[Frank Woolf]

Fortunately I just have to make it clear what I want. Pay the costs and get the materials. My brother in law finds the workers and manages everything for me. He also deals with the barangay officials, etc.

I only need to visit every few days and sometimes need to load up the trailer with cement, tiles, wood, or whatever they need. Talking of the trailer - we checked the wheel bearings and found I have been cheated again The bearings are totally mangled. My nephew took off one hub and found the inner and outer parts of the bearing did not match. The inner bearing retaining ridges mostly gone and loads of old scrap metal used to hold it all together. I didn't even bother checking the other side. I will try to get a new axle and hubs.

I can only do things like shoveling for a few minutes before I run out of energy. I am diabetic so I can't take any high energy foods or drinks. When I do physical labor I am exhausted very quickly so I don't have much choice but to sit back with a cool drink while I am there. Anyway, somebody has to take the pictures

[Guzzinuts]

Actually Frank, your right - that's exactly how it is there in the Phil's. Especially during the search for the "right person" to talk to reference our prospective coconut plantation. Both my wife & I have left MOST of the leg-work & dealings with Barangay Captains etc, etc. In fact - I was mostly kept well out of it, especially during initial negotiations - you know the story - if they see a "Johnny-boy" involved with buying property etc.... know what I mean?
As regards to any future humping & dumping out there. In that heat & humidity - even without my duff shoulder & dodgy knee - I too would be taking a back seat with most of the labouring going on. Mind you - I do find it difficult to just sit on my butt day after day & watch others doing stuff that I wouldn't have batted an eye at a few years ago. But, I guess that's what happens when physical "old age" starts to catch up with "mental old age" - ha-ha!?
As regards to your dilapidated wheel bearings, sorry to hear. But I feel, not an unusual story in our beloved Phil's? One thing that should help me in a similar situation (I hope!) is my Agricultural machinery background. Having worked for Massey Ferguson for so many years, if the same happened to me, at least I will have the tools & knowledge to fix it up pretty quick - providing I could find the correct replacements - of course!?
So yes - I guess I would be right there with you Frank in that department - taking the pics too!
Take care & have a great time over Christmas & the New year - I envy you - especially stuck over here in these freezing temperatures! Cheers!

[Frank Woolf]

Yep I try to avoid any contact with officials, suppliers, workers, etc and get my nephews or brothers in law to at least make the first contact to get prices etc.

In the case of the wheel bearings I should have checked them when I bought the axle so that was a dumb mistake. My background is almost all mechanical, electrical, etc so I should know better. I was checking for anything that might need tightening or fixing when I noticed too much play in the wheel bearings. When I dismantled one hub I realized it was not even worth fixing it.

On Monday I got a new axle from a different supplier and checked it carefully. The bearings feel smooth with no free play and the guy even took the hubs off the show me the bearings.

I have now changed the axle and added shock absorbers.

One reason I never returned to the UK was because of the climate. Cold and snow is nice if you can sit by a log fire looking out the window but when you have to get to work its no fun at all. I remember having to fix my cars in sub zero temperatures and snow. I never want to do that again.

[Frank Woolf]

Today was a good day. My wife arrived a couple of days ago so today we went to the beach house to collect my brother in law and let her see the progress. Grass (and weeds) are starting to grow on the newly landscaped bare soil so its easier to imagine what it will look like when the grass, flowers and trees are there. It will look great

My brother in law signed up a husband, wife and daughter team to be our new caretakers. They are well known by all the locals who say they are hardworking and honest. I was certainly impressed by what I saw today.

Today I gave thanks for the way things have turned out with the beach house so far. It felt very good to see everything coming together with no real problems.

[Frank Woolf]

On January 17 we took most of the plants that were intended for the house lot to the beach lot and planted them.

A couple of weeks ago I took 30 sacks of coconut coir to the beach lot and we piled it around the plants. The tomatoes are doing great and the calamansi that have never flowered since I got them months ago are smothered in flowers so I can confirm that coir works pretty good.

Picture 1. Leaving home with the plants. I added seats to the trailer because at new year I came back from the beach house with ten relatives in the car and 8 on the trailer. They said the ride was fine but they want better seats and something to stop the wheels throwing mud at them!

Picture 2. Collecting another ten sacks of coir on the way to the beach lot.

Picture 3. Lumber being delivered by banca.

Picture 4. The tomatoes.

Picture 5. The varigated calamansi that never flowered in months now covered in flowers two weeks after piling coir around the base.

[Frank Woolf]

A few weeks ago my brother in law went to a barangay council meeting where they suggested we build a fence the same as our neighbors along the side of the road nearest the sea. They said the road will be widened on the other side so it will be fine.

He went ahead and started building the fence then last week we got a visit from guys at city hall with a demand to stop work on the fence because we don't have a permit so we went to city hall a couple of days ago to get the requirements and forms to apply for a permit.

It turns out that they intend to make the current dirt road into a 30 meter wide highway! I can't see how this is possible in many places unless they have hundreds of billions of pesos to spend but this will completely wipe out hundreds of beach lots and make many others useless. It looks like a large number of people are about to lose a large chunk of their investment. If they do widen the road on the side away from the sea it will not be a big problem for me but if they intend somehow build the road on the steep slope nearest the sea then I will have wasted about 15,000 pesos on drilling a well and will have to do it again.

We did go to the planning office to ask what the plans are but they said we have to apply for the fence permit first then they will do a survey.

[davaodan]

Hi Frank,

As you know my lot near Kanaan faces the same problem. How much are they going to take and from where, hillside or seaside? I have my house situated close to the road to encourage them to take from the hillside. That does not help you though as your house is nearer the sea. Perhaps you can put a caretakers house near the road.

Is it possible to build a living fence made of madre de cacao without a permit? Bend like a willow in the wind. Put it even nearer the road!

I think it will be years because of road funding before this problem comes to a head so in your place I would (if possible) build what you want where you want and don't worry about the future. Just enjoy today.

Later,

Dan

[Frank Woolf]

Yes I agree. Actually I never intended to have an expensive fence with a hollow block base, concrete posts, steel tube etc but the Barangay Council suggested we just continue the same type of fence as the neighbors and I agreed it would look nice. I would be just as happy not spending so much money on a fence.

I am applying for the permit to try to find out where they want the fence and to see if they try the same thing as Babak where they want me to sign forms giving them the right to take as much land as they like whenever they like before giving the permit. I am no longer going to build anything at Babak, Bandera or del Monte due to that and will not be planting any of the trees etc. I am no longer interested in investing on Samal Island and will just sell the land later. The main permaculture farm/home will now be near Toril.

In the case of the beach lot if the fence is a problem I will simply do as you say and use madre de cacao and/or other plants. Of course this means they won't get the view of the sea from the road that they want which also suits me because I don't really want people on the road looking over the fence and possibly looking for something to steal.

I need to put something there to stop the soil being washed into the road and creating a swamp. The hollow blocks would have done that but plenty of plants might work.

[Frank Woolf]

The well and pump are working.

Today we tested the new deep well. It goes down 42 feet which is a few feet past where they hit water. We are in a seriously dry spell right now so I am guessing that the chances of the well running dry are slim. The water is fresh and clean and I will now get a good size tank then connect to the house.

The picture shows the first water from the well.

[Frank Woolf]

I just realized this record of progress at the beach lot is a bit out of date.

There is good and bad news to add so first the good:

I bought a 1,500 liter tank and made an 8 foot hight tower for it. The pictures below show the tower on the trailer before taking it to Samal and the tank on the tower before any painting and plumbing was started. It is actually now connected to the house so we have a working toilet, washbasin and shower at last.

There is a problem to be resolved. I installed a float switch in the tank so it switches on the pump when the water is about a foot below the top and switches off the pump when it is nearly full. The problem is that if we don't use much water the pump has to be primed again. I suspect the pump was run while dry when they installed it and this has destroyed the seal so water leaks back while it is standing idle leaving the pump dry. If anyone has experience of this please give me some input.

The fact that we have water means that we can water the plants and keep planting even during the drought so things are taking shape with the fruit and veggies.

I had a banca made for the kids to play with and for some close by fishing trips. The standard size is only big enough for two locals so just big enough for me! I had a larger size made big enough for 4 to 5 locals. The total cost was 7,000 pesos and it seems well made.

The bad news is that the Barangay said the resolution for the fence was complete and then said there was a problem. A week or so later I get a text message from someone claiming to be a city engineer telling me I must stop all development on my land because the guy managing the workers (my brother in law) does not respect the city engineers or the barangay!

I asked my brother in law about it and he has no idea what the problem is. We have coordinated with the barangay councilors asking their advice every step of the way and I have insisted we follow all the rules.