was much more damage, driving down to Pagsanhan we saw houses blown away, big trees down, there had been a flash flood depositing tons of mud into peoples homes in Pagsanhan, rooves ripped up etc. So we got off lightly.
I have posted 3 photos taken after the first 2 typhoons at
http://tinyurl.com/yzsbknb
One is of a school completely surrounded by water, what looks like a river to the school's right is actually supposed to be a road.
The second is of rice fields now completely subnmerged in water, as Laguna de Bay, the huge inland lake has risen.
The third is a panorama showing Laguna de bay. The water in the background is supposed to be water, but that in the foreground is supposed to be land.
All were taken from way up our mountain, and it was misty so apolgies for the haziness of the pictures.
The position now is worse, there is even less land visible and the town of Lumban has all but disappeared!
Lets hope we don't get any more like that.
The first, which shot across central Luzon caused widespread flooding. The biggest town nearest us, Santa Cruz has its centre under water still and the only way to go any further than the main church into the centre is by boat!
The second typhoon brought winds more than rain, it ran over the north
of Luzon, then met up with a mate, another typhoon, turned round and
came back to Luzon and headed to central Luzon bringing rain and
winds.
But the worst was last weekend, Friday night, for us because it passed directly overhead with winds in excess of 150 mph. All night we just heard the terrible noise of the wind and rain except for an hour when the eye was passing overhead when there was a deathly silence.
Next day we had little damage, some banana plants damged, leaves torn off coconut trees, one mahogany tree uprooted but it fell onto a concrete post rather than the fence so didn't do any more damage. And, of course, our Internet access module blown down. However around and about, there was much more damage, driving down to Pagsanhan we saw houses blown away, big trees down, there had been a flash flood depositing tons of mud into peoples homes in Pagsanhan, rooves ripped up etc. So we got off lightly.
I have posted 3 photos taken after the first 2 typhoons at
http://tinyurl.com/yzsbknb
One is of a school completely surrounded by water, what looks like a river to the school's right is actually supposed to be a road.
The second is of rice fields now completely subnmerged in water, as Laguna de Bay, the huge inland lake has risen.
The third is a panorama showing Laguna de bay. The water in the background is supposed to be water, but that in the foreground is supposed to be land.
All were taken from way up our mountain, and it was misty so apolgies for the haziness of the pictures.
The position now is worse, there is even less land visible and the town of Lumban has all but disappeared!
Lets hope we don't get any more like that.
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