During the painting of our house, I wrote about last week, we had to take apart and rebuild two bat caves that were where my top floor awnings used to be. When Boy-O opened them up, hundreds of bats took flight, four Filipinos’ also took fright, my wife and her sister ran to the street, Boy-O and I stayed still and laughed at the pandemonium. Now those awnings were built in 1999 and the bottoms were constructed using Hardi-Flex* which is an Australian made product which we also used to finish off our three bathrooms as a base for the tiles. The reason I choose it is it is virtually indestructible and not affected by water. Proof of that is that my bathrooms still look as good as they did twelve years ago, plus the two bat caves, the wood was gone, destroyed by the bats and the Hardi-Flex was still as good as when it was installed.
Boy-O started ripping it apart after the bats flew the coop (or bat cave) when he did we found 10 plus kilos of guano in each one of them, that raised a dust storm akin to a sand storm in the Sahara Desert. Once more there was a mass exodus of humans and dogs out of its way.
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Now the sweeping starts and every bit of bat crap was collected and spread around Mayang’s plants, waste not, want not. The sad part is, I’ll miss my bats; I would watch them taking flight at night around sunset and see their return every morning, after a hard night on the town eating tens of thousands of mosquitoes. I hope they found a new and better home.
So now the house is finished of all projects for now, or at least I hope it is. The project money is spent, Christmas looms near. I only hope they don’t raise the price of beer!
During these last four weeks I have missed many parties and normal social meeting with my friends. That I assume is the downside of home improvement. But the Christmas Season parties will start soon and I’ll make up for the one month hiatus from going out.
I further promise that I will write no more articles on the subject of projects until next year when I know Mayang will have a list of new ones. I’ll shuffle off this mortal core never having once more, the pleasure of owning a new car, unless I can sneak it onto her next list of projects.
“Flash update” Do to the fact that there was paint left over, the carport and the front wall are being painted. Will it ever end? What can happen next? Oh that’s simple, Mayang came back from town and after I parked the car and left, she came running in shouting the car is on fire! I glanced out the window and saw the steam coming up from the hood (Bonnet if you live in the UK) I knew right away it was a broken hose. Walking by at the same time was Kuya Phillip, who works at The Shell station in Olongapo and removed the hose and took it with him to buy a new one. The next day he replaced it, and while doing so disconnected the temperature gauge, since all my coolant was gone I took it to town and had the system flushed and all the other hoses checked and the gauge hooked up again. Now all is well again once more.
Sunday (Yesterday now as you read this) we hosted the Pacquiao/Marquez fight on pay-per-view. Food was consumed plus cold adult beverages in cans and bottles and assorted cocktails. Oh yes we did have some soft drinks also. The neighbors, our family and of course friends and least we not forget the “Painting Guys” were in attendance.
So that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it; until next week, please stay well…
Senior,
Your house looks awesome, but I noticed that your roof looked like a strategic command center. Good manly color now for the eagles by the front door.
By the way when we live on base in Subic Bay in Banitican housing evey night we would watch the bats fly out of the jungle on their search for food Awesome.
You know you could always build a bat cave in the corner of the yard if you miss them that much and every year harvest the guano for you plants via trap door. Just an idea!!!
By the time you make all the repais to your car you’ll have a new one. Keep the faith a new car will come in time. 🙂
Bruce;
I sure do miss my bats, maybe I’ll take your advice and build a bat cave on my water tower.
Me and a new car? (lol) (lol) (lol) (lmao)
Hi Paul – Sounds like “missed opportunity” to me. If someone came running telling me the car was on fire, I’d agree totally, cry crocodile tears, and lament that “now, I have to buy a new car”! 😉
If you hurry, there still might be time – the work just completed was a “temporary fix” to a permanent problem that grows with each repair! 😆
Paul;
Why in the name of all that’s holy didn’t I think of that? Pure genus, I’ll lay in wait, until the next problem arises and bribe Kuya Greg (my mechanic) to tell Mayang the car just won’t go no more! That’s a great idea!
Paul,
House really looks nice. Very professional job! Thats interesting about all those bats you had in your awning and all the bat dung floating down lol. I think you would be better off keeping your old car and just driving it until the wheels fall off. If you buy a new one Mayangs projects will get put off. You don’t want that, you must keep peace in the house lol. Hope all had a good time at the Pacquiao party. I’m sure everyone was worried because it was so close. Enjoy all your upcoming holiday parties. You earned it for taking a month off. Drink a few extras for me. Take care.
Papa Duck;
Thank you, and I’ll tell Mayang as she’s worked very hard, me, not so much. The party was great, all had a good time, but they drank everything in the house including my Johnny Walker “BLUE” The gate and car port will be finished this morning and then the Christmas Decorations go up. I’m exempted from that chore. I’ll tip a cold one for you bukas, nothing today, the party took it’s toll.
Using guano as fertilizer is great. Bats are great service in keeping the insects at bay, but living in your roof is bad as bring lots of parasites with their droppings and dead bats and potential for rabies. Hope they found a nice roost somewhere quiet.
Don;
It appears that the guy that lives behind me now has bats in his tree. I wonder…
Paul
Bat tae is at a premium price in the USA. Maybe bob could put it in as one of his ways to make a living in the PH. Start a Bat guano export business to the USA.
Place looks real good.
I was planning to propose negotiations to Paul, until I realized that he had gotten rid of his source of the good stuff!
Bob;
I’m sorry that deal fell through, we could have been rolling in it! Maybe we can buy a cave? (lol)
Big P;
Guano exporting, now that’s something I’d love to see on my resume. My motto: “I give a crap!” (lol)
Here in Palawan we have the privilege to observe a unique specie of giant bats.
It is a daily spectacle of the most majestic kind as they usually fly very low, barely above coconut trees and since their wing span is around 1,2m (4ft) they are easy to see despite the darkness of the dusk.
If I manage to take a good quality photo I will post it here.
Robert;
I’ve been to Palawan a couple of times, a very beautiful, clean island. But I never saw those giant bats, that would be something to see.
What do they eat? I can only hope it’s cats! (lol)
Nice house Paul, good that you cleared out the bats before they ate their way inside. Maybe they would have liked some of your San Migs too !
Bob;
Try for my San Mig? Now the fight begins!
Senior,
I could just see you harvesting bat crap with them flying around just to supply BoB. Heck of a way to support a SMB Habit. Have you ever seen Pet detective w/
Jim Carey. It’s all about Guano.
Bruce;
I think you wait for the to stop flying to collect the guano (lol) If it paid enought to cover my beer I’d do it in a flash!
Paul,
Do you have any country Christmas music you can give us?
Gil
Gil;
Yes about 13 or more. I’ll drop it by this week.