TVB op vakansie na Gough Eiland

[Mr Zog]

Lekker Tom 

Running, or other exercise, releases endorphins which makes us feel good. And feeling good when we are moertoe helps us feel better and positive.

You still gonna come visit before you fly home? Jy fokken beter     

[Tom van Brits]

Lekker Tom 

Running, or other exercise, releases endorphins which makes us feel good. And feeling good when we are moertoe helps us feel better and positive.

You still gonna come visit before you fly home? Jy fokken beter     

Gary that is the plan sir!!

All depends on timing and end of sialage season but I am going to try my best to visit your guys the last week in Nov!! 

[Tom van Brits]

Just to give you all an idea of what we can do with one chopper and 7 trucks in a week, before and after;

[Tom van Brits]

Currently takeover on Gough island and I got this from the Gough fb page.
2 field hits were made by Ben Dilley and flown with the choppers to Goney dale.
No more camping in tents, much safer against the gale force winds and cold.

Errol who is a permanent staff member of the DEA is this years leader and radio technician.
I do not know who got the medical orderly position.

Do I miss Gough island now that I am in the states on a short contract?

Yes, I miss the island a lot but I know I got a bit old; not in fitness but to adapt to the young generation which plays a major role in teamwork.
Still, I have spent 4 years of my life on this island and I am very much attracted to the island and especially the seabirds.
Such a shame I did not know of these islands when I was younger, but I was fortunate to do a couple of expeditions.


I have decided to do a book on the island expeditions but in Afrikaans. I just can't Express myself well enough and a lot may be lost through my own attempts in translation. Maybe if it turns out to be a good read someone can translate it into English, who knows.
I am currently roo busy but in 2 months time I'll be back home and job hunting again. Then I'll devote a minimum of an hour a day to work on that book!

[woody1]

Hutte lyk goed

[Tom van Brits]

2 weeks avg 13Hrs plus a day and counting 

Our team leader told us today the boss will soon give us a rest day, which we badly need and most already said they are just going to sleep  and watch movies and sleep some more.
It will do the worlds good just to reboot the system.

We hopped the border and chopped for a farmer in Texas, and just finished after 2 days. That is one and a half pivot (circle) which equals 180 ackers

Now back in Oklahoma panhandle and starting another 120 ackers corn

[Tom van Brits]

One thing I can say about the USA is that their postal service is excellent!
When I got my CDL (Commercial drivers license) they said I will receive it in the mail within 2 weeks, same with social security.
On both occasions it was delivered within a week but ok we are currently in Oklahoma and the boss only came to visit today and delivered our post.
Today the boss wanted to give us a rest day but we have so many work to do on the trucks, just on my friend Peter's truk 5 x punctures and then all of us had to do a major grease service (all the universal joints, ball joints, steering arms, pumps, slack adjusters, gearbox release bearing and many more.
We started at 10 and it is now half past 1 and i am through. Now we need to help each other with other break and service items and also on the chopper. Then we will move North of Guymon about 30 miles from here to start chopping 7am tomorrow.
So far I logged 162 hours and 2 week pay period not complete yet.

Last night I knew we are coming to work and did not set an alarm and decided to go for a 5km run after waking up.....but nope I slept 10 hours dead  but feel like a million bucks today!!  system reboot. The youngsters went to town playing pool and beer and came back in the early morning g hours....pok I don't know how they manage the service in the open field and sun but they appear ok 

Cdl expire when my visa expires but if I do get work here next year hopefully as a truck driver I just walk into any Dmv centre and pay 42usd and they renew it. Ok yes i need to do a medical before i go but that is just blood pressure and so on.
So at least I got a CDL (similar to a code 14 pdp in sA) and I worked hard for it, and used the opportunity.  Never before did I ride semis but I did ride code 11 truck in fire brigade, army and demining though. Thought it is hard, but not really after you get your head around the gear changes.
The only thing that is really hard is when you have limited space to do a reverse docking at an angle into a sialage pit but I manage just fine!!

[big oil]

Well done Tom 

Did you use your accent to charm the ladies at the DMV?!?!

[Tom van Brits]

Well done Tom 

Did you use your accent to charm the ladies at the DMV?!?!

  Bud I must admit the lady that test me looked rather strick and she was I'd say. Not much of a facial expression which got me on the tip of the trucks seat but I got her to smile a couple time most probably with my accent and wording......on the pretrip I said "as we approach the vehicle I look on the 'floor' for any signs of leaking fluids'  and then corrected and said 'asphalt ' although I learn in the States they refer to it as 'black top' 
She smiled and then on my 4th railway crossing I almost changed gears and shout loudly at myself 'NO, I may not change gears on the railway line or in an intersection' .... she laughed and said good on you.

Very nice ladies working at the Dmv but they do not take sh#t. Our one mate did not make his CDL sadly after a couple atempts.

Nice to leave the passport back in the RV now since I got the official card now.

[big oil]

 

I had no doubt you’d pass

[Tom van Brits]

Less than 2 months 2 go.

Not one day off in just over 3 weeks, avg 12 + hours a day.
I am getting used to the hours and work now, and just go on and even enjoy more moments.
We get to travel often throughout Kansas and Oklahoma and even a 2 day chop in Texas.
Today after we finished an 120 acre circle of corn still in daylight hours I asked the farmer why there are so many beutiful houses just abanded? He said the youngsters just move to the cities and it is only the older generation that are interested in farming.
Another farmer told us the same a couple weeks earlier.
All over the show you will see these beutiful houses now ruined already.
I can't help to think how many families were raised, happy and there must even be some family pictures and now it looks like this:

[Tom van Brits]

I am so used to couple and uncouple trailers now, since they use my truck to haul the lowbed with chopper. 

[Tom van Brits]

The sialage pits (piles) used to scare me since one got to know how to reverse because you either get to drop on the left or right side or in the middle indicates by the packer.
I drive a sleeper cab so I have no rear window to take a peek, only the mirrors and the 5th wheel is way back which makes it harder but I am getting more and more comfortable now 

[Tom van Brits]

The most beutiful town I have seen to date in the USA Kansas is Elkhart.
Very picturistic village like an oasis in the middle of all the grassland....similar to the Karoo in SA.
The agriculture equipment is out of this world.....I so wish we can stop and take a closer look and pictures but we are just always on the run.
Not much of a life other than work, but I am not complaining. I love the states although SA remain home to me.
I also love Africa, and some of the best moments or years in my life was in the Congo (Drc) Uganda, Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia.
If I can get a trucking job in the states which will be a lot more gentle on an older body than sialage chopping I'll be in 7th heaven I think!
Anyways, I still hope I'll get a week earlier break at the end to visit the Zogs but not sure if that will realize since there was drastic changes last week within the company  and the Mrs that used to do all our admin left  and she was kind.

Anyway, only one thing is certain in life and that is change

Goodnight 

[big oil]

Much respect to you and the rest of our farmers that put in long hours to not only feed my country but also numerous underdeveloped countries worldwide.

Thank you Tom!

[Tom van Brits]

Yesterday we worked a 16hr shift and then it started to rain

Over 1 inch in the night and still coming down. There are even flood warnings in the panhandle.

So all of us  jumped back into bed and are just trying g to catch up on some sleep 

[Tom van Brits]

The crew asks me why I don't take my good camera which is a Fujifilm xt30 with 16mm prime lens to the field because they would like nice picks but I know for certain that it will bite me at some stage; taking picks on the job and then the dust and bumpy rides in the trucks.
I never used my laptop as well so if I ever get to come back I'll leave the laptop back home and invest in a small portable (pocketable) camera with a 1inch sensor.
Things you only get to learn through experience.
Here are a couple of pictures sent to me by some guys on the crew.
Photo 3 indicates how tall some corn is in these fertile soil of Kansas!! (Spot the trucks in background which is already very tall)

[big oil]

Can’t sleep 💤?

[Tom van Brits]

Can’t sleep 💤?

Eventually did sleep, and just back from a jock and feel like a million bucks! System reboot 

[big oil]

Can’t sleep 💤?

Eventually did sleep, and just back from a jock and feel like a million bucks! System reboot 

Awesome, I’m still in a concussive state and very sore though I managed a 2 mile walk this evening!