The WITS are back

this morning. They were supposed to begin last Thursday - at 7am. They arrived yesterday around 9am. The dangerous footpath along our street is, after many years of concern, about to be replaced - I hope.

WITS? Workmen In The Street. Yes, they are a funny lot. We have exchanged a few words. 

P....came in to help me with the floors yesterday. I thought they might say she was not part of "local traffic only" but she told them, "I am working here and they nodded her through. She parked in the driveway and left again a bit later with the same cheerful waves from them.

The man-with-the-van came to deliver something. The WITS were on their morning break. One of the WITS spent a couple of minutes chatting to him. They both laughed.

I hope it goes on like that. I've been told that the residents will be able to get in and out of their homes. I assume they mean by car and that this will mean  I can pedal in and out as well.

I was trying to work out  how old the old footpath must have been. It was only ever a rough attempt to provide something other than dirt on which to work. It undulated wildly. Tree roots broke up attempts to "repair" it with bitumen. In the end it was a crazy patchwork quilt top of many shades of grey with brown feather stitching. The locals knew where the cracks were and how to avoid tripping on the bumps.

Now I can hear parts of it being cracked wide open. The house is reverberating with the noise. Soon no doubt I will hear them dumping pieces of bitumen in the enormous vehicle parked there for that purpose.  It will take them days to do this. 

Last night, after the WITS had gone, someone walked slowly down the street with their dog. They both explored the work in their own ways. The human took out his phone and used the camera function. The dog sniffed and cocked a leg. I wonder what they made of it all, especially the dog. The new footpath will be quite different from the old one.