Concrete

The new concrete mixing tray, noticed at reference 1, has now been exercised for the first time. The first concrete for a while. Perhaps I will check how long a while shortly.

Tray went well. Better size than its predecessor and it was good having a base which was not falling off.

I also tried out ready-mix concrete for the first time. Add water and stir. The nearest I have come in the past being a bag of ready-mix aggregate which came with a little bag of cement which you had to stir in yourself - and as I remember they were a bit mean with the cement, which meant that you wound up buying extra cement, thus knocking out a good part of the point of ready-mix. This stuff, on next day delivery from Wickes, snapped above, was very convenient and easy to use, especially given the fine new mixing tray, and my only complaint was that it seemed to go off very quickly. Perhaps the idea was that you made it very wet - which would not have been very convenient on this occasion.

More serious, having given much thought to building the small shutter needed, which worked well in the event, I had given no thought to striking it. Only realising that I had built in a problem rather too late in the day. Maybe the solution will come to me over night. Otherwise it might be the long haul with drill and chisel.

Now under wet cloths to cure.

Having been reminded that if you start the pour at 1500 on a winter's afternoon, you are apt to finish in the dark. Also that cleaning up afterwards seems to take as long as doing the job in the first place. Also that while I can still handle the 20kg bags of today, in moderation, I was indeed 50 years away from the speed unloading, not to say competitive unloading of my youth of loads of cement, still hot from the kiln, bagged up in hundredweights, that is to say just about 50kg. When the heat was more of a bother than the weight.

PS: later: search suggests that the last serious concrete might have been as long as six years ago, as noticed at reference 2. But there was a bit of fiddling about at reference 3 - which I was not that pleased with at the time - but it has settled down well enough.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/10/concrete.html.

Reference 2: http://psmv2.blogspot.com/2014/08/yard-retaining-wall-phases-4a-4b.html.

Reference 3: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2017/02/concrete-2017-second-pour.html.