One of my trees .......









Tuesday 11 April

My neighbourhood? Well what can I say? I’m in a very ethnic area on the outskirts of Una. I’m on the second floor of my guesthouse (penthouse?) and as everything around is single or double storey I keep an eye on things.

Ours is the only house with a well, so it’s also the centre of the community. Most others have tanks and showers in their yards. I overlook their showers and privies! Many still only have wood stoves with which to cook.

My landlady cooks for me, usually:
Monday – rice and curry (hot)
Tuesday – devilled prawns (hot)
Wednesday – fried rice (mixed and hot)
Thursday – devilled calamari (hot)
Friday – whole fish (tuna or whatever) grilled but still somehow hot with ginger and chillies.

There is a local community spirit – its New Year now and everyone cleans (like our spring cleaning) so this week it was the local storm water gullies, Local contractors have built over various outlets so the water doesn’t go where it should and the Municipality does nothing. Our neighbourhood has therefore been concreting to adjust the falls and directions. After each day’s work they decide they’re entitled to a party so the arrack comes out. By the time I get home most are under the table! We have a particular problem, as there is a guesthouse just down the lane that is owned by an English couple. She has a problem (known locally as an arrack attack) and after one of these evenings keeps the whole neighbourhood awake till 1 or 2 o’clock with really very strange behaviour!

One poor old fella across the lane has an awful cough – I can’t believe he’s long for this world.

Fireworks are plentiful and readily available. At times it’s like WW3 around here.

Mohammed’s Birthday (PBUH) today and New Year on Thursday and Friday so this week is a write – off, much like Christmas and New Year in England.

Fireworks and outrageous behaviour are the norm; however there are some beautiful traditions that I’ve been learning about which are lovely but endangered – being a traditionalist I find it very sad,

This week’s good news, I saw my trees being turned into benches today. Eat your heart out Simon. We’re talking Ginisapu, which is hardwood as hard and as heavy as granite. One man can just about lift one of the small pieces, a 3-foot by 15-inch bench 3 inches thick. It is so beeeeeauuutiful. My tree!

Now on to this week’s disaster.

(Small break for another lemon gin and tonic).

Everything was going great on the framing front – I have a beneficiary, a workshop (which we, you and me, are financing the refurbishment of) and an order from Project Galle for up to ONE THOUSAND FRAMES. Then on Saturday, an essential item of equipment fails! It is US made and guaranteed unavailable here. I was less than pleased – not suicidal but “troubled”.

Monday saw me on the 0740 express to Colombo – 130 kms 3 hours – to seek a replacement. Failed miserably other than an empty box, which described what sometimes is available! Chinese of course – colonisation by economic means is what is happening worldwide at present.

I stood all the way home – like in a London tube – everyone going home for the hols.

Interlude – it’s started to rain! Wonderful, its immediately cooler and I may be able to sleep tonight!

(Small break for another lemon gin and tonic).

Everyone around is out in the garden cooking something in big pots over open fires. I’m told it is some sort of sweetbread, which apparently I have to eat plenty of over New Year - yuk, Incidentally I’m visiting Jaya and family in Matara (his family home) 50 kilometres south of Galle, for New Year.

Back to the story. I spent eight pounds on tuk-tuks travelling round every business in Colombo that had any sort of connection with picture framing. That’s kinda like spending £100 on the tube in one day!

All to no avail but by luck rather than good judgement I today stumbled across a fella in Galle who has a framing business 20 miles south of Colombo and he has the Chinese version upon which I immediately negotiated a price.

I’m giving the manufacturer of the failed equipment some stick by email but no result thus far. I have also had to call on the assistance of Home Office. Lesley has bundled a package of spare mitre saw blades and wedges (things for pinning corners together) -both kindly donated by Duncan MacDonald of DIYframing.com- and some spare clamps etc from my toolbox in Copperfields. Cost a lot of money for a courier but mail is unreliable and if we end up doing 1,000 frames these are essentials.

Battery low on laptop so will continue later …………..

Wednesday 12 April

Well I got too impatient today regarding this Chinese equipment so I phoned the supplier in Colombo and told him I was on my way to collect. I hopped aboard my trusty Scooty-Pep and off I went. Three hours to do 100 kilometres, and pretty hairy. Mission accomplished, I then headed back to Galle. The filthy state I was in when I arrived back in the office was a sight to behold. Still I feel a lot more reassured having that replacement available. DHL should also collect Lesley’s package today so that should arrive in about 5 days. Then we start assembling on Monday next.

I paid for the new roof to the workshop today so hopefully that will be completed before Monday and the workshop should be watertight.

Another bit of good news – my design for the trendsetting sports pavilion has been approved by all and sundry and construction is to go ahead. So versatile!

My visit to the Salvation Army last Saturday was an eye opener. Blood and Fire is their logo – I’ve had nothing to do with them previously other than buying the occasional copy of Watchtower / War cry (whatever it is) on a Friday night down the pub. I had to meet a Major Mike. I was expecting a grey crumbly but was greeted by this 6’6” all-American type footballer aged no more than 25. He has signed up to do two years here. I told him I had already found a suitable beneficiary and made my excuses. Amazing what still goes on – I imagine from his accent that he was from the South’s bible belt. They’ve got some serious money collected from the States and Canada to do good things with. Now I’m tuned in to them, I’m amazed at the number of properties they have around the country – churches, hostels, community centres etc.

To complete the overall effect of my Park Seating project I decided I needed a couple of big planters alongside the entrance pathway and to draw the eye into the seating. I designed them based upon a catalogue I have and asked my contractor to quote. SRs. 190k he wanted (about £1,250). I told him I wanted boxes to put plants in not fortification against the Tamil Tigers. He went away and came back with £240. I then asked the friendly Buddha/Elephant carver in Una to give me a price based on coconut wood. He quoted £180 but couldn’t complete until first week of May – too late. Then a couple of days ago I was driving through one of the poor Moslem quarters and came across a little carpentry shop. Not being shy, I ventured in and explained what I wanted. He immediately twigged, notwithstanding the almost total absence of a mutual tongue, and showed me this mahogany timber he had which he thought would be just the ticket. Much gesticulation and scratching of belly and struggling with a calculator and eventually he decided he could do it for £108 and would complete by 25 April. I thought my mimicry of the height of the perimeter seat and backrest was particularly informative. I’ve given him the order and I’m invited to inspect construction on a daily basis 19 to 25 April. I’ve bonussed him and said that if he does complete by 25 April I will pay £120. Can you imagine two 6x6 planters in Mahogany for £120? I’m sure Mahogany is endangered and you’re not supposed to use it but, hey, the planks were already in his workshop so it was too late to save that particular tree. Might as well use it and put it where it can be admired.