Here’s the first news for three weeks. No, we didn’t drop off the planet for a while.
Dave’s and Jane’s visit was, as expected very special. I didn’t have any holiday time to take, so after their arrival three weeks ago, Nicki took them around town and the Hagen area. They commented that people who complain about potholes on the army road that gives access to their house, really don’t have anything to moan about! As I’ve commented before, the roads around the town leave an awful lot to be desired.
Nicki took them with her to the market a couple of times, and also drove up the Kuda Ridge to Rondon Ridge tourist lodge where they enjoyed the view and a very nice salad. Then, on the Thursday of their first week, we all flew to Telefomin where I was covering for Richie Axon while he and Bernie went to Australia for the medical check on Stephen, who was scalded in an accident over a year ago. Good news on that front, the scar is healing very well and they don’t need to have another check for 12 months, and neither will he need to continue wearing a compression suit.
During this time I was having to be very careful with my leg. After my long run four weeks ago today, my ankle swelled up after a few days. It wasn’t at all easy to follow doctor’s advice and rest with my leg up. Subsequently I began to get major pain around the base of my big toe and was wondering what was going on. With hindsight, I think that Nicki’s suggestion that the swelling from my ankle, which also spread down to the foot, pushed the inside edge of my foot, and hence the big toe joint hard against the side of my shoe. While flying I wear work trainers with a steel toe cap, and as I flexed my foot the edge of the toe cap acted like a fulcrum straight on to the big toe joint causing bruising. Now after four weeks its about 90% better, with most of the swelling gone and the toe joint only sensitive rather than painful. Consequently, I wasn’t able to walk around Telefomin at all and spent weekends and evenings sitting with my leg up.
Nicki was therefore the one who introduced Dave & Jane to Telefomin, which they enjoyed immensely. They wandered around the community, admiring the lovely views and talking with people they met. As they commented, it was lovely being on the inside of the society, rather than a tourist on the outside looking in.
As well as the flights to and from Telefomin, which did include two stops on the way out and one on the way back, I was also able to take them on a couple of other flights, one to Tabubil and back, and then one to a couple of lowland airstrips to the north. One of those lowland strips is Blackwara, or Blackwater, which is, of course, where D&J and ourselves live in the UK. The local people were amused at the fact our home community had the same name as theirs.
On the way out to Telefomin Dave, Jane and Nicki waited in Tari while I did a round from there which involved me landing for the first time at a new airstrip, Ambi, located on the side of the spectacular Strickland Gorge. What price would real estate like this be in a western country?
I loved being out and about flying again, and Tele is one of my favourite areas. I was very aware that Nicki and I will probably only be out there one more time.
Dave and Jane left on Wednesday this week for a few days in Hong Kong before returning home. Hong Kong is quite literally worlds different from Telefomin. Of the two, I know which I prefer.
After the best part of two weeks out of the office, Wednesday and Thursday were inevitably spent playing catch up. There were several important and time limited tasks that needed my attention, and several more that cropped up during the course of each day. I came home one afternoon feeling that I’d been juggling, after trying to work on four different tasks simultaneously. The important thing was that I did complete them all!
Yesterday was catch up at home: the car was washed, tomato plants staked and the hedge cut, the second to last time that the hedge will be done, so we’re definitely in countdown mode.
I’m also in countdown mode to the annual pilots’ meetings which start on Monday 5th Nov. There are still several outstanding organisational jobs to do, and I haven’t started working on the sessions I’ll be taking, so the prime task for the coming week will be to get those in hand.
Dave’s and Jane’s visit was, as expected very special. I didn’t have any holiday time to take, so after their arrival three weeks ago, Nicki took them around town and the Hagen area. They commented that people who complain about potholes on the army road that gives access to their house, really don’t have anything to moan about! As I’ve commented before, the roads around the town leave an awful lot to be desired.
Nicki took them with her to the market a couple of times, and also drove up the Kuda Ridge to Rondon Ridge tourist lodge where they enjoyed the view and a very nice salad. Then, on the Thursday of their first week, we all flew to Telefomin where I was covering for Richie Axon while he and Bernie went to Australia for the medical check on Stephen, who was scalded in an accident over a year ago. Good news on that front, the scar is healing very well and they don’t need to have another check for 12 months, and neither will he need to continue wearing a compression suit.
During this time I was having to be very careful with my leg. After my long run four weeks ago today, my ankle swelled up after a few days. It wasn’t at all easy to follow doctor’s advice and rest with my leg up. Subsequently I began to get major pain around the base of my big toe and was wondering what was going on. With hindsight, I think that Nicki’s suggestion that the swelling from my ankle, which also spread down to the foot, pushed the inside edge of my foot, and hence the big toe joint hard against the side of my shoe. While flying I wear work trainers with a steel toe cap, and as I flexed my foot the edge of the toe cap acted like a fulcrum straight on to the big toe joint causing bruising. Now after four weeks its about 90% better, with most of the swelling gone and the toe joint only sensitive rather than painful. Consequently, I wasn’t able to walk around Telefomin at all and spent weekends and evenings sitting with my leg up.
Nicki was therefore the one who introduced Dave & Jane to Telefomin, which they enjoyed immensely. They wandered around the community, admiring the lovely views and talking with people they met. As they commented, it was lovely being on the inside of the society, rather than a tourist on the outside looking in.
Evening in the Telefomin valley looking towards the west.
As well as the flights to and from Telefomin, which did include two stops on the way out and one on the way back, I was also able to take them on a couple of other flights, one to Tabubil and back, and then one to a couple of lowland airstrips to the north. One of those lowland strips is Blackwara, or Blackwater, which is, of course, where D&J and ourselves live in the UK. The local people were amused at the fact our home community had the same name as theirs.
On the way out to Telefomin Dave, Jane and Nicki waited in Tari while I did a round from there which involved me landing for the first time at a new airstrip, Ambi, located on the side of the spectacular Strickland Gorge. What price would real estate like this be in a western country?
I loved being out and about flying again, and Tele is one of my favourite areas. I was very aware that Nicki and I will probably only be out there one more time.
Dave and Jane left on Wednesday this week for a few days in Hong Kong before returning home. Hong Kong is quite literally worlds different from Telefomin. Of the two, I know which I prefer.
*************
After the best part of two weeks out of the office, Wednesday and Thursday were inevitably spent playing catch up. There were several important and time limited tasks that needed my attention, and several more that cropped up during the course of each day. I came home one afternoon feeling that I’d been juggling, after trying to work on four different tasks simultaneously. The important thing was that I did complete them all!
Yesterday was catch up at home: the car was washed, tomato plants staked and the hedge cut, the second to last time that the hedge will be done, so we’re definitely in countdown mode.
I’m also in countdown mode to the annual pilots’ meetings which start on Monday 5th Nov. There are still several outstanding organisational jobs to do, and I haven’t started working on the sessions I’ll be taking, so the prime task for the coming week will be to get those in hand.
