TVB op vakansie na Gough Eiland

[Tom van Brits]

An then there was the contract with Titan Aviation.....memories. I hate flying in choppers and have flown many hours in them.
Just to give you an idea, when I was in the DRC on the demolition team I was flying at least 2 to 3 times a week out to the sites where we had to do these controlled explosions mostly with my cousin and sometimes ahead with the UN mine action guys as they never felt safe without a medic on the six.
Most of these flights were 1 to 3 hours one way......so it will come to no surprise why I have flying in choppers = yes I was in a controlled emergency landing which was much more like falling before the pilot flared for the landing. Only me and the 2 x pilots as far as I can recall had no injuries but the flight eng which was sitting on the foldable bench was not ok as well as the other passangers. No one was injured badly but all had some sort of bruise and back pain.

This was (or is) a Camoff - Russian helicopter and because there was a helicopter required that could fly pre constructed huts around Marion and place them on the platforms this was contracted. It could lift 5 tons if I am not mistaken - made a lot of nocie and I really really did not like flying in it but ok.....we are back on Bell 212's

[woody1]

What pissed me off when we arrived in Cape Town after nearly 14 months away from home was that the Department was more interested in the rescue. We were basically ignored.  THEY were in front of the tv crews catching the shine, ignoring the team that kept their base operational for the year....very successful if I may say so myself.

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[Tom van Brits]

What pissed me off when we arrived in Cape Town after nearly 14 months away from home was that the Department was more interested in the rescue. We were basically ignored.  THEY were in front of the tv crews catching the shine, ignoring the team that kept their base operational for the year....very successful if I may say so myself.

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It was the weirdest feeling - it felt empty like waking away from an ex that you still loved - fok die mensdom 

Afterwards (years later) Uncle Sam Oosthuysen told me how they respected you as a leader on Gough. I can recall that very morning when he was 'deep' and nostalgic sitting on the stairs watching the sun rising over the Ocean. I told him I also had some salt in my veins, and so we started talking about old teams and legend Islanders and leaders. I wonder how many people there are today that still appreciate history like I do - when I tour I visit museums and ask questions and show real interest - I guess we all differ and just as much as one mans heaven (island) can be another's hell on girls 'hero can be another's 'coward.......I need to slow down on the 'red' tonight and I now forbid myself to make any PUI postings 

[Ri]

I hope it was a good red, at least 
Are you still writing? How are your stories coming along?
As someone mentioned about Ernest Shackleton (I think), no one cared until, suddenly, everyone cared. It's up to you to keep the history alive.

[WheelieDog]

The pictures of the warship Dragon show why they paint them grey, really good camouflage in those hazy conditions.

Or maybe just Tom's lack of photography skills back then. (Just pulling your leg Tom, I don't want to tangle with an enraged islander when you get back )

OK, back to work for me, taking shit from customers. Every job has it's negative side it seems

[Tom van Brits]

I hope it was a good red, at least 
Are you still writing? How are your stories coming along?
As someone mentioned about Ernest Shackleton (I think), no one cared until, suddenly, everyone cared. It's up to you to keep the history alive.

Ri I am focusing currently on learning lightroom to edit my pictures. I have recieved many books wrt it on a flash including Lightroom6 from Xpat. I am however and unfortunately experiencing computer problems hence most of my post ons WD also on phone through tapa which result in many typos....sorry for that.

My planning was bad this time around, I have never came so badly prepared on an expedition and now that I finally have a little money saved I cannot use it to help me with my immidiate challanges but it is all fine. The book was in my view not a success, but I did neverthenless try. It is like a roller coaster ride but what made me uncomfortable as the relevance on my personal life which was or is very uncomfortable. I end up writing and leaving too many gaps, sort of making the reader more curious and just too many empty spaces. I am abselutely not ready for the book as I have learned writing a book lile that is like becoming naked in publick and it is not for me.

The coffe table book is however still on the charts, but like I have said before I am faced with 2 major issues:
1) I need more material to make it complete and the people who knows about Gough will remark the book incomplete without the main landmarks which are the Glen, sea stacks like Lots wife, Church rock, Penguin Island, Saddle island, North and South point. I cannot make a book with pictures of Gough if I have missed all the real points of interest and I am not at this stage prepared to take risks to get this....not worth it. So time will tell if I will get these photographed but it is not likely to happen.

2) It is spelled out in no uncertsin terms that it is not allowed to publish a book. It is a beefy draft, and we have (no choice) signed it. If I want to find a way around it, it will be though legal advice which all add up to cost. The book will likely not make money but must at least be able to cover (cary - support?) Itself.

My hope with a photo book like this is not only to make people aware and share this beauty and trigger new and joung adventurers but to double as some sort of photo profile (portephelia?) For me.....maybe there is some sort of future who knows? If I do read through the photographic books you have sent me it sometimes seems unlikely though.....there are just so many good (real good) photographers in the field.

Anyway, thanks for asking and the interest in what I am doing.

Like said, mainly studying photo editing in my free time (exposure and colour/effects) and reading (always a book) and once I get dry rocks there will be fishing. Also start looking into work possibilities.....I am abselutely open to whatever come my way.

Big Oil if you read here; I got you pm' but replied twice and do not know if there is something wrong with my tapa account. Rather sent me a mail, I am with google mail and you just put tom.mcsherry11 before the the rest

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[Tom van Brits]

The pictures of the warship Dragon show why they paint them grey, really good camouflage in those hazy conditions.

Or maybe just Tom's lack of photography skills back then. (Just pulling your leg Tom, I don't want to tangle with an enraged islander when you get back 8:)

OK, back to work for me, taking shit from customers. Every job has it's negative side it seems

  Yes that paint is rather good camo on the warship and it ia almost alsways hazy like that this time of the year. Always mist around Gough

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[Tom van Brits]

Friday night and not much going on. From Friday to Sundays are 'free for all' in the kitchen which means you cater for yourself. We cannot use the oven because we run on the smaller generator (think 85kva) for these 3 days and I think the normal gennie is 120kva, so we can use the gas stove or braai. I'll braai a steak tomorrow and decided tonight on baked beans and viennas. Page through the pictures thinking back of this awesome trip I did on this Explorer a couple years back. Not the best Adv bike out there but I will never regret having it for a short while and maybe one day in future if one come up for a bargain I will jump at it because it is a brilliant touring bike with character....that sound of the 3 big pods in 3rd gear is like 'Pink floyds best!

On the island there is no news, so I thought to post a picture of what I miss 



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[Noneking]

Daai viennas en boontjies was stapelvoedsel toe ek eerste keer na myself moes omsien

[woody1]

Niks verkeerd met daai ete nie.

[Tom van Brits]

I am looking for more photographic subjects and my eye caught this almost 'moody sunset' yesterday.
This one picture in the lightroom lecture also shows the clouds with some rays making it really 'moody'
I am not too fond of some of the lightroom or photoshop results people sometime posts where they develop this style of over saturating and over darkening certain areas in the pictures but I have also stepped in that trap before by making the field 'too green' and so on.
Like the guys states you are the creator or artist - 'develop your digital and give it your signature' Still one got know sort of where to draw the line if think - some of the pictures I have taken (no arrogance) is just so beautiful exposed I would not change a thing, but most can do with some touch especially in the shadows.
It is amazing how many shadow detail one can retrieve and since I have been shooting in RAW the possibilities are better to make or safe a picture where it would otherwise been deleted.

I still do not have lightroom installed due to some technical difficulties on the laptop but Tebogo will sort it for me. This picture from yesterday just too show the 'moody skies' at Gough - and this is one of those pictures which can benefit from a good touch of lightroom!

[big oil]

Big Oil if you read here; I got you pm' but replied twice and do not know if there is something wrong with my tapa account. Rather sent me a mail, I am with google mail and you just put tom.mcsherry11 before the the rest

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I received your message and just now responded via Gmail.  Thanks Tom!

[Tom van Brits]

There is really not much going on at Gough at this stage other than the usual day to day work: The meteorological data and even the field workers spent little time out and when they do they come back wet.
Hard to imagine CT dry with a stage 4 water restriction and here tons of water falls out the sky and back into the sea.

We have a bit of high alert wrt mice at this stage at the base - previous years also indicates that June is the peak when we constantly catch them and in high numbers. If you set a trap it is just a matter of time and you got one. I set traps daily in the pantry and waste area (snap traps) as well as water.

We also have little cage traps which really works well but I can't or don't like using them as you need to kill the mice afterwards. Highly effective in catching though, and they were used during the mouse bait trails to make sure that a 100% of mice is attracted to a certain 'flavor' because they need 100% success when they eventually do the eradication.

Here just an edited pick of the sunset the other day - I like this Lightroom program a lot!

[Geriatrix]

BACK YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS UP.

Yes, I am shouting. Today I discovered all my pictures have vanished, and now I must figure out how to retrieve them from my external hard drive.

[Tom van Brits]

BACK YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS UP.

Yes, I am shouting. Today I discovered all my pictures have vanished, and now I must figure out how to retrieve them from my external hard drive.

Sorry to hear and hope you get software to retrieve them from the hd Doc! 

I am backing up ASAP onto the HD I have received from a WD friend on the very first ship that came our way. That turned out already after numerous computer failure to be one of the most valuable gifts I have received. We do not really know what it is; maybe the humidity and the sea but computers do not last on g
Gough as well as many other electronic media. I have discovered today a lot of mold in the clinic and I keep this place (obviously) very clean as I do not want any infection risks in patients. So I have put some bleach in a spray bottle and started cleaning which will continue tomorrow - This weather do electronics no good.
Every year without exception islanders end up loosing laptops/computer ware. Nokwe's brand new Lenovo lasted only halfway through.

Really hope you can safe them pics Doc!

[Tom van Brits]

I can't stop     

These were not completely messed u but it did not nearly top my favorite list of pics.
Being saved as RAW files on the HD I thought to give it a change.....and now from being on the verge of being 'chucked away' it is now almost usable!
I got to switch off this computer now!

[Tom van Brits]

Ok Last one..... 

[Tom van Brits]

And these babies are cute just like little puppies - but their teeth is sharp and break skin.
They are amazing little mammals and recently (more or less 2 months ago) 2 x rehabilitated fur seals were released at PE South Africa (Port Elizabeth) and they have transponders deployed on their heads. The one named Clarence and the other Bear. They were tracked all the Way to Marion and then en-route to the South Sandwich islands it seems. Unfortunately my fb is intermittent due to the bandwith and I lost track of them but at some stage one was rather close to Gough although he did go pass.
Ok really this was the last one. Tomorrow like most of your guys and girls Mondays our's is a working day and it starts off with base cleaning skivvi which is a hectic one for me because I am also apart from the clinic and the food rations running the cleaning agents and recycling - so much to the annoyance (I think and sorry) of my cleaning partner I get called and distracted a lot but nevertheless - my work always get done and it is always nice to have a clean base after the weekend.

Goodnight 

[Geriatrix]

Tom, I have most of the pictures on external hard drives, and will be able to "steal" the rest from my wife's computer. I must just figure out how, and spend the time doing it.

Your "reject" pictures look great to me!

[woody1]

Nou daai is MOOI foto's