Happy Days

This job only gets better!  I have been to so many new places this month, and all across the country, even overnighting in Perth and flying to Broome.  I have met Interesting People in business class, and had time to stop and smell the roses.  I’ve climbed mountain after mountain and seen more of Australia from above than I ever hoped to see.

Yesterday, I got called in to go to Hamilton Island to ferry an aircraft out, and I leapt at the chance.  Now that I’m back in Canberra (where we ferried it), it is -1C currently and I am missing the tropical sunshine and beaches we momentarily encountered.

The moment you step foot outside the terminal you are at the water, the ferries dock here and the only road transport is by golf cart.  I wanted to go explore, but apparently we were there to work.  

The actual runway is built into the bay, with vividly blue water stretching into infinity.

The hill is where most of the holiday homes are, and where I wish I were right now.  

We had to wait a couple of hours for the engineer to fix our aircraft, but we didn’t have time to visit the island as we had planning and ballast to arrange.  And of course, they didn’t have any ballast.  The solution?  Send the boys down to the beach with shovels and hessian sacks, and fill ‘me up with 400kg of sand.  Yep.  I asked if they had any buckets and spades so we could pretend to have a beach on board on the flight home, but unfortunately they were all out.

And then of course, flying home we had another sunset all to ourselves.

From 37,000’ you can even see the gentle curvature of the earth.  

This, this is why I do it.  I’ve found my passion again and nothing so far has managed to wipe the smile off my face.  

Checked and Climbing

The blog has become slightly abandoned.  I blame this on work, climbing, Lily, and a general lack of interest/motivation.

Most importantly, the small Floof is okay, despite two vet visits, multiple broken nights, and two lots of antibiotics.  (& $1000). She also has a big shaved patch from the scans they did, which makes her look rather silly.  And Ceri brought me Sambuca from Auckland so here is a picture of Lily, her shaved patch, and my Sambuca.

No dogs were harmed in the taking of this photo.

No Sambuca was drunk either, as I went to work shortly after.

Which brings us to the topic of work!  My check was on Monday and Tuesday - it has to be four sectors for a check to line at this company, so it is usually broken over two days.  I did an Adelaide return on the first day and a Townsville return on the second day.  I did make a few silly mistakes, as one does on a check, but in general it went really well.  I astounded the checkie with ridiculous levels of knowledge... as I had a fair idea what he was going to ask, I went into - ridiculously - high levels of information, and he got frustrated pretty fast and stopped asking me questions. An example of this, when asked a memory item, would be to add that the QRH had nine dots between “FLASHING cargo smoke agent 1 discharge switch” and “PUSH”.  Like I said, ridiculous 😜.  (It worked)

The very first day after my check I got called off reserve to go to Canberra and that was almost scarier than the check.  My very first line flight!  Once there, it actually went really well - very relaxed and good fun, so now I have new courage to continue...

I have just been called off reserve again today, so that’s two for three this week with one more reserve tomorrow.  I guess it’s true that once you’re checked to line they suddenly need you!

I’ve still been trying to fit some climbs in around work.  Having been on lates for the last few weeks, I’ve been climbing in the morning before work.  It was strange this week climbing Coochin without Lily, as she was at the vet’s, so mainly I’ve been doing non-dog friendly climbs like Beerwah.  In fact, tomorrow morning I have a sunrise East Beerwah planned, as my reserve starts at 8 so that should have me home by then.

I found a very small shiny lizard on Beerwah yesterday that T surrounded with his hands to prevent it getting away while I took a photo.

That’s about all I’ve got... although hopefully tomorrow I will have some nice sunrise photos!  I do have some work photos... but I can’t post them publicly.  

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