October 2013 - - 2wander-yonder

October 2013

01 October 2013

Back at work and our first day back was hot, darned hot and it didn't help that for the first time in 3 months we were back wearing work clothing (long trousers, long sleeved shirt, safety helmet and goggles and steel capped boots), as opposed to shorts, t-shirt and thongs, but despite the heat and slightly uncomfortable attire we do like this job, and it is really nice to be back at it again.

Getting the site prepared for the harvest to come in has been the order of the day as well as helping people new to the job settle in and keeping them safe around the moving machinery. There are around 28 people working this harvest and only 10 that have had any experience at the job.

Today was a late finish because of the need to clear the bunkers. Sorting the good wheat from that which had gone off through water ingress or bin burn meant lots of slow, methodical and careful work to separate the two with shovels and brooms before the tractor and loader were brought in to move it all to. By 5.30 pm both of us were feeling the effects of the past 3 months indulgences, not to mention the effects of the heat, so it was nice when we got the last of the tasks done and were able to knock off and head back to our camp.

02 October 2013

When we got to work this morning at 7am some of the permanent crew were already hard at it continuing the task of separating the good and the bad wheat and as the whole crew got stuck into it the job was made that much harder by the wind that began blowing and getting stronger as the day wore on.

By midday the wind was getting really strong and everyone but the permanent staff and Joanne and I had been sent home leaving the 6 of us to set the stacker up on the conveyor belt and begin emptying the silo's back out onto the now almost empty Bunker 1.

Of course we got one silo done as it had only a few percent in it and by the time we were ready to empty the other the wind gusts were up around 50 km/h causing the huge tarps (42m x 24m) to blow around violently and the grain coming off the stacker to go in all directions so we just shut the whole operation down.

A rainstorm was also brewing nearby and with visibility from dust down to almost nothing there was no way we could safely tarp what wheat was on the ground, so that will no doubt be more for the bad pile as the rain also began to fall. We got back into town and to our camp, plugging the power and water in just in time and the rain is still falling steadily even now almost 2 hours later as I sit here typing this.

06 October 2013

The weather has calmed down quite a bit and we are now underway with the harvest as more and more wheat arrives. We are now into two shifts per day and Joanne and I are on the afternoon shift starting at 12 noon and going until they stop bringing grain in or something else stops the show. Joanne is on the E1 panel down at the silo's again, controlling the grain as it goes up into the silo's or down the conveyor belt that runs the length of the bunkers to one of the stackers that I control to feed and fill the two walled bunkers.

First Grain

The first grain onto the bunkers

With a few people new to the harvest it has been fun teaching them the tricks of the trade and at times it is nice to stand back and let them get into it. Its a long weekend this weekend here in Qld but we will be working everyday regardless so we will be looking forward to a day off to give our house a good clean inside and out and to just put our feet up.

13 October 2013

Its been a while since we posted on here and that is mainly because not much has been happening except work. We enjoyed a day off after working 11 days straight and are now back into it again. The weather has been quite hot with most days around 35 deg C, a sun that beats down mercilessly and adding to the fun recently has been a very hot Northerly wind.

The harvest has picked up a bit this last few days and most days now we are taking in over 2,000 tonnes. The silo's are full most of the time and it is a juggling act to empty them down the belt to the bunkers between trucks coming in and the juggling gets trickier when the sky darkens and there is an urgent need to cover the three bunkers that are open. It's quite an busy time when this happens and it is okay for those of us who know what happens goes on and the looks on the faces of the new people shows the level of their confusion as they try to figure out what is happening, in what order and with orders flying left right and center over the radio it just means we have to take the extra 5 seconds to make sure they understand, and are safe around the 43m x 22m tarps as they flap in the wind, get slippery with rain and are being moved by the tractor and front end loader.

Sunset Rain

Great colours as the sun sets after the rain

Joanne snapped amazing shot down at the silo's

21 October 2013

Nothing new here in Talwood and despite the poor harvest this year because of the drought, we are still working. Joanne is still on the E1 panel putting wheat up into the silos or down the belt to me where it goes onto the stack.

31 October 2013

The end of another month is on us already and Christmas is just around the corner. The harvest here in Talwood is just about done and dusted for this year and with offers on the table to go to three other sites it will be interesting to see where we end up. So far we have offers or work at Bogan Gate in NSW, a choice of 3 sites in Victoria (Birchip, Donald or Sea Lake) and Pinneroo in South Australia. Hopefully some plans will firm up tomorrow and we will have a more bankable idea of what we are doing.

In the meantime the weather here has been hot and very tropical as the heat builds up and the cotton wool forms in the sky, all of which makes for a warm day in our long trousers, shirts, safety helmets and steel capped boots. Thankfully we are acclimatised now but it is still so nice when the sun is down, the heat goes out of the day and a cool breeze blows across us through the windows as we relax and then sleep, something we do very well :)