Farewell lads, It's been a journey.
I got my act together with some concrete and set the three critical pieces in position on Tuesday then back filled with sand, gifted by the neighbour over the road, first thing this morning.
Scratched my head over how to join English to French pipe diameters (I thought they were the same but they're not, French ones are smaller) and came up with a neat join that I hope shouldn't cause blockages in the future.
Feel quite proud of how this bit of work has turned out. Briefly considered sheets of glass over the top so that I could still look at the underground pipe work but concrete is probably better.
After all that, who should turn up at 11:30 but Monsieur Delpeche with a lad, a digger and a truck. - A few words and pointing later and Mr Of The Fish left and Reneau (I think that's what he said) got stuck in to the garden wall with the bucket. Ten minutes later it was twelve o'clock and he left for lunch saying 'see you at 14:00'.
Very civilised.
To concrete over T,D and H, advice from the St Fraigne advisory committee was "Just go and buy yourself a mixer", - so a trip to Brico Depot in Angouleme where the prices are better than 3M in Rufec, apparently. Cruised the isles and picked up a few odds and ends but no sign of any big stuff.
Then on the way out spotted another bit of the shop, separate and behind the one I'd been to. Mooched in with the van and there she was, glinting invitingly in orange. We now proudly own our very first IRBAL 125.
God it's awful. I don't know how the Chinese can do it for 171 euros but it can't be pleasant. Instructions on the safety wear necessary to use the thing but nothing on how to bolt the motor on or fix the paddles to the drum, so that was fun. But I don't want to be ungrateful, it's a bargain and hopefully someone who made it got a wage.
Anyway. Renault had been busy and by the time I got back we had; a hole in the ground, one pile of soil, one pile of rubble and a broken digger. He says he doesn't know when he'll be back.
