An overdue blog

It’s about time I blogged.

It is also very cold in Canberra.  I didn’t attempt to go outside until 10am in a bid for it to warm up, but it was still about 10 degrees and gusting 30 kts for my walk up Mount Ainslie.

I took the obligatory photo looking down on the war memorial and Parliament House, and of course one of the airport in the distance.

It was about a 9k round trip from the airport although only an elevation gain of 280m.  It was, however, made a lot worse by choosing to set out immediately after a breakfast of milky coffee and a bacon and egg sandwich, so I had the most terrible stitch for most of the ascent.  Not cool.  I had intended on a fast pace but the combination of a very late night and the stitch made it quite a slow walk.  At least I did it, right?

This afternoon, all we have to do is fly back to Brisbane, which is a lot more friendly than yesterday’s Adelaide and Canberra totally 7.1 hours’ flying!  Then tomorrow morning I plan to climb Beerwah before work.  We end up in Cairns tomorrow night - that will be a lot more pleasant temperature wise.

Flying is actually really fun at the moment.  I get on extremely well with my trainer, and am loving the 717.  If anything, it all seems too easy, and I seem to be like waiting for it to get harder... but it doesn’t.  My final check is on Monday and Tuesday next week with an Adelaide return followed by a Townsville return.

And other than climbing things and flying, I don’t really have much to report.  Lily is at her fluffiest ever...

... and is still loving hiking with me!  I wish I could take her everywhere, but the mountain in the left background of this photo is not safe for a small dog.

That’s me for now... ciao! 

Like father, like daughter

Is it possible to be TOO much like my father?  I hope not, because I like it.  My mother sometimes says that one day I will “grow up” and like foods that Dad dislikes, and in some ways I have.  I eat olives, have a healthy appreciation of steak... but I still abhor things like seafood and boiled eggs.  Sorry, Mum, but you can’t cure me completely.

In other things, though, it’s strange to think how like my father I am.  He posted on his blog about gyms and CrossFit, and I completely agree.  There are few places  where I am happier than in the outdoors - hiking somewhere remote or up on top of a mountain - and gyms are repulsive.  I have tried them: I signed up once for a 6 month membership; I went for two weeks and never returned.  I tried CrossFit once; I climbed ropes and ran intervals and never returned.  I climbed a mountain once... and since then I’ve barely stopped.

I do however like watching rugby.  Real rugby that is, rugby union, not the lame rugby league they like in this country.  That’s not a real game.  Sorry, Dad, but rugby is awesome!

I was night flying the other night, and the stars were so bright and close, and the Milky Way was vividly clear. I was remembering all the times I’ve walked at night time with my father, arm in arm, gazing at the stars.  Sometimes we talked and sometimes we didn’t, and all was well with the world.  And most of me felt I would keep that memory just for me, but I’ve decided now to share it.  Because, I do think I am like my father.

There is something about climbing a mountain and sitting on the rocks to watch a sunset.

There is something about rising before dawn and climbing in the dark to watch the sun raise its head above the horizon.

Seeing the very first glimmers of light on an early morning.

Getting up early to watch the sun rise over the water, with nobody else around to see.

At my house I wake around 6, most days, if I’m not working, and I think I enjoy those two hours or so the best, the hours before anyone else is awake.  Even C, who wakes relatively early, isn’t up then, and I can sit alone, and do, alone, things that I want to do.

I don’t understand how people can spend their entire mornings in bed: but it actually works out very well for me - as people out of the way are fewer people for me to have to deal with!

Coochin

One time!  One time I take pity on the child and take her up Coochin instead of going alone to Tibrogargan. Okay, well my climbing buddy pulled out of Tibro and with a slight chance of rain I decided not to climb alone, just in case.

Instead, I ended up with this:

It’s very happy with itself

Or at least it was

The contentment of a dog in mud

The contentment of a dog who knows I love it, or at least I love that I remembered to bring a towel 

Except now it’s not so happy because I bathed it and despite the blankets, it is shivering its little self off.

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! 

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3 days into line training and I haven’t blogged! Wow.

Well, I’ve landed (arrived?) the aeroplane four times so far... and I think I’m improving.  It doesn’t help that my training captain makes me incredibly nervous.  He is an older, ex-RAAF, grumpy old guy, who is incredibly nit-picky and is keeping me on my toes.  And I get to the stage where my hands are sweating on the approach... aaaaghhhhhh...

Other than that, it’s all going nicely.  The company checkie we had during our type rating made us good and ready for line training.  We were thoroughly immersed in company SOPs (standard operating procedures) from day 1 of the simulator, and that has definitely made a difference.  3 days in to flying and I’m feeling pretty comfortable with normal procedures.

That said, tomorrow starts the Spanish Inquisition.  S said he wouldn’t start asking me questions until we lost the Safety Pilot... so it’s all on from tomorrow!

In other news, I’ve made an effort to climb / hike after work and on my days off.  Yesterday’s East Beerwah trip, Ben surprised Meg and me by procuring a cheese platter and his old dress uniform at the top!

Champagne on Beerwah

Meg and me

I won’t post a picture of Ben in his dress uniform as he’s worried about it “getting out”.  So if you want to see it, message me!

Cheese platter

Mind you, with all this climbing and hiking, I haven’t had much time for study.  I am writing this while sitting in the carpark at Tibrogargan, waiting for John!  And also, today I must decorate Toby’s (6) birthday cake for his party tonight, and tonight is also the last Ireland v Wallabies match.  I must try to fit in some study this morning or I might get hurt tomorrow... l

3 mountains

Yesterday morning, I woke feeling rather the worse for wear.  On Thursday we had a post type rating Italian themed celebration.  Everyone brought large quantities of food, so we proceeded to stuff ourselves and drink a bit too much Italian wine.  So, Friday morning I felt decidedly sick.  So... I decided to climb a mountain.

Ngungun was chosen because of its ease, and the fact that C&A could join in.  However. Having made these plans, J invited me to climb Beerwah.  How could I say no?  So off I trotted.

I have never felt more like throwing up!  I wasn’t actually sick, but it was a very painful ascent.  However, I did start feeling better by the top, maybe I sweated out the toxins!

In the direction of Coonowrin, Ngungun and Tibro, from Beerwah

After Having to leave John behind due to his trying to prevent more strays falling off the mountain, P decided she wanted to climb Tibro.  I dithered a little but then decided to join her, as she is almost 70 and not the most sensible person alone!  Tibro was surprisingly less painful than I expected, although chilly up top in the shade.

Looking back at Beerwah and Coonowrin from Tibro

And then, of course, I had to descend as fast as I could to meet up with C&A.  I missed the first ascent up Ngungun, but I wanted to be there for sunset.

Ssorry it’s not straight, but I can’t be bothered to straighten it right now 

Ngungun over, we had half an hour to rest while the sun went down.  My feet were seriously beginning to ache by this point.  

Manda in front of the sunset - with Coonowrin almost hiding over Beerwah to her left

Once home, I enjoyed an epic hot shower, and was tempted to just stay under the hot water all evening, but cared too much about the gas bill for that...  I did however get an early night, and now it is early the next morning and I am SORE!

Just groundschool ahead for the next four days - followed by a jumpseat on Wednesday and then line training after the weekend!

Maybe I shall find some more mountains to conquer.

June

I’ve got so much to say!  So much to share, and so little oomph to actually write a blog.

In case you wondered, yesterday we completed the type rating, and passed our check.  It went really well, better than I could’ve hoped for, and the examiner was really happy with us.  We do still have two company sims to go - tomorrow is our company instrument proficiency check, and Wednesday is a recurrent training day.

June started with some pretty big news, so that plus the check plus plenty of great mountains haven’t given me much brain space for anything like blogging.  Let me fill you in on some hikes!

Probably the most notable expedition the last couple of weeks was on Saturday.  We climbed the North West of Beerwah and I forgot how downright terrifying it was.  Well, I remembered how traumatising descending to Shell Rock was, but J assured us that we wouldn’t do that bit, and I was obviously so freaked out by it alone that I forgot all the other terrifying stretches on the mountain.

This was the part when I really doubted my sanity.  I am second from the bottom in grey.

We had plenty of time to sit and recover from the scary parts as one of our group had never climbed before so was taking longer.

This is an eroded arch that we went to see... without it, the climb wouldn’t have been quite so scary.

The top of the world

It was actually a really fun hike - it took four hours total - and I’m very glad I did it.  As for the terrifying parts, I think they were made even scarier by worrying about breaking a leg the day before my check!

Also last week, I had a relaxing climb up Tibro - relaxing because T was struggling so lots of breaks, so I took a few shots.

Here’s one with Beerwah and Coonowrin in the background.

It’s nice sometimes to be able to stop and stare rather than be dying galloping up the thing.

Also here is a cool shot of Beerwah from the NW face.

Also, here are Lily and me on another hike, this time on Tiberoowuccum, with Beerwah in the background.

This week looks to be pretty busy with ground training and sim checks, so I’m not sure how much I’ll get out.  Thursday night I’m hosting an Italian party at my house, so maybe Thursday morning a hike is due!  We shall see.

And on that note, I must get up and make coffee, or I shall be late for work!