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Unloading a Ukrainian Fishing Boat
Stacked in the hold, winched from the hold onto a forklift onto my truck and off to the cold store. Since leaving the USA in early October 2012 and returning to New Zealand, the "water flowing under my bridge" seems to have been in flood.
What?, you say. You know that saying "It's all water under the bridge". Well it feels to me as if there has been a flood going on under my bridge (lots of water).
My last blog was tribute to the women in my life and I'm pleased I wrote it. As usual, I get some mixed reactions but I reckon that if everybody agreed with everyone else, that would be boring.
The blog before that was from Mt Gambier in South Australia. Well since then lots has happenned which has placed me back in New Zealand living with my Mum & Dad regrouping. This works for all 3 of us. Both of them seem really interested in what I have been doing each day. I think it adds a new dynamic to their day, hearing about what is going on out there.
Not everything goes as planned or that is how it seems.
My adventure to Australia didn't work. After 1 month there my prospective employer said there was no job
Unloading a Ukrainian Fishing Boat
Frozen Fish from the forward hold on sunset. Unloading the ship takes 36 hours, 3 x 12 hour shifts. because their insurance company closed the door to employing anyone with less that 2 years driving experience in Australia. Wish they had told me that at the start so I could have saved the expense and the stress of it all!
On the 10th July I will have been working for Transport Nelson Limited (TNL) for 6 months. Getting used to this work environment has been challenging at times but I think I have established myself as a contributor.
Some weeks I am a forkie (Forklift Driver) and some weeks I am a truck driver.
When I am a Forkie I start work at 3.00am in the morning and go flat out with another guy to unload 5 B-trains before 6.30am so all the goods are ready for the local trucks to load and deliver. Then I load them and send them on their way. Now that I'm confidant on the forklift, I quite enjoy it and the bonus is that I get to finish about mid-day. That means that I almost get a life.
When I'm a truckie I'm involved in loading apple ships to Europe, Kiwifruit boats to Europe, unloading frozen fish from Sealord
Unloading a Ukrainian Fishing Boat
As the sun goes down the beat goes on. and Ukrainian fishing boats, local deliveries, loading timber to various places including The Port, taking cubic meter plastic bins (68 yesterday) to Picton for NZ King Salmon and sometimes returning with 36 bins full of ice and King Salmon to their factory for processing.
Have done a couple of out of town assignments which have been fun but most of the work has been around the province.
I surprised myself the other day and joined a gym!! On Tuesday I meet with a Personal Trainer and start an 8 week program to get fit.
It seems to have taken ages to develope some social networks here in my old town of Nelson. But as time goes by I am slowly catching up with various people and making new friends. One of my new friends, Tania, returned with me in the truck from Picton to Nelson, a 2 hour trip over hills and through valleys. Tania had caught the ferry that sails between the North Island and the South Island and decided that she could be a trucker chic for a few hours. I think she quite enjoyed it.
Not sure where to from here. By the
Unloading a Ukrainian Fishing Boat
The night time shift. 6.00pm to 6.00am end of the month my mum, dad and I hope to be back in their home after it was flooded on the 21st April following a freak rainstorm which saw 6 to 8 inches of contaminated water flow through their home. Everything except the wall studs and the exterior walls were removed due to sewage being in the water. Rebuilding is nearly complete with carpets, kitchen and bathroom joinery due to be installed next week following the completion of the painting. In the meantime I have been living with my lovely sister Pip and Roy, husband, which has been really enjoyable.
The highlight of my year so far has been spending Queens Birthday Weekend in Wellington with the mother of my children, Jane, and 2 of my daughters, Briar and Jessie. It was Jessie's graduation from Massey with a First Class Honors Degrees in Industrial Design. Very proud mum and dad talking here. For the first time in such a long time Jane and I were totally relaxed in each others company and had some wonderful conversations together. This in turn made things extra special for both Briar and Jessie. We all missed not having Meg there with us,
well Jane and I did, but she was never far from our thoughts.
Have posted a random collection of photos with a few more to come.
Bye for now.
Nigel
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