wtf did the week go???
I cannot believe the week has gone so quickly!!
It seems that doing two jobs allows the day to compress into an unseeing blur and maybe I should continue without my replacement and I will reach old age in but a matter of moments. – I await the flames.
I did not get to do anything in Accra given the fact I had very little money and my car was waiting for me sans fuel. A wicked joke I tell you. That said, my car had further war wounds in the shape of a cracked windscreen which falls right across my vision. My language was a little bit shocking when this was noted.
That said the trip to Tarkwa was made a lot more interesting by having Derek – our think tank man – in the car. Various topics were discussed and it did make the trip go a lot quicker.
And then!
Boom!
The running began. I tried to make the best of the available daylight time traveling between Bogoso and Tarkwa on a daily basis. Most of the end of day trips were made in the dark on a road that boasts at least 10 vehicles who have broken down in the road, fallen off the road down the hill or – my favorite – in the middle of the road on a blind rise.
I had a few beers each night to fortify myself for the trip home. * innocent look *
On Friday night our site lads were completing a milestone with a rather interesting lift of a stacker conveyor. I have written about stacker conveyors before and you will understand these are pretty hefty chunks of steel, high up in the air.
They used three cranes simultaneously to do the lift, which had the client take on a very very white shade when he walked out of his – rather interesting – meeting to see what was happening. I must admit, to do lifts of that nature requires a set of balls the size of table mountain. All I could think of was what could go wrong. My contribution to the success of the lift was “Pelican Like”
The structure lift and bolt on took all of 9 hours and was finally completed at 11pm. Two bouts of rain while this was happening did not assist our cause at all! Carl and his lads were hellishly tired when they arrived at the Bogoso house very late for the sites first “fines meeting”
Now we have a young lady engineer on site – Jeri – who is a bubbly lass and apparently on all the sites she has been on, has willingly taken on the role of social organizer. My role in the fines meeting was to procure meat for a braai, which was done with one phone call to Obuasi.
A trophy – Nuts welded onto a base, engraved et al – forms the centre piece of the evening whereby the holder of the “nut” controls the fines meeting. Jeri was the holder and our came her lil note book – do you not hate these engineering types that write everything down – and promptly proceeded to fine at will. Being construction the fine was two fingers of what ever you were drinking. (even coke).
My fines related to
- Falling into a mud hole the first day on site and “poesing down (their statement – not mine)” much to the merriment of those around.
- As project manager for been the last person to arrive on site. (The fact that I was on site before it was established was not accepted and earned me another fine)
- For sitting in a meeting with the client and using my “blonde” look when he started sprouting technical stuff.
- For overcharging the contract when I headed up small works and having to live with the consequences now that I have taken over the contract. (Once again my “Small works never overcharges” was met with derision and a further fine)
This was besides the general fines for having had malaria, been in Ghana before the contract started on other contracts, etc etc
Needless to say, the mosquitoes stayed away from me that night.
The meat was stunning, the company great and I once again do think I am going to have fun on the contract.
The downside is the communications are patchy, there is no email as yet and on a site where it rains every day, your boots weigh 20kg by the time you have done some walking on site. Mud is everywhere and driving is quite fun cause it is like you have been given free time on a skid pan. Pulling trucks out of mud holes is a thrice daily occurrence.
The house where I will be staying is comfortable and looks over a Par 3. It appears the dust will be coming off the golf clubs.
Twas Angies boifday on Thursday and I phoned her to wish her happy. – even if it was on the Friday. Bad phones and all that Ang!
I understand JHB is still cold and Nessers is coming down with the Lurgy. Best it be done and dusted in 4 weeks *wicked chuckle
Telkom phoned me while I was in SA giving me an installation date for my ADSL in July. True to form, it was installed last week. I must remember to write them a letter thanking them for under promising and over delivering.
So now my kids can email me!! Demmet!!!
Nessers has ADSL – still no Nekked Pics
Esther has a dial up – poor Esther – and it would take her too long to send me nekked pics. (Oh yes and Nessers would kill me as well *chuckle*)
So hey
*wistful look at right hand and “private folder”*
Have a fun one people. I am back to my month end!!
It seems that doing two jobs allows the day to compress into an unseeing blur and maybe I should continue without my replacement and I will reach old age in but a matter of moments. – I await the flames.
I did not get to do anything in Accra given the fact I had very little money and my car was waiting for me sans fuel. A wicked joke I tell you. That said, my car had further war wounds in the shape of a cracked windscreen which falls right across my vision. My language was a little bit shocking when this was noted.
That said the trip to Tarkwa was made a lot more interesting by having Derek – our think tank man – in the car. Various topics were discussed and it did make the trip go a lot quicker.
And then!
Boom!
The running began. I tried to make the best of the available daylight time traveling between Bogoso and Tarkwa on a daily basis. Most of the end of day trips were made in the dark on a road that boasts at least 10 vehicles who have broken down in the road, fallen off the road down the hill or – my favorite – in the middle of the road on a blind rise.
I had a few beers each night to fortify myself for the trip home. * innocent look *
On Friday night our site lads were completing a milestone with a rather interesting lift of a stacker conveyor. I have written about stacker conveyors before and you will understand these are pretty hefty chunks of steel, high up in the air.
They used three cranes simultaneously to do the lift, which had the client take on a very very white shade when he walked out of his – rather interesting – meeting to see what was happening. I must admit, to do lifts of that nature requires a set of balls the size of table mountain. All I could think of was what could go wrong. My contribution to the success of the lift was “Pelican Like”
The structure lift and bolt on took all of 9 hours and was finally completed at 11pm. Two bouts of rain while this was happening did not assist our cause at all! Carl and his lads were hellishly tired when they arrived at the Bogoso house very late for the sites first “fines meeting”
Now we have a young lady engineer on site – Jeri – who is a bubbly lass and apparently on all the sites she has been on, has willingly taken on the role of social organizer. My role in the fines meeting was to procure meat for a braai, which was done with one phone call to Obuasi.
A trophy – Nuts welded onto a base, engraved et al – forms the centre piece of the evening whereby the holder of the “nut” controls the fines meeting. Jeri was the holder and our came her lil note book – do you not hate these engineering types that write everything down – and promptly proceeded to fine at will. Being construction the fine was two fingers of what ever you were drinking. (even coke).
My fines related to
- Falling into a mud hole the first day on site and “poesing down (their statement – not mine)” much to the merriment of those around.
- As project manager for been the last person to arrive on site. (The fact that I was on site before it was established was not accepted and earned me another fine)
- For sitting in a meeting with the client and using my “blonde” look when he started sprouting technical stuff.
- For overcharging the contract when I headed up small works and having to live with the consequences now that I have taken over the contract. (Once again my “Small works never overcharges” was met with derision and a further fine)
This was besides the general fines for having had malaria, been in Ghana before the contract started on other contracts, etc etc
Needless to say, the mosquitoes stayed away from me that night.
The meat was stunning, the company great and I once again do think I am going to have fun on the contract.
The downside is the communications are patchy, there is no email as yet and on a site where it rains every day, your boots weigh 20kg by the time you have done some walking on site. Mud is everywhere and driving is quite fun cause it is like you have been given free time on a skid pan. Pulling trucks out of mud holes is a thrice daily occurrence.
The house where I will be staying is comfortable and looks over a Par 3. It appears the dust will be coming off the golf clubs.
Twas Angies boifday on Thursday and I phoned her to wish her happy. – even if it was on the Friday. Bad phones and all that Ang!
I understand JHB is still cold and Nessers is coming down with the Lurgy. Best it be done and dusted in 4 weeks *wicked chuckle
Telkom phoned me while I was in SA giving me an installation date for my ADSL in July. True to form, it was installed last week. I must remember to write them a letter thanking them for under promising and over delivering.
So now my kids can email me!! Demmet!!!
Nessers has ADSL – still no Nekked Pics
Esther has a dial up – poor Esther – and it would take her too long to send me nekked pics. (Oh yes and Nessers would kill me as well *chuckle*)
So hey
*wistful look at right hand and “private folder”*
Have a fun one people. I am back to my month end!!
1 Comments:
you use shocking language? never! ;)
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