Thursday, 24 July 2025

Thursday 24th July - the quietest builders I've ever known

Next-door's extension proceeds apace. We can rubberneck easily from our garden, as a couple of fence panels were removed when the garage came down, and won't be replaced for at least a few days.

We are behaving a bit like the man and his dog in a cartoon I saw at the beginning of the covid lockdown back in 2020. The picture and caption were something like this;


"Now I understand why you spend so much time just staring out of the window! "

That was back when the whole world seemed to come to a sudden stop, and the slightest activity outside in the street became of huge interest.

I wish I knew who created the original cartoon so I could credit them.

If I ignored the tremendous racket that's inevitable when breaking up and removing a solid concrete slab (Jack hammer, mini-digger, small tipper truck, slowly growling mountain of concrete lumps on their front lawn), these are really quiet workers. There's no shouting, swearing, littering, loud radio music... they seem to work steadily and efficiently without any fuss. Give them all a beer, says I. 

Music

Have you seen the programme for tonight's prom? Oh wow! We are in for a treat.


Here's a real Nightingale


I don't think I've ever seen or heard a live one...



12 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. There are nightingales in our local Nature Reserve half a mile away. But I wouldn't recognise the song.

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  2. Watching other people work is a pleasurable occupation.

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    1. Great excitement today; there's a lorry with a sort of grab taking away the rubble. That's our morning's entertainment sorted 😃

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  3. I have never seen a nightingale but heard one sing on two separate occasions a long time apart. The first one was in woodland at Newland's Corner in Surrey when I was a child about 65 years ago. I was on a walk with my Gran and my older sister and my Gran made us stop and listen saying "Be quiet, that's a nightingale singing". I have never forgotten it, magical. My sister remembers it too. The second time was about 8 years ago in woods near Battle, East Sussex at twilight. Just as magical. Regards Sue H

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    1. In his book La Vie John Lewis Stempel writes of 6 nightingales singing outside his window at his French farm!

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  4. It sounds like you should try and get contact details and a business card from the builders just in case you need any work doing. They sound amazing.

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    Replies
    1. Yup. We are liking what we see. Measuring twice, with a tape/rule before chopping into the concrete.

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  5. I’ve never heard a nightingale either - but I have been to Berkeley Square!

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    Replies
    1. Tra la la... I wonder when a real nightingale last saw there!

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  6. How lovely not to have noisy sweary builders. I wonder if they are European? Looking forward to the Prom, and wishing the BBC gave us more.

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    1. The builders are English, and so polite and careful.

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