Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
|
|
|
RE: Duende - a journey into Flamenco
|
You are logged in as Guest
|
|
Users viewing this topic: none
|
|
Login  | |
|
   
Ron.M
Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland
|
 RE: Duende - a journey into Flamenco (in reply to mark indigo)
|
|
|
Well, I've really got no views on this, but here is an amusing story anyway....
About 10 years ago this guy came to my door asking me if I would like my asphalt driveway tarred.
With a heavy Irish brogue, he informed me that the hardcore was already sound (which he readily demonstrated by kicking it with the back of his shoe) and said that it was just begging for a thick coat of lovely tarmac to beautify the property at very little cost.
At £300 he said he would do me a "grand job Sur, a grand job to be sure."
I was a bit wary, (after Alan Bleasdale's "The Black Stuff"..) so I mentioned that I had a friend in the building trade who would have a look at it before I paid anything.
He said, "I don't care who you know Sur...you can get Prince Charles himself down here to inspect it, but it'll be a proper job...that's guaranteed for 10 years...
Anyway, I said OK and asked when they could start.
"Oh, within the next few days Sur, we've got a few jobs going on ATM."
A couple of days later, I was returning from a walk up to the village shop when I noticed what looked like two big furniture removal vans parked in my street along with a dumper lorry.
As I passed the furniture vans I looked up to see this big fat woman in the cabin along with a bunch of kids of varying ages, one of which she was breast feeding.
As I walked into my drive I saw about 9 Gypsies from about 8 to 50 years old, shovelling cold tar onto my driveway, one of them pushing a big hand- roller.
The fact that my car was still sitting there was not a problem to their "can do" attitude...they were simply shovelling the tar around the tyres! 
I said "Whoa...wait a minute here...what the hell's going on?"
"Oh, no problem Sur, if you want to move your car that'll give us better access."
I backed my car out, leaving big tracks in the soft tar, which the 10 year old boy tried to smooth out with the big roller.
At the end, they said it was a "grand job" but would need a few days to "settle in".
So I told them to come back in a "few days" and I'd pay them after I could see how well it had "settled in".
No...that was not possible, as they were moving South that evening and required immediate payment in cash.
The communication then became quite threatening, so I decided it would be safer to pay up although I could only offer them a cheque, as I didn't walk around with 300 quid in my pocket at any one time.
"We'll go down to the Bank right now, just make the cheque out to "Cash"....for that's me name Sur...Johnny Cash."
Of course after they'd left it was obvious that they'd skimmed the driveway with about 3mm of tar.
They may as well just have painted it on with a paintbrush..
It came away in chunks about 3 months later and was more bother to clear it all up than have it done in the first place.
Ach!...You live and learn..!
The tar squads are still going around, although I see that these days the "Head Spokesman" is dressed in a fluorescent jacket and hard hat and carrying a clipboard like some official from the Local Council and the little handbills posted through your letterbox have their main "Head Office" phone number as a mobile phone.
Has anyone seen "The Blackstuff"?
Great film!
I should have known better!
cheers,
Ron
|
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Oct. 28 2008 13:49:49
 |
|
mark indigo
Posts: 3625
Joined: Dec. 5 2007
|
|
RE: Duende - a journey into Flamenco (in reply to Ron.M)
|
|
|
quote:
The tar squads are still going around, although I see that these days the "Head Spokesman" is dressed in a fluorescent jacket and hard hat and carrying a clipboard like some official from the Local Council
i've had that one, round here one fella turns up looking exactly as you described and says some of his workmen are resurfacing a road a few miles away and might have some left over asphalt going cheap, would we want some if they've got some left over, very cheap, there's no point taking a little bit back to the depot, there would probably be enough to cover this very driveway in fact, very cheap, bit of cash in hand for the lads, no problem, very cheap.... when he quotes for the area involved it is actually really expensive, that is if they did a good job, and i came up that road this morning and there were no workmen resurfacing the road.....
|
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Oct. 28 2008 14:59:23
|
|
 New Messages |
 No New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/ New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/o New Messages |
 Locked w/ New Messages |
 Locked w/o New Messages |
|
Post New Thread
Reply to Message
Post New Poll
Submit Vote
Delete My Own Post
Delete My Own Thread
Rate Posts
|
|
|
Forum Software powered by ASP Playground Advanced Edition 2.0.5
Copyright © 2000 - 2003 ASPPlayground.NET |
5.078125E-02 secs.
|
Printable Version
