Last weekend we visited the labyrinthine construction site in Warrandyte, where our friends Julian and Aleks are remodeling their house. Theirs is a huge undertaking, but I don’t think I know of two people more capable of achieving such a monumental project. It’s clear that this will be an amazing home, and we look forward to idyllic days sharing sun, fun, pool and food with them (while the kids run riot in the garden).
To give you a sense of scale, Julian has bought a fair bit of equipment because it was more economical to buy than hire. The list of equipment includes a tractor, bobcat, tip truck, and at one stage a ‘Drott” bulldozer…
While we were on site, James was playing on the toy tractor, scooping up earth and moving it around as six year olds do. When Julian offered him a ride in the real thing there was suddenly a small dust cloud where James had just stood…
You can see from the smile on his face that this was something he won’t forget for some time. He loved it, and acquired some serious bragging rights among his school mates. Ironically, I had shown him how to use a screwdriver on his own that morning, so I was ‘cool dad’ for a few hours, until I was categorically gazumped by a ride in a mini excavator….