Well today was a total blast: morale had been lowish but the paymasters (Anne Peaker Centre) played everyone in the team today including their arts development officer. It was truly a great day.
7 bodies in the team.
The effect was to relieve or dilute the relentless and exhausting 'enabling' of others (the children) so they can work. We have spent so much time getting stuff so they can work. Preparing things for them, finding a place where they can work, explaining what needs to be done and how. Then, when they can not do it, it is our fault for not enabling them enough.
The task of mixing cement is a major drama and goes like this:
'3:1 with water in first' I say all chirpy …….'I'll just a get smaller trowl for my friend over here, put a watering can full in and I'll be with you in a minute'.
'Rob, it has run out of petrol'
No we filled it last night remember. So…Stand behind it, and pull the cord in a straight line. Not out to the side cos the cord rubs on the edge and your hard pulling is wasted. There.. its easy if you pull in a straight line. I'm just going to get some pebbles for your sister.
'Rob I can't open this bag of cement'
'have you got a trowel to poke in the side'
'er no'
'You get a trowel off Katie, Im just going to cut a block for Nicole'.
'Did you get a trowel?
'no she wouldn't let me borrow it'
'Ok then I'll just tear it open' (which is a little like trying to rip the yellow pages in half, but possible) Is there any more water than this? I ask.
'No Sophie knocked the container over'
'Does anyone you know have an outside tap'?
'No we asked yesterday and the houses are terraced and they dont want us walking through on the carpets'.
So I have to drive the containers to a tap in a sink in the near by maintenance office.
Someone says…'Rob is this cement the right height to push the pebbles in?
'Lets have a look …no much too low you need twice as much as that'
'Rob is there any more cement'?
'yeh soon…we're working on it' I say.
and so it goes on. What we get ranges from sand that won't come out the mixer to a slurry that hits the wheel barrow and bounces out splashing anyone by the barrow. One extra watery load knocks the barrow over as it enters – because said barrow is not on a level floor.
'Rob can you help me'
But today we all worked, all helped, and had a laugh, with ice creams for everyone involved at the end of the day.
Kids as well.
17 bodies in the team by the end of the day.
