work!

I could not believe it when I logged on and realised we had not posted anything since Easter.

We are very sorry about the long wait.

Below are some of the projects we have been working on in the past few weeks

Truck used to carry tools and water for work on the new

transmitter site - needed tool lockers. We made these out of old gates

Accomodation Block room 9 before and after prep and painting -

walls are lino (a legacy of when this room used to be a hospital)

and cannot be removed due to probable asbestos backing

so we sealed them with 5 coats of paint

Assembling tower bases - finally, I got to do big boy's mechano


A welcome swim in the evening to cool off after a long hot day - just 10 mins from HCJB

Jodi and the kids can't wait for me to finish work so we can enjoy time together in the

numerous water holes and natural springs.

We are also enjoying the muddy tracks at the moment. The kids wished the mud was real chocolate

Chris and Maurie have been preparing the grounds at the new site - with backhoe and chainsaws. Their efforts have helped to put things back on schedule

They are currently assembling a hydraulic motor on the side of a hand winch and attaching it to a tractor for further clearing, and to use it later in the year for lifting the antenna curtains onto the new towers.

Whilst they do that, I am welding brackets to hold large air cond. units on the side of the existing transmitter building to alleviate overheating issues that have been caused by their current location.

Things are really stepping up and we are all sleeping in the middle of the day to help cope with the extra exertion. I never expected the heat/humidity to take such a toll. On any given morning, I fill and drink my 3L water bottle twice. This just keeps up with the water lost in sweat. Still, we are all getting used to the heat (as best as we can). At the end of last week, it was 36 and we all breathed a sigh of relief, enjoying the 36 as a cool day after a string of 39 to 42s with high humidity. Just those few degrees did make a lot of difference.

This week, it's a more pleasant 34 to 36 with humidity off the charts. You can tell when it's lunchtime because it starts to rain at 12pm almost to the minute every day. This means the mornings are tough due to high humidity and heat, but afternoons are very pleasant. We can't wait for the weekend. Hoping to go back to Andy's Chasm to see it in full swing. Heard the waterfalls are spectacular and this might be the last time to see them before the dry season.