Attack of the minions

Just haven't felt up to posting lately.  The whole building thing has gone waaayy beyond funny.
Hugh has been to mediation at the court.  No result and they have to go again in September.
The crew have been back and done repairs that have actually created new faults,
The BSA inspector came back to check as Tony Moran advised they had done all the repairs and observed  they had done very litle and that the deck actually looks worse than when he had first seen it!!!  He told Tony Moran it looked like his apprentices had been let loose with no supervision.  
Hmmm.  I think that is what we had been saying since very early on.
We have lodged two new lists of faults to be attended to.  About another 35 items.

Now they have asked to return for three more days, Today to Friday to fix the repairs and a few more things.
We have Tony Moran here today to supervise.  Pity he hadn't deemed it necessary to do so earlier.  We might not be in this mess.

He is on the roof with his minions scuttling about and cutting and drilling and who knows what destrucion they are causing this time.
Can only pray it doesn't rain.

09 June 2011, Thursday, Drizzly

Examples of Coastal Patios workmanship

Asst size screws driven too deep and allow water to pool

Top of handrails.  No plugs in bolt holes

I think this speaks for itself!!!

Badly swaged wires, ends left jagged and dangerous.

Tony Moran from Coastal Patios and another person arrived at 7.30 am as expected.  After a quick look at the deck, they suggested that the answer they would be using was to punch the already over screwed screws further into the deck, and then fill the resultant holes with something.
Hugh explained that was not acceptable.  We do not want a lot of deep holes with bits of putty coming loose and falling out.
Tony commented that he had tried to contact the guy from the BSA to find out what he actually wanted done but had been unable to.
Hugh told him today was the last day to remedy but Tony said they did not get the letter til the 18th so they still had time.  Tony then left.

08 June 2011, Wednesday, Overcast

Busy again.
Dr Appt with Dr Werchon for both of us .  Hugh's BP has improved.  Looking good.  My XRays show that my back has now fused and that is the cause of all of the pain I have.  No cure,  Learn to live within the boandaries it allows.  Pain medication increased and to be monitored.

Email from Graham Towndrow that they will be here 7.30 am tomorrow.  2 guys for about 1/2 hour.  I have no idea what they hope to acheive in that amount of time

07 June 2011, Tuesday, Sunshine

Tested the system.
Ammonia  0>.1
Nitrate       0>.5
Nitrate       5
PH             6.0,  maybe slightly lower.
Really happy with the tests.  This system has always been so problem free.

Had noticed a bit of a smell but realised later it was coming from the snail enclosure.  A bit of excess food in there probably.  Have to find a way to reduce the snail numbers before the take over.

06 June 2011,Monday, Sunshine

Busy day.  Dropped Che at school, then to Mooloolaba for more X Rays, then to Dr. Werchon, Quick lunch at our favourite bakery.
Did our weekly shop at Aldi, then quick OpShop visit, then Bunnings, The fruit shop on way home.  Made it to Nambour by 2.00pm.  Whew.
Then chemist, and special grocery shop.  Home just before Che's bus at 3.00pm.
Sent response to Coastal Patios to allow them to visit Thursday.

05 June 2011,Sunday, Sunshine

Lovely day, but didn't seem to find time to get out in the garden much.
Picked two nice little pumpkins.  One butternut and the other I think is a buttternut/Jap cross.
There are a couple that look like they will be perfect to put in the show.  Pity we have no ripe kumquats this year
Saw two of the four adult rainbow fish today.  I put a couple new hides into the tank and disturbed their hibernation.  The goldies really need a new tank.  There are too many, really big fish in the tank now.  Hope to get a tank for the plain goldies and another for the fancy and fantails.  Just use this small one then for the babies.  Keep it free of the natives.
Added iron chelates,  A couple days late this week,  Whoops.  Have to get some more seaweed extract tomorrow from Bunnings.  The butter Beans have started to sprout and enough borlotti beans on for another feed this week.  Plenty of salad leaves coming.
Lots of the cutting have struck.  100% of the spider plants, even tho they looked pretty sick when I found them broken off the plant.

So much for the electrician...  We had just started to think that maybe he was not tarred with the Coastal Patio brush...  Then he didn't turn up today as promised  :(   So damn annoying.  We held off going out in the hope he would show until finally Hugh went into town alone to get my prescription filled and I stayed here just in case.  No phone call,  No show.  Bloody typical Qld attitude it seems.

04 June 2011,Saturday, Sunshine

I am determined to put Coastal Patios out of my  head for a couple days.
There has been an Open Garden Day advertised in the local area and we are going....
Wow, what a garden.  It has taken them 17 years to create but it is 10 very steep acres just packed full of amazing exotic plants.   Cycad Gardens of Eudlo
Heaps of earthworks must have gone into the raised beds etc, but it is wonderful to wander through the many pathways.  Something amazing around every corner.  I bought several plants while there and will plant them tomorrow.  Every rock had baby stag horns or begonias or native ferns self seeded on them.  Just gorgeous.  And yes.  I forgot the camera.
We stopped and had Fish and Chips at Smashed-Crab-Seafoods for Lunch/dinner and ate it beside the lovely Maroochy River.   Che played on the playground while Hugh and I relaxed, then we stopped at another playground near Bli Bli for him to use a bit more energy.
On way home we filled up with petrol and bought some bargain fruit trees at the Service Station.  Not sure if they are selling out of them, but great price for 3 good looking plants.
A Jackfruit, a Coffee Arabica and a Loquat.  Get them in the ground and they should take off.
And home in plenty of time to see Dr Who.
Now that is a good day.

03 June 2011, Friday, Sunshine

The Coastal Patio crew arrived at about 7.30 am.  First request was to use some power as all their tools had flat batteries.  They didn't think to charge them overnight at home of course.
So the day was spent with the house full of guys trying to fix the mess they had created.
The electrician also turned up to get the lights and power points connected up.
That was somewhat of a revelation.  We found they had been told not to finish up back in December.  All manner of reasons given at a meeting that was called by Tony Moran.  Basically, they were told the job had turned toxic, We were at fault, Tony was the person being hard done by.

Razor sharp edges on gate

He was rather surprised that Tony's workers were here under instruction from the BSA.  And that they were fixing 11 category 1 defects.
We  were just sooo happy to see the back of their trucks as they laod rubber up our driveway.
It was horribly shortlived joy tho because on opening my email I found a further request from Graham Towndrow from Coastal Patios to enter the property again ..

Coastal Patios is requesting entry to your property on Thursday June 9th at 7.30am to inspect the decking before repair.
What the....  9th is the last day of the 28 days they were given to fix the job.
I feel like we are just being held to ransom by this mob.  How much longer are they going to be arriving at dawn, Fiddling around all day and then wrecxking our garden and drive with their trucks.