Back to Work

After six months of enjoying the outside I now have to return to my old job for at least the next six months. Steve finishes his job on Wednesday. What will happen with him after that is anyone's guess, hopefully he will find a new job in the not to distance future.

I am hoping once everything settles down I may go back to study and get a job in the environmental field. Will just have to wait and see. Meanwhile my old job back in the office starts this week. I am working nearly everyday either in the office or on checkouts which will make a change.

On a different note we soft released our two ringtails on Friday night and they are having a ball in the trees around our house but one of them still comes home every morning and sleeps in their drey.

He has had a busy night and is very tired.

Not happy about being woken in the middle of the day.

Almost at the finishing line

I have one more day or I should say half a day at Tafe to go and I will be all finished. It has been fun and I have passed everything so far just a couple of more assignments and I will have my cert 111 in Conservation and Land Management. One month ago I was ready to throw it all in but I have now almost completed the course and am quietly confident that I have passed. Yahoo.

On a different note I have gone back to working for my old company to help the finances along but the only thing available at the moment is check out chick. I feel I have stepped back in time. It has been seven years since I worked on checkouts and so many of my old customers have come through my register and said where have you been and so help me, now we have our name displayed on the register if another person says oh look its Madonna and makes some smart comment I will scream.

Governments

I don't have much time for politics but when it came to my back door I sat up and took notice. The State Government has decided (against our council) to secure 300 hectares of land in our shire for low cost housing. As the Redlands has one of the largest (although dying out) koala populations you have to ask why. There is not much land available for the koalas to actually call home anymore so again I ask why?

The infrastructure in the area they wish to do this is also not great, the transport, schools and facilities available are not the best. Does the Government want to create the slums of the future if so why here?

I know people need housing but surely the Government could knock down Anna Blighs home and the surrounding area and build there. Instead of signing the death warrant for hundreds of koalas and other animals that live in the area.

Bionic Beagle

Two blogs in one day I am doing well.

Steve and I own an 11 year old beagle. Two years ago she was chasing a cat around the shed and tore her back left ligament resulting in her having a pin put in. Guess what she did her right ligament two weeks ago, so she has had a pin put in her right leg now. We now fondly call her the bionic beagle. She nearly costs as much as the bionic man now as well.

She hates us at the moment except when she needs to go to the toilet as we have 15 steps she needs to be carried up and down stairs, by the way she ways 17kgs so this is not much fun at the moment for her or us. Steve and I are going to end up with biceps on our biceps or bad backs (I think it will be the bad backs).

Our girl Xena

She has eight stitches

Steve is a softy

I haven't had much time lately to do any blog entries because of tafe but I am nearly finished and so far have passed all my assignments only about 5 to go thank God.

The reason for my title is because several weeks ago we released our long term inmate Lucky the brush tail possum and Steve is always saying don't get to friendly to them as they have to be feral to be released but Lucky was with us for so long that even Steve had a big soft spot for him because of all his issues. So I couldn't resist posting this photo of Steve's farewell to our beautiful boy.

Not long to go

There is not long to go and tafe will be finished and I have to go back to working in my old job. I am going to miss all the people I have encountered in the last couple of months. I don't think I will miss the assignments which I still have about 7 to do and five weeks to do them but I am determined to get them done.

A week at tafe at the moment consists of Monday we had chalk and talk in the morning an a mapping exam all afternoon. Tuesday start 11am chalk and talk and then planting trees all afternoon besides a creek in the Redlands. Wednesday off and Thursday an all day first aid course. Friday a new module was introduced in the morning and we then spent the afternoon setting quadrants out in the field counting plants. One of the nicest things about Friday was sitting under a tree outside the classroom having lunch with a koala just above us. Koalas are becoming an extinct animal in the Redlands so it was nice to see one for a change.

The latest research shows that in ten to fifteen years there will be no koalas left in the Redlands one of its main habitats.

Work Experience Week Two

Day one lush green weeds.

Day two looking a bit barer.

Day three almost cleared our small patch.Day four not much left.

We finally reached the river that runs beside the property. Yahoo.

What a week. The place that we did work experience needs to be napalmed. It was full of weeds, there were hardly any natives if any, it was dreadful. Our first day most of us wished that we could breath, the pollen, spores and dust were awful. It was like working in a jungle, the heat and humidity were intense. We all left on the Friday feeling very disheartened, the Trust that owns the land are not going revegetate as the land is cleared, consequently the weeds we just removed will be back in 6 months time.

Needless to say I have not had a very educational or moving experience in the field I thought was for me.

I have decided that working with animals and their habitats is where I want to be. I will finish my course and hopefully pass then I will move on.