A new year

Technically, today is the start of a new year - financial, anyway.  The financial year in Australia ends on 30 June, I guess just to make it complicated.  I started compiling my tax on Friday to get ahead of the game for once, but I won’t actually be able to see my accountant until I get all three group certificates from all three companies that paid me last year!

It is 0530 right now, and I could sleep more but as I woke up, I decided to stay awake.  I’m transitioning into earlies, so being up at this time will be a bonus for tomorrow.  What isn’t a bonus is that I have to work today...

Yesterday was a really long shift of just over 12hours.  It was rostered 11h20 so already long, but then we added a delay as somehow the ground crew managed to get the main door stuck on the aerobridge.  Nobody was willing to tell us what Actually Happened, so suffice it to say that the aerobridge Magically Got Taller just as the cc went to close the door, making the door jam about 1/3 of the way closed.  In response, the aerobridge operator tried to lower the aerobridge to free the door.  Unfortunately, as the canopy was still attached to the aeroplane, only one side of the aerobridge would drop, which actually forced the other side further up and into the bottom of our door.

After a lot of discussion, we finally managed to get the door free after retracting the canopy and then lowering the bridge: unfortunately the door had sustained a very minor dent at the bottom due to the harsh treatment, and we ended up waiting an hour to get approval from engineering to go without an inspection - having emailed through several photographs of the damage.  We had some very worried passengers onboard as many had international connections to catch.

In the end, we put the afterburners on and “made up a few minutes in the cruise” and then I took a fifteen minute sign off instead of the rostered 45 min debrief, and ended up only extending my duty by 45 minutes.  However, my trainer stayed at the office to file safety reports on the incident, and I got a call from crewing on the way home to say I was now on reserve tomorrow (Sunday) due to captain’s rest.  

I was so excited!  A day of training suddenly swung wide open into a hiking opportunity, and as soon as I got home I organised a climb with Amanda.

We sat on the couch awhile and joked and laughed and I was ever so excited about my free day off...

...and then the phone rang.  I shouldn’t have answered it.  NEVER answer a phone call from work when you don’t have to!  A rookie error... oh well.

“X has decided to reduce their rest tomorrow” the crewing officer reported “and wants to go ahead with training.  So can you come in at 0810 for your original duty?”

... 

Ugh.  Well, I guess so?  The annoying thing was that they stuck me on reserve from 10, so I didn’t even have to answer the phone before that time!  I’m such an Idiot.  I will, however, be having Words, today.  I mean, is it even legal to reduce your rest?  Is it?  You Indian Giver, you.

In other news, I climbed four times on my three days off.  Two days, the first included three mountains in the rain which was exceedingly wet, and the second was just an easy Beerwah, still wet but not actually raining.

Here are some of the awesome photos that John took of our big rainy day out:

Beerwah

Chicken Rock, at Tibro

Zoomed out at Tibro

I don’t have any photos of the climb up Tiberoowuccum as it was raining heavily by then, and John decided to go home - a wise choice as ‘Wuccum was very slippery with lots of juicy clay underfoot - but not dangerous slippery, in case you are concerned. It is just hiking, not rocky scrambling.

So as I now cannot climb today, I’m not sure when my next expedition will be.  I am on day 2 of 6 so haven’t actually made any climbing plans.  If I feel rested enough after my early tomorrow, I may climb, but we shall take each day as it comes!