#653 Friday 27 July

Last day .... Leave the villa at 7:30pm
This morning?  Meet a BNI bank person to open a bank account ..... the accounts I have with the Commonwealth Bank are excellent for transfering money to Bali and for making payments ..... but CommBank does not allow payments to the electricity and telephone suppliers .... BNI does ..... so I can arrange a regular transfer from CommBank to BNI and then the basic utilities will be covered.
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Still trying to arrange a quote for screens to stop the wet season deluge into the living area.
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The push lawnmower I bought during the week is working well.  At first it didn't do much but after a while fiddling with the adjustment of the blades, it now works a treat.  The problem is that the gardener now thinks that all he has to do is push the mower ... then go home!  Time for a new gardener I think.
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On Monday I mentioned that I had fixed the mobile phone issues .... it has been great to have it working properly this trip.  On recent trips the phone has had no email or maps when away from the villa.  This week I've had email and maps everywhere.  The 'blue dot' in maps is marvellous .... when driving round I can always see just where we are and plan the rest of the trip.
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The villa phone system is still faulty .... I would guess that in the last year there has only been one week where the landline has actually worked!  Fortunately, the internet connection on the same line has nearly always worked ..... I'll gladly accept "no voice calls" if the internet works!
The strange thing is that the connection box in the wall (where the phone cabling meets the socket) has some sort of oily substance oozing into it ..... it is damaging the paint under the box.  It can't identify the substance by smell ... it's very strange.
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Later
Busy morning.  BNI bank account opened, employee insurance arranged, changeover of electricity and phone is now OK, automatic payment arranged,  DVDs bought (Very important), quote for banner arranged .... and this afternoon, a quote for the weather protection for the living area is coming.  I have estimated that this would cost me around 600,000rp for the materials to make the screen 7.7m x 1m
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Now it's time to pack for the flight.  
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It's now 9:30 at the airport .... it's amazingly busy! I couldn't find anywhere to sit to eat .... it took so long getting through all the queues that it was not worth going to the Garuda Lounge .... that would probably have been packed too.
It appears to be a coincidence that planes are leaving for many places at the same time.

#652 Thursday 26 July

After tea and Skype session last night I headed back to DeAnti for a long warm stone massage .... excellent!  If I could just get a comfortable head rest when lying face down, I'd really drift off to sleep.
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This morning it was time to get the pump house up on the roof.  Wayan (pool man) arrived at the right moment and with him pulling from above ... and me pushing from below, it was up in no time.

Its now 9am and I have tidied up the wiring around the pump and secured it all with non-conductive ties .... it's much neater than before.
This morning I'll go to Mitra10 and get some clips to secure the house to the roof (so it cannot blow away in winds) .... plus a complete replacement bathroom tap so I can take the damaged one home and source some supplies of parts in Perth.
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No need!! Made is a gem.... he found a place that has all the right parts .... for a good price.
I have found a tax agent (with good English) just near the villa. And the Aussie butcher near by is great.
Wiwin is getting the changeover of villa services (to Sanggar) done.
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Lunch at a food hall near Ace Centro. Just the way I like it!

#651 Wednesday 25 July

Cool and overcast today.  I woke up very stiff.  I think I must have been up and down that ladder to the roof at least 20 times yesterday ... and more to come today!
A quiet day is planned ... office work first .... then find a way to seal the joints on the new pump .... then some fun time constructing a cover for the pump.  I'll post some photos as it progresses.




This is our villa cap!
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1pm. I'm at deAnti for lunch. I finally managed to seal the joints to the new pump and 'tuned' it. I stripped the old pump and found the hole in the pressure membrane. I may need to install a coarse filter on the supply side of the pump to prevent holes again. I've set up a working area to build the 'pump house' this afternoon.
One problem I'm finding is that I need the phone close at hand and when I'm working, pockets are not good for that purpose .... so I just had to buy a little, little bag ... just for the iPhone.




Stage 1




Stage 2




I've done enough for today. I'll get it up on the roof tomorrow and fit the sides then.
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For now.... tidy up, put tools away .... and collapse!
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Evening
I collapsed in the pool ..... almost asleep! I think a hot stone massage might be in order to relax the muscles!
I'm in Jn Cemara at Ceasars for a pizza.
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Well .... I've just sent the pizza back! It was supposed to be a "meat lovers" pizza ... And there was hardly any meat at all!! The place has good live music .... so it's still a good spot.
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(see comment below)
There ...... Is this one better?

#650 Tuesday 24 July

The plan for today ....
Go with Made to Ace Kuta ....
- procure the plumbing fittings needed to connect the new pump.  When the current pump was connected in December, the guys made the classic error of fitting the pipes to the pump without any means of disconnecting the pump.  It needs a union on inlet and outlet lines so that the pump can be removed without cutting pipes.  This error is probably a "Bali habit" as it would explain why many installations just have glue on connectors rather than screw type unions.  It would save a little money.
- find a new tap core for the bathroom tap which will not turn off.
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In the afternoon, fit the new pump.  The generator needs a maintenance run also.
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The bottom pump (which draws water up from the bore) has been modified by the Mercure gang so that it doesn't need immediate replacement.  Although only two years old, it has had a hard life because it was connected incorrectly by the builders ... so that it had to run almost continually.  Consequently the impeller is worn and the suction created is less than sufficient.  The guy's solution was to shorten the pipe into the bore so it doesn't have to suck as hard!  Although this actually works, it is not ideal as the pump is still worn and it also means that the water is being drawn from less depth  .... about 6 metres instead of 10 metres.  Less depth means more chance of  less clean water.  The risk is not high but it means that the water supply is not as good as it could be be.  Fixing this is now on the 'to do when funds permit' list.
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11:30am  Back from the travels .... to Ace Kuta.
One of the taps in the bathroom would not turn off .... the BBE  solution  was to turn off the supply to the basin ... and don't tell anyone!  I stripped the tap - a quarter turn ceramic disk type - it needs a new 'O' ring.  In Bali?  Cannot buy them!!  For the lack of a 20c part, you must buy a complete new tap = $50!  Needless to say I have taken photos and I'll source the parts in Perth ... and take a supply of the parts to Bali!  As a temporary measure, I have fixed it with Teflon tape.
I found the pipe fittings needed ..... plus a hand-push lawn mower on special.  Bargain.
The pump on the roof needs a cover to protect it from the weather .... to have one made? Quote 1mil Rp .... so we went to a local hardware shop and for 200k Rp I now have all the timber and sheeting to make a weatherproof cover myself .... it's my project for this afternoon.
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Lunch at DeAnti .... carbonara
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Evening
An afternoon of struggling with  the new pump .... trying to fix joints that won't seal ..... has left me 'S......'  so I'll sleep well tonight.  I feel as though after all the physical exertion I've put in today, I need a large steak!
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Later:  Well ... I didn't have steak but it was a good meal ... followed by a warm stone massage ... DeAnti is a good spot.

#649 Monday 23 July

Last night was a night for the blog!  Kaylia was NOT HAPPY that I was going "holiday - Bali" .... and she wasn't!   All the schedules helped but they didn't fix it.  The parting at the airport was a last ditch attempt by Kaylee to get her trip!  I'll find out later how the night went.
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The 2am arrival in Bali was uneventful ... except that the progress on the building of the airport extensions  is simply amazing!  It's only 6 weeks since I was last here and the changes are huge .... new roads, access ways, structures sprouting .....
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Morning inspection .... I think I may need to but two pumps ... not one.  The pressure pump has water in the air pressure chamber .... since this pump was purchased 22/12/11, it should be covered under warranty.  I will talk to Ace today and see what proof of purchase they will accept.
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I need to make a list!  (More later)
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Well ... the day consisted of -
- Ace - bought a pump to replace the damaged pump.  This I can have repaired under warranty so we will have a spare on hand.
- Indosat - sorted out why internet on my phone was so expensive .... you have to have a 'packet' turned on .... it is turned on now and hopefully it will now be sorted for the future trips.
- trouping round the place trying to find an accountant who speaks English.  I don't think such a person exists!  (Oops ... we have one already .... Sanggar)  So I'll ask Sanggar to speak to local accountants to arrange tax return lodgement.
 - Visiting all the Ace Hardware branches looking for pump parts ... no luck ... but I found a scooter almost identical to the one Kaylia has already ... so it will be here when she comes to Bali.
- visiting Made's favourite 'Babi guling' spot .... it was good .... sort of like ayam betutu.  Nothing like roast pork.
- to Hardys to stock up on drinks
- back to the villa at 2:30 to collapse and sleep .... recovery from the arrival.  After getting to the villa at 3am, I didn't sleep till about 5am .... up at 7am ....  I'll sleep well tonight!

#648 Sunday 22 July

Since Kaylia seems to have become very aware of my departure plans, we're going to change how we handle it. Previously I'd planned on going to the airport as late as possible ..... leaving K in bed at home. Now we'll do an early trip to the airport .... and keep the normal schedule for her during the day.  I need to plan her week. I'll use her own method and do a plan in " Notes" on her iPad.
(When she woke, she wanted to look at her schedule! I hadn't said anything!  When she saw the week schedule I'd prepared, she was intrigued and clearly satisfied.)
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On another topic, she has invented a new game ..... she 'arranges us' on the couch either side of her and covers us all with a blanket! She clearly gets great pleasure from this .... she looks from side to side with a very happy, satisfied expression. Trouble is .... it gets quite hot!
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Midday ... she is in 'control mode' .... she is very demanding and it gets to be wearing on us.  We handle it by outlining her options and allowing her to choose one option.  The trouble is that her options and things that might interest me rarely coincide!  It's another case of sitting on the volcano .... hoping that you can manage it well enough that it won't explode.
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I mentioned recently that it was tax time .... a Kaylee makes for many deductions!  Our spending on medical/dental/chemist/therapy  this year was over $17,000 .... $12,000 of this is therapy.  Then on top of that is the cost of having our 'sanity preserver'  (au-pair) .... another $10,000.  It's amazing where all the dollars go!
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The statistics of this blog are quite incredible .... since I began the blog there have been more than 18,500 page views .... over 1,100 just last month!  I wish there was some way to see who was looking.

This is a summary of where the blog has been viewed from since it was begun.
It's no surprise that the bulk of the audience is in Australia .... and the audience in Germany is understandable (most of our aupairs have been from that area)  but the size of the audience in the US and in Russia is quite puzzling.
These stats total 17,714 ... a little short of the reported total ... I wonder where the others come from?
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Heard this on a mad ABC program ..... What if the CFMEU .... had instead called itself the FUCME?
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..... oh .... and a 'shout out' to JH!