How long does it take to build a parking lot?

TWO BLOODY MONTHS SO FAR!!!!!!!!!! (See blog April 19th). Woke this morning at 6am to the joyful sound of heavy machinery with their interminable beep beep beep and their rumble like mini earthquakes. Yesterday they started laying blacktop (tar) and the smell is indescibable but then you all know what it smells like!

Our apartment shakes, the glasses in the kitchen rattle and the cats are spooked but wotcha gonna do? Our two guests are pissed off (and who can blame them, they didn't expect this when they booked and neither did we), they're being woken at 6am and even sitting outside (it's 103 today by the way), it's not very relaxing. Hopefully they will finish by 2pm (it's now 12.30pm). There must be some law against working in this heat after a certain time. What happened to siesta? Anyway, blah, blah, blah. Looking on the bright side, they do not work at weekends (hopefully), and they are doing it out of season for which we are very thankful.

In the meantime, here's Charles from Downunder dressed to kill!!!!