Wax On

Day28 Monday 6^th September 2010

9AM. Up the road comes a small van. It’s the flooring man. Followed by another van. I didn’t think it would take two of them to do this small house. The door opens and I can see straight away we’ve got a problem. The flooring guy has fallen off something and can barely walk with a stick. He’s still cheerful but obviously in some pain. He tells us he is unable to do the job but that he won’t let us down and has asked another company to do the job instead. Now that’s service. I can just imagine how this would go at home. You would get a phone call, probably around 10.30AM, where your Kiwi tradesman would say “ Yeah. Sorry mate can’t do it. Maybe next week.”  This guy knew we needed it done today and made sure it would be done. He even stayed around most of the day to make sure the other guy did a good job. Seems word of the big Christchurch quake has reached here as he knew all about it. Shizuka also got some emails from Japanese friends and family asking if we are OK. 

Looking sharp

The flooring guy waxed the floors and they look great. I replaced some brackets on the septic tank breather pipe and cleaned up the back yard a bit. The property behind us is undeveloped with a few pine trees growing on it. We are told that it belongs to an old guy who lives further up the mountain and that it is unlikely that he will ever do anything with it. I like it because it’s like having a big back yard without paying for it. There are empty plots on both sides of us also. That’s unusual here in japan. If it wasn’t for Mr Trump across the road we would have no immediate neighbours. Which is just the way I like it.