General Rescue training day!

Hi everyone,

 

It's been a good day here.  After the last post I put up I drowsed for about an hour or so and then got up, dressed, grabbed some bread and peanut butter for breakfast and drove over to Murchison to meet with the rest of the Tatura SES members who were going to the General Rescue course at Seymour.

 

 

Regular readers will know how big a part of my life and my valuation of my life is tied up with being an SES volunteer, so you can understand how much I enjoyed the day.  I don't think I've ever met someone in orange that I haven't liked: members are often eccentric, sometimes a little nutty, and invariably individuals, but I've never met one who didn't have a good heart.

 

 

The course was as rewarding as SES courses always are, this time covering anchoring and hold-fasts. Z-rig pully systems and winching, and lifting-and-cribbing.  All skills needed to help people on need, and especially people who are trapped.  There's a few things I'll need to brush up on before hte examination day in three weeks.  I'm more eager to get started than you can imagine!

 

 

It was a pretty packed day and it felt kind of good to pile back into the Navara and begin the trip back to the Goulburn Valley proper.  We stopped at Wahring for fuel and washed the vehicle's windows as best we were able.  The team dropped me at Murchison before they went back to Tatura.

 

 

Second Oldest Sister has been up here today and will stay until tomorrow, I think possibly to have another person here in the hope that having someone else here will induce Michael to maintain his manners tomorrow (I am not optimistic).  She made dinner of small beef pies and cheesecake.

 

One thing I could have lived without was Mum seeing a news story about a high school in Virginia being most excited about the impending visit of Pope Francis ("poor children" ... "it's so stupid" ... "how many refugees are there in the Vatican?").  I wish she didn't dislike Catholicism so much.  It doesn't hurt me, exactly: I keep a low profile and avoid conflict, and Lord knows some people have a much more savage dislike of it (have a look at the comments here, for instance).  It feels more like it's an anger that she carries around that just needs a way out.  It just seems kind of sad: like someone taking pride in being able to reject love.

 

No more for now.  I have a skype date with the girls tonight and definitely looking forward to a shower and a good night's sleep after that.  Hope alls well with you and that you're heading for a happy weekend!