Day 18 Moranbah

My bum is sore today! Just thought I’d share that with you! Been sitting on it since 4am, have also been on my bike for an hour. So feels like I’m sitting on a BBQ plate right now!

 Hey Sandy asked a great question, do the truck tyres have tubes? Well Sandy they do. The tubes would be roughly 14ft high, so you could fill in the centre, fill it up with ice & beer fit 6 to 8 people sitting around the outside & float down the river.... Hehehe, you want me to get one for you? Trouble is the tyres are $36,000 each so I’m guessing that the tubes would be worth a few bucks too.

 Ness did a load of washing today, dried it at the laundry too. When she was folding it up back at the van she noticed that a lot of clothes had marks on them! Looks like the washer or the drier was leaking grease or oil. Oh well, the challenge of living away from home.

 While we were working in the caravan today, we decided to put a DVD on, the stuff that we had to do was the sort of thing where we did not have to concentrate too hard, so we could listen to the movie in the background...... Guess what we watched? Footloose! How cool is that movie, Ness & I were boogying in the van! Kevin Bacon can dance & Lori Singer has no boobs! Every time I see John Lithgow though I think of him from 3^rd Rock from the Sun!

Did you know that the movie is based on a true story..... Bet you never knew that! Can you believe that Footloose came out when I was 12 years old. The reason why we have the Footloose DVD in the van is because James and the boys gave it to me for christmas, as I know one of you will ask why we have it?  

 We are debating what to do this weekend, tomorrow we have to work in the morning, then we are going for a quick trip (5 Hours) to Biloela where we will catch up with a friend, then we will either come back to Moranbah or we may even get to Rockhampton.... stay tuned.

 A couple of you have asked the question “How does someone get work in the mining industry?” now this might sound like a silly answer.... “Apply for a job!” most mining companies have websites with vacancies listed. Here are a couple to get you started

www.bhpbilliton.com (on this one search for BMA jobs)

www.riotinto.com

www.leightons.com.au

www.Vale.com

www.downeredimining.com

I also have contacts at a lot of sites, so if any of you are really interested in a career change give me an email.

 Did I mention my bum is sore today? Some days it is painful to sit down all day! I think this is an overshare!!

 Ok a short blog today, going to try & talk Ness into giving me a bum massage. In your dreams....

 Speak to you all soon...... Bless to all the Icelandic Bloggers!

 (Not Bless as in “Bless you”... but Bless as in Goodbye!)

James

Day 17 Moranbah.... Yep, Still here

NB...Vanessa’s additional comments will appear in green moving forth

Many of you will be thinking that Ness & I are living it up, the occasional job, but mostly having a big party? Let us set you straight! Here is a rundown of yesterday.     

• ·         Showers & breakfast
• ·         Ness checks morning emails & replies to urgent work messages
• ·        
• ·         6am arrive at site & set up computer, projector, chairs
• ·         630am session begins
• ·         730-8am session ends (depending on questions & interaction with attendees)
• ·         8-830am pack up & talk to individual attendees that have “Private” questions or stories to   share
• ·         830am leave site to drive back to Moranbah, approx 30 minutes
• ·         9am morning tea & Ness prepares what she needs for dinner
• ·         10am check emails & deal with new enquiries
• ·         11am exercise time, either bike ride together or Ness walks & James rides his bike on the rollers
• ·        
• ·         1230 Lunch time, prepare & eat lunch, wash & tidy up dishes·        
• ·          4pm Ness starts cooking
• ·         5pm early dinner & clean up
• ·         530pm leave for site for evening session
• ·         6pm arrive at site
• ·         630-8pm evening session
• ·         830pm as per morning session, you would be amazed how many people will not ask questions in a group, but will wait till they can ask one on one!
• ·         9pm get back to Moranbah
• ·         930pm, cuppa tea or water, maybe a snack, then brush teeth & get ready for bed

So there is our typical day, only difference to yours is that we wake up in a different place each week & have a great time travelling to our next destination.

 Speaking of travel, our Discovery blew a light globe the other day (No smart comments Egg!) but I had a great time pulling it apart to replace it, sometimes I don’t mind when things break as it gives me a chance to fix them.

 Hey today's session at work was awesome, well the actual session was not that awesome but after the session Ness & I went for a wander across to the workshop. Now I’m not sure if you all know but I am a diesel mechanic by trade, and the workshop we were going to was exactly the same as where I used to work.

 So I was excited about being able to show Ness where I used to work & what I used to work on. There are some pictures on the web, some of the equipment is just beautiful, you have D11 Dozers that would flatten your house in seconds, trucks that can carry 300 tonnes of coal, graders with a blade as wide as 3 lanes of a normal road.

 It was also great to talk to some of the “Guys” a lot of people that work in this environment also have an interest in the machinery & how it works, we spoke to a couple of the guys that really enjoyed telling us about how the machinery works & new technology.

 For you petrol heads out there, a Commodore V8 has a 6.2 litre V8 motor..... The Komatsu dump truck that was in the workshop has a 112 litre V24 Diesel that runs 8 turbochargers, intercoolers, and revs to 1800 revs (Yes eighteen hundred.... Sounds slow hey) but jees does this thing have some torque!

 And tyres, wow they are big.....and expensive, if you see the photos we have posted the ones where Ness & I are standing next to the truck wheel. These tyres are worth $36,000 each. Not bad hey? The truck is worth over $4,000,000 ( I am looking very stylish in my High Vis vest, hard hat and safety glasses)

 Ok, I am getting excited..... settle down James! But it was good to be back in that environment for a while, and also to show it to Ness.

 A few of you that have asked questions, Meredith.... good luck on your camping weekend. My suggestion is take good socks, sensible shoes & comfy undies. Then when the weather turns to crap & you are soaking wet at least you will be semi comfortable. Camp cuisine.... Take a packet of Deb instant potatoes & a can of baked beans, bit of salad on the side of the plate & Wallah! Instant hit meal. 1 pair of shoes is all anyone should ever take anywhere..... I have worn the same shoes every day since we left!

Merry Berry you take as many shoes as you need, the essential ones are thongs, walking sneakers and boots.  Toothbrush, toothpaste, cleanser and moisturiser are other essentials. In regards to food...NO DEB it tastes crap. 

 My Sister Georgy tried to outsmart me & say Hello in an aboriginal dialect that I am not yet fluent in! Well Georgia this trip will allow me to brush up on my indigenous language skills & tell you to get stuffed in many different aboriginal languages..... (I’m just kidding by the way)

I am also not sure how it would go if I started my talks by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land, but if I started that would I also have to start paying some sort of tax for the harm the Discovery is doing to the environment by towing the van? Where does it stop? Hey Georgia, we will be passing through Broken Hill in a couple of weeks, will let you know when & maybe we can meet somewhere?

 Ok keep them coming, Rob nice of you to call Ness today..... how’s the packing & paperwork going? Ilsa.... answer your phone(we are playing some serious phonetag),  Vanessa Main... Are you alive?, Simone I will call/email you soon with spa info soon, Brad Atkins.... Bet you are too busy for golf! Heather... Only 10 days to go! Brad Wood..... Weekly undie change tomorrow!

Love from us....

Paalam till tomorrow....for our friend Mr Boxhead.

Day 16 Moranbah

Thanks for the lovely comments & questions, makes us laugh & gives me something to do in this godforsaken town!

 I’m into week 3 of writing my blog & am interested that not one person has commented on the fact that I say goodbye in a different language every night! No one has said that I am brilliant to be able to speak so many different dialects! I thought I was very clever! If you have a favourite language that I have not used yet, please let me know & I will give you your own specialized goodbye! Jackie got hers the other day, thanks for the message Jackie, nice to see that Julian has to put up with your food fussiness too!

 Special mention to my niece Samantha, she starts Uni this week, go for it Sammy!

 Rob has asked a question, maybe some of you can contribute... He asked if I know how much paperwork is involved for an American citizen with permanent Australian residency, applying for a visa to work in Vietnam. Well Rob, it should be similar to putting your left foot behind your right ear while trying to play the violin!

 Last night Ness cooked tea, as much as I like restaurant food, you just can’t beat a great home cooked meal. We had salmon burgers, they were awesome, I have included Vanessa’s recipe..... Not from a book! She often just makes up her own. 

Salmon Burgers(makes 4 burgers)

 Ingredients

I large tin of Pink or Red Salmon, drained but with still a little moisture

I tin of Four Bean Mix(or any beans), drained

2 sprigs of spring onions – finely chopped

I Dill Cucumber(gherkin) – finely chopped

1-2 tps  Curry Powder

I -2 tps Parmesan cheese

I egg

Salt & Pepper

Almond Meal

To make

Mix Salmon and beans together – can mash beans or leave them whole

Add Spring onions, dill cucumber, curry powder, S&P and Parmesan cheese and mix

Then add egg and mix

Divide mixture into 4 parts

In your hands roll in to burgers balls and then coat in almond meal

Can sit in fridge until ready to cook

Cook in pan with a little olive oil until browned on both sides

Serve with salad

You could have a seafood sauce, mayo or whatever you wish, we had on their own(trying to be weight conscious).................ENJOY!!

 Take my word for it, they are Yum as!

 I’m kicked out of the caravan today, Ness mopped the floors & I am not allowed in until they are dry. Ness asked me if I wanted anything out of the van before she mopped.... I said no. But as soon as she finished mopping I needed about 5 different things from the van. Bugger!

 Forgot to mention that Ness finally used a can of tinned beans last night, only about 235 tins left in the van. ( Vanessa here....and 1 can of salmon, will use another 2 tonight)

 Ness & I had a conversation today about if we really miss anything since we started our journey. Ness said she misses the organisation of her office, & the garden & watching her succulents grow. Only thing I miss is the boys, Panda & my ute... so all in all we are not missing much, we keep in touch with the boys regularly & Dan is looking after Panda. The rest will still be there when we get back!

 Today's work was good, there were about 70 people in the group. A couple of the guys asked questions. During the session I usually show pictures of our house, I am still surprised at peoples reactions when they see that we live in a 2 storey house. Why?

 We also went for a drive around town, some of the houses here are quite big. Strange bricks, colour schemes, lots of big colorbond sheds in the back yard.... no doubt full of boats, jetski’s motorbikes & boys toys! While reading the real estate section I saw that the average price for a basic 3 bedroom home with a bathroom & carport is well into the $300,000’s & there are more $4,5 & $600,000 homes here for sale.

 Ok have to go for a bike ride or I will end up the size of our caravan eating all of Ness’s food. Yummmm

 Mirupafshim until tomorrow...I wonder how the Albania’s are going in the Winter Olympics

 James

Day 15 Moranbah

Ok a little about Moranbah, this town was also established purely to service the surrounding minesites. It is much larger than Dysart though & even has a KFC, a Coles supermarket & a Target Country (Smaller version of a Target store)

 The houses here are amazing, up the posh end of town you have new, modern very flash houses.... The mineworkers that have decided to make Moranbah the family town have all splashed out & built great houses.

 But the old part of town is still there too, where the people that work in town live & there is such a difference.

 The shopping precinct is newly built & has a great park area & new council buildings & library.

 It is funny when we are in a mining town the majority of vehicles are 4WD’s usually with the company logo & an identification number on the door. The all have flashing lights on the roof & bull bars & driving lights. We were up the street the other day & I did not have my camera, but out of 20 – 30 vehicles parked in the street, 75%  of them were mine vehicles. I’ll try & get a photo before we leave here.

 We have set up the van & our Donga for the next two weeks, we could live just in the van very comfortably, but the donga allows us to spread out a little more & we don’t have to use our water. We still sleep in the van & cook in the van, & work in the donga.

 That reminds me, Ness is cooking tonight so I will let you know what we have, she won’t tell me until it is made... so kind of a surprise dish hey!

 We have a little verandah here & I have set up my bike on the rollers. Today I did a 40 minute ride & was soaked with sweat. The humidity is horrendous & today is a good day! Ness took the easy way out & went for a walk/run. We have to make the effort to stay fit on this trip as we do spend a lot of time sitting in the car.

 Did my first session with the site this morning, it was an early start for Ness & I. Have you ever noticed how two businesses owned by the same people & doing the same thing can be totally different?

 The site I am working at this week is so much slacker than last weeks. They were running 30-45 minutes late & no one seemed to really know (or care) what was going on.

 But they are owned by the same company & do exactly the same thing.

 Hey just to give you an idea of how much money a coal mine makes, the mine that we are working at this week recently had a record production day (24hr period) where they produced 210,467 tonnes of coal. Yes that’s right 210,467 tonnes in one day. The price of coal at one stage was pushing US$190 a tonne. So if my maths is correct 210,467 times $190 equals $39,988,730. Not bad for a days work huh? They celebrated by having a mug printed up for all employees..... probably cost them $500..... that leaves $39,988,230. So glad I have BHP shares.

 The other thing we have noticed about this area is the number of Mine Camps that are under construction. These camps are designed to provide accommodation for workers that fly in from other parts of the state or country. Ness & I talked about this & we think it is sad that this is the way that a lot of companies are going. It is obviously cheaper for the company to feed & house workers in a camp environment than to offer them a moving allowance to bring their families to live in the area?

 But the other thing is that it is encouraging the separation of a family member, the husband/wife has to leave the home for a period of time to work & then come home & catch up on all they have missed while they were away..... It’s just not normal!

 A message for my mate Pete, the site we were at today had a tyre stockpile that would make your eyes water! Hundreds, maybe even thousands of truck & earthmoving tyres! I’ll try & get a picture for you.

 Ness went shopping for food today, she was surprised at how many shelves were empty in Coles, I said they probably only get weekly deliveries so often run out of stuff. Makes us realise how lucky we are, if one shop at home runs out, we just go to the next one that has it!

 Nothing happening in Moranbah, I was hoping that they would have a show or a fair or something that we could go to while we were here.... but I checked the local paper & there is nothing! So I’m guessing that I will run out of things to write about.

 Dave & Lyndal.... ask me some questions, you normally come up with curly ones! Rob & Nikki.... you too! My sister, Heather...time for your next question & Brad Atkins.... ask something that does not have anything to do with golf! Rob & Juan, no more shoe questions! Arama & Meredith, some more from you thanks & Box & Lou.... did you go to the V8’s last weekend? Or are you going this weekend? Egg don’t ask... the Land Rover is going fine!

 C’mon guys how often do you get the opportunity to find out about people you know & what they think on a particular subject. Or even just what they think!

 Tomorrow is another day...... Slán leat  to my leprechaun friends

James

Day 14 Mackay back to Moranbah

I have realised that I am not a foodie! Sure I love food & enjoy eating, but I am not a foodie. Since I met Ness we have been out at restaurants all over the country, even before this trip Ness & I had travelled to NSW, Qld, SA & Tassie for work & pleasure reasons. Often we eat out & I reckon within 2 minutes of receiving a menu I have made my choice. Food for me is something that I need & will often take whatever is available.... But!

 Are any of you married to foodies? Firstly they are so so so fussy where they eat, & then when the menu arrives they read it from front to back & then from back to front!

They then question some of the dishes! “I wonder how they cook this, I wonder where this comes from... etc etc” for god sake just order! I then get questions like “What are you going to have?” do you want to share. This is the other thing, Foodies share, non foodies don’t. NO!... my hamburger is my hamburger.

Do you know how frustrating it is to get to that last bit, you know the last mouthful that you have fought so hard to get this burger to, where the bread is soaked in hamburger juice, melted butter, beetroot, egg & maybe that last bit of tomato & lettuce (which is now extra soggy) and someone looks at you with longing eyes & says to you.... “Can I have a bite!”

 I have also decided that me & Ness have different quality & taste standards. Last time I stayed in Mackay I stayed at the same Quest that Ness & I are staying at. Just down the road is a little Indian restaurant called the Curry Emporium. When I was here last I settled in to my room, had a shower & a couple of beers & then went down to the Curry emporium where I ordered an entree & a main course, some rice & a garlic Naan bread. Got it back to my room & I have to say that it was one of the best take away quick Indian meals that I have ever had.... Very nice.

 Last night for Dinner we decided to stay in & order take away.... I said to Ness that the Curry Emporium is really good. So we ordered our dinner. We put it in bowls in the room & dug in. I was happily munching my Beef Korma when Ness said to me.... “This is terrible!... there is no taste & it is cold”.... Mine was as yummy as it was last time I was here, admittedly a little cool, but still nice.... so I am definitely not a foodie!

 Hey my son won his basketball today, second week in a row that his team has won. Most of you will know that Dan is a sports nut. He really loves his basketball. They won 32 to 21. For those of you that read this blog can you do me a favour & send Dan a message of encouragement or congratulations..... he will be chuffed (& surprised as he does not know that I am doing this) his email is dan_wood69@hotmail.com

   Yesterday when we were shopping, I picked up Kasey Chambers new CD Kasey Chambers, Poppa Bill & the Little hillbillies. Now I reckon most people that read this have at some stage been in the car & been singing along to Kasey Chambers, go on... Admit it! Well I have to say that when Ness & I were driving around yesterday & today we were both singing aloud. It is a great CD, and especially if you have kids, it is a collection of kids songs & if you buy the CD (as opposed to downloading it) you get a free book that she wrote. So do yourself a favour (remember Molly Meldrum) and go & buy this CD. Ness’s favourite is track 6 “Before you came along” & mine is track 10 “When we were kids”. Her dad & kids sing on it too. Cool!

(Vanessa here....I love Track 5 also, it is just a great CD and those friends of ours with kids I truly recommend you get it, even if it is a little country and blues.  Matt & Treen...tell Anika that Auntie Ness has sent here a pressie and she should have it soon and we can sing along together on Skype).

 How strange is this? In our apartment we have a washing machine that also dries. Now when I did my apprenticeship we had it rammed home to us that water & electricity do not mix. I want to know how the heck this thing works, it is only hooked up to cold water, electricity & a drain pipe. So for those of you who know can you tell me how it works. We put a load of washing in before we went out today.... came home & it was washed & dried! What the!!!! I felt like turning it over & looking inside it.

 I might not write as much in the next couple of weeks, today I bought season 1, 2 & 3 of the series “The Wire”.... so combined with Christopher & Marc’s movies & my DVD’s I’ll try to keep the blog alive. I was looking for Man V Wild but could not find it. Probably lucky as I would skip work for that DVD series!

 We went for Brekky this morning at the same restaurant we had dinner at the other night, Ness is very disappointed with Mackay & it’s food options. There are only a couple of restaurants open all day, the others only do a limited lunch & dinner service. So if you love your food & want to eat when it suits you.... not when the restaurants are open.... don’t come to Mackay.

 We drove home singing along to Kasey Chambers.... really good CD.

 News Flash!!! NESS DID NOT BUY ANY SHOES TODAY!.... Maybe she is ill?????

 Back at the Van in Moranbah, we stopped at Coppabella on the way home, will post some pics & also some pics of Ness new shoes!

 Till Tmrw.....Tot siens  to my African brothers!!!

James