222

The best day of bricklaying. I even claimed that this was my best summer Saturday. Michael Green and I got into a really good rhythm, we were laying bricks so fast. We could have done a heap more, but the chicken was smoked and it was time to call it a good day. We completed a layer and then some. Paul arrived later on in the day and shot me in the ass with a BB gun.

In other developments, Aaron gave me a big old awesome window today. This thing is going to add so much style to the shack. It opens.

Thanks for coming out today lads, I couldn’t have come close to doing that without you.

171

Simon Peterson had said I should have one of those DOC signs pointing towards the shack. And I should. Today I met a guy who used to make those signs for DOC.

171

I was on track too. I ran out of cement. Someone said didn’t you see that coming? I should have. I was 3 bricks short of 4 layers, and that would have been a new day high also.

144

A good day. Michael was today’s guest and we got into a rapid rhythm, rocking out 12 bricks in about an hour at one point.

An early evening fade saw me lost to the world on the couch for a couple of hours. I then returned and had a really enjoyable headtorch-lit 4 brick session, finishing in the dark.

Tomorrow is my last day before I return to work. It has been a productive couple of months on the shack, and I shall remember this time fondly. On the whole I’ve really enjoyed the work. That being said, I’m looking forward to a return to work too.

I need to lay something like 28 bricks tomorrow to finish 4 whole layers. I think that’s on.

120

I was full of aspiration about today, but church, lunch with friends, Simon Peterson, a game of netball, a game of tennis, and dinner out got in the way.

116

Hamish Dean made his debut on site today, and it was a fine one. A few of us had been up till 4 am playing cards, so I was unlikely to be in particularly good form. And so it was. I had a headache that Panadol couldn’t beat. That being said, we managed a bit over 3 hours at it and worked some nice combinations, laying 29 bricks.

The bricks are 3 layers deep in places now, and I’m really pleased with how it is coming along. They’re really starting to look like walls now, solid and hard. Enthusiasm is high. If only I could sustain 20 bricks a day.

I have decided to abandon my post title notation. There are a few bricks, I don't know the exact number, that I've deemed unsuitable. I'm now just going to keep track of the number of bricks that I have laid.

87 / 515

Pasting mortar onto the brick that I’m going to insert dominates the world. The whole world. I’m not sure what went wrong the first time I tried it, but it is a really fast technique for me now.
Michael Peach provided some valuable assistance early in the day. It was so much easier having another person there.

Mike Green timed me late in the day and I laid 3 bricks in about 24 minutes. Not swift.

Mike started talking about making a window out of bottles. This idea was one that I’d written off. But when he showed me photos of them on his phone, I was back on the horse. That would be awesome.

63 / 515

Yeah yeah

54 / 515

17 bricks made on what was essentially a free day was a disappointing effort. Motivation is low for bricklaying. I did sleep twice during the day so maybe I wasn’t feeling too flash.

37 / 515

I returned from my trip not shattered as I had semi expected to be. What an awful sentence.

It seems that the cut I inflicted upon Paul during our normal scuffling around caused an infection. And it didn’t stop there. It proceeded to infect his whole system. Sorry mate.

I have taken great joy in posting photos on this blog whenever I have drawn blood, mostly minor scratches. Unfortunately Paul didn’t take a photo of his finger, but this is the colour his finger was:



Things sped up considerably today as I developed a new method of filling the gap between the bricks. I slapt mortar onto the face of the sitting brick and held it there until it gripped. Paul, Simon, and Alan stopped by today and they suggested the correct technique was to apply the mortar to the brick in hand then quickly slam that home. I’m sure that is the correct technique. I couldn’t get it working for me though.

I believe the stake may have raised as high as 20 cents should Alan manage to touch a cow. He couldn’t.



I’m done using the concrete mixer to mix my mortar. I’m working with such small quantities at a time that there is no point using the mixer, most of the mortar gets stuck in there anyway.

Things weren’t fitting so well towards the end of the row I was working on today so I beat the end off a brick with the hammer. The resulting mangled end didn’t resemble square so a thick smear of mortar was needed. This section of shack is looking distinctly castle-like, though embracing none of that austere structure’s structural capability, nor moat.