Day 36 - Prominent Hill SA
Monday, March 15, 2010 at 03:50AM Shhhhh! I can’t tell you where I am! I am somewhere in the Woomera Protected Area in SA so legally I cant tell you exactly where I am. Truth be known I don’t bloody know where I am, I just drove up the Stuart Highway & turned right at a sign that says “No Entry”.... Now there is a contradiction for you, what do you do when someone sends you instructions that say Turn right at No Entry sign?..... And then drove 40km on dirt road in a vehicle that is really not suited to dirt roads to end up at the MOST boring looking mine site I have ever been to in my life.
I personally reckon I am smack bang in the middle of an area where they did the nuclear testing in the 50’s & 60’s because there is not one sign of plant life within 100km of this site!
But the site itself is a good one, apparently (take note you investor types) the exploratory drilling that this site has done has turned up some pretty impressive results, not sure exactly how it works but they drill deep underground with a hollow drill and remover what they call “Core samples” which are pretty much tubes of dirt as it lies under the surface. They then analyse the core samples to see what it contains. And when a couple of the Geologists were talking about it to me today they were excited. And when a Geo gets excited it is time to invest!..... Ness, Buy more Oz Minerals shares! (Katrina & Peter B.... is this insider trading?)
Another interesting feature of this site is that it has a large indigenous & female workforce. They set out to make sure that they employed a lot of people from the local area & also a lot of Women. And guess what.... It works, compared to other sites doing the same thing they have so far recorded a lower injury rate & much less equipment damage & failure rate (you girls are just so much gentler on the equipment)...... Maybe this is the way of the future for mining? Ness hurry up and design that range of industrial clothing for girls..... I reckon we could be on to something here!
Had a big argument with Brad today (my son Brad) I am sure that if we were face to face it would have been over pretty quickly, but because it was over the phone it blew out into a bigger thing than it really was. After a couple of heated phone calls we both settled down and talked things out & we are all cool again. So as much fun as this travelling lifestyle is there are times when it sucks to be far away from loved ones and family. I love you Brad sorry for the frustration coming out.
Hey thanks to those of you who called, emailed or texted me & Ness over the last couple of days, isn’t it funny that sometimes it takes something bad to see who the good people are around us!.... Just an observation!
The flies here are ridiculous, I seriously believe that they could drive a man (or woman) MAD! They just constantly land in all of your orifices, ears, nose, mouth, eyes, neck any exposed piece of flesh is fair game for the flies, and they are the annoying ones that as soon as you swipe they take off and land back in a different place, today I was given a roll on fly deterrent, you know like a deodorant but with fly spray. I used half the bottle in one hit and they still landed on places that I had covered in poison! I even used the roll on behind my ears, under my chin, over my lips......Yech! I have my room air conditioner turned down to 16 degrees because they don’t like cold, but as soon as I go outside they are there..... I reckon they are waiting for me!
This site also has a huge heritage and cultural history, you are not allowed to drive off the roads and there are many signs saying “Do not enter, area has aboriginal significant site” which makes you want to go there even more! Why is that? Or is it just me?
Ness has the new Discovery, she tells me that it drives beautifully! Quiet, comfortable, powerful (now that is the one I am interested in) the rest of the week she will be running around getting it ready for use as our new tow vehicle, electrics, CB radio, Sheepskin seat covers..... (mine & Ness’s toosh are important!) so I am counting down the days till I get to drive it!
I was speaking to David Gay today and said that my challenge for the next 10 days will be coming up with new stuff to write about, so I’m asking you guys.....give me a topic, or ask me a question.....Anything! I will need all the stimulation I can get!
Ok, the mess is open..... time to go get a plate full of food & catch up with any of the people in today's sessions, they always want to ask the questions that they won’t ask in front of their mates!
Wish me luck with the flies!..... even swearing does not deter them!
Goodbye – if a fly goes up your nose and you breathe in, can it survive being spat out your mouth?..... YES.... This happened to me today..... it was Gross!
Reader Comments (6)
Howdy James,
Glad to read that you are all settled in to your home for the next 10 days, and I am sure that all will work out with the 'Disco'. Ness dropped in yesterday and yes the new Discovery is beautiful...
Ness said it needs a name, so maybe you should have a naming competition on your blog! Might be entertaining whist you are in the middle of somewhere. I am sure your readers can come up with some great names to choose from.
Love,
Karen xoxo
I reckon it should be [no] Bull Bar Durham...
Cam xx
I sympathise about the flies James though I stood on a slug with bare feet last night and nearly passed out with the horror so I'm not too sure which is worse...
James I think you should get the hell out of there.
Did it really cross your mind about Nuclear Testing.
Bit of a worry I reckon.
Now thats a good topic for you to discuss. - SAY NO TO URANIUM MINING
My Aunty Julie has the inside scoop on ridding flies. lavender oil!!!!!!!! It works I promise
hey, you always mention the questions you get after the sessions, how about you take us through those, reckon they'd be quite interesting, and think we all know you've got no qulms about confidentiality or anything moral like that..