I’m sorry. I can’t keep quiet on this any longer. If you haven’t been following the news stories about the shortage of air traffic controllers in Australia and the consequential closure of various chunks of airspace, then please, read this editorial from today’s Courier-Mail newspaper, and the comments, many of which appear to have been written by controllers.

I’ll also suggest you have a look at the ATC union’s web site too, Civil Air, for further information.

There have been suggestions from Airservices Australia, the sole employer of civilian air traffic controllers, that the sick leave and “not available for extra duty” is part of an industrial campaign. From my observation, as the partner of a long-term ATC, it is not. The controllers in the centres (Brisbane and Melbourne) are tired of the sheer amount of overtime being offered, the controllers in some of the towers are also tired for the same reason. There has been a growing shortage of controllers in Australia for many years, held together through the sheer professionality and dedication of the remaining controllers. Yes, the money for overtime is big and an obvious incentive to come in (again) and work your day off (again). But there are also regulations prohibiting controllers from active duty should they not feel well. ATC is not like an office where you can pop a couple of pills and “soldier on” for the good of the company. There are thousands of lives at risk each day, all depending upon a clear-headed, fatigue-free controller.

Airservices Australia has been reported as saying there are up to a hundred new recruits ready to be trained. Overlooking the fact it will still take 18 months to get those recruits (assuming they pass the training, there is a high failure rate), where are the resources and controllers in the training academy? Where will Airservices obtain controllers to teach the required knowledge to new recruits if none of the current controllers can be released from duty (because there’s a shortage of controllers)?

And so many controllers are very close to retirement age (unlike much of the workforce, ATC is subject to mandatory retirement age), my own partner included.

If the closed airspace (TIBA) is “safe” as per announcements by CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) and Airservices Australia, why then does QANTAS direct its flight crews to fly around those closed airspaces? Has the national airline done a risk analysis and determined the risks involved are not worth it?

I could go on. I won’t. I’ll finish up by saying to do your own risk analysis before flying in this country any time soon. Just in case.

This story from Bunbury in WA caught my eye this afternoon.  I see it’s raining down in Tassie, but not everywhere on the island. And snow! The apple isle has it all!

Here in the Alice, the main news focusses on the handing over of the town camps to the federal government under a lease agreement. Camp dogs, they say, will be easier to control.

Winter is well and truly here in the desert, night time temperatures are dropping down to 1 or below. The days are glorious and sunny although very, very chilly. I think it would be easier if our house were built to stand the cold. Or if we ran the heaters through the day. But the house is designed to withstand the fierce heat of summer and I just cannot justify turning on the heaters unless the temperature is below 10C. I wear lots of layers. And open the windows at the first sign of warm-ish air outdoors.

I’m just about over my cold and throat illness. My voice is almost back to normal but I wouldn’t want to put it under too much strain. The asthma is settling down and only bothers me at night or early in the morning. I do wish it wouldn’t wake me at 3am. Still, I am grateful that I do actually wake as I struggle for breathe! The new stomach drugs are working! Yay! Pain free for the first time in literally years! I still get a touch of nausea which is quite startlingly severe but short-lived, but I haven’t had any bloating (or the pain associated with that) for nearly a month. Still have to ensure I don’t do any heavy lifting or exert upper body too much as the drugs don’t do a thing for the hiatus hernia. The downside is that the bill for all these drugs is getting pricey. I need to go back to work.

One of Tasmania’s biggest winter events kicks off in Hobart tonight and will celebrate the state’s links with Antarctica.

The Antarctic Mid-Winter Festival runs for 10 days and features ice carving, dog sledding, Antarctic films and science shows.

Apparently this festival aims to raise awareness of the work done by the Antarctic scientists. Sounds like fun, especially the candle-light parade!

At least, I hope so. I didn’t cough quite so vigorously or productively this morning, that’s a good start. And today? I was able to putter about the house doing house-worky tasks, like tidying the guest bedroom, wiping down the main bathroom, vacuuming up the grotty stuff that accumulates upon my kitchen floor and cook. It’s nice to have the energy back to spend time in the kitchen, even if I did end up feeling ill after too long on my feet.

I cooked a vegetarian version of a bolognaise sauce to have with pasta for tea tonight. Mushrooms and olives, lentils and some pretend-mince (from Planet Ark). Smells and looks wonderfully appetizing. The house guests may even eat it.

Very cold here in the desert. Winter in a desert town, very bracing indeed. Though I imagine winter in Tasmania isn’t much warmer!

Evening is falling and the persistent, hacking cough sets in with a vengeance. During the day the coughing is there, just not quite so persistent. It’s most annoying and I’m getting very tired of it.

A couple of friends have just finished cycling the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail down in north-east Victoria. The husband emailed through a batch of great photos, with the following message “Good trip, no problems”. I feel like writing back with “Good pics, no problems”, would he get the message? Perhaps I’ll be patient and wait for his wife to write a more robust and descriptive account of their journey. They did the trip riding Brompton folding bikes and towing Burley trailers. One of the trailers held their 3 year old son. I assume the other held their camping gear, food and clothing.

Another couple of friends are due back in town for an overnight visit. They’re from Perth and have launched out of Alice Springs for their annual holiday, touring much of the southern and south-eastern coasts of Australia, before heading west in to outback Queensland to Longreach. Tomorrow they return here, the morning after they return to Perth. The guest bedroom needs a quick tidy up, but I’m not prepared to wash the bed linen. After all, we’ve had bad weather, followed by my illness (cough, cough, hack, cough) and it’s not as though the linen has been exposed to dirt, dust or even other guests. As they’re not likely to read this post until long after their departure, I figure I’ll just plump up the pillows, fluff up the sheets, re-make the bed neatly and cover it all with a couple of nice quilts. Maybe spray a few drops of lavender oil for extra freshness. No-one will ever know.

Friday night’s a great night for football. So thinks my partner. Most years I join him in the lounge, in front of the big-arse tv screen and watch the AFL matches. But this year it clashes with Silent Witness and Spooks on the ABC-TV, so I set myself up nicely in the spare bedroom with a bean bag and a big quilt. And a fair sized telly. If I drank wine I’d include a glass of red, but I don’t anymore, so water will do. And chocolate teddy bear biscuits. Such a pleasant way to enjoy the beginning to the week’s end.

I’ve been battling a virus which then evolved into an upper respiratory tract infection. Last week I lost my voice. The doctor guessed correctly that I don’t usually speak with such a husky voice. Antibiotics were prescribed and I was told I’d feel better within a day or two. One week later and I definitely don’t feel better. Took a turn for the worse last night with constant coughing. Throw in a slight bit of wheezing, some hacking and the occasional productive barking cough and I had a fairly miserable night. Hence I found myself back at the doctor’s surgery this morning. The penicillin has been escalated from 500mg to 875mg, and he’s given me this cute bottle of cough medicine. I’m not supposed to sip too much or too often as it’ll suppress my breathing as well as my cough. But one 5ml dose this evening should be okay and help me get a peaceful and full night’s sleep.

Here’s hoping.

Isn’t this great news for those of us who live in Alice Springs?

In the past, there have been as many as 13 murders in a year. Not bad for a small town of 27,000. According to the ABC news, the massive reduction is all down to the Intervention program.

Welcome! I did mean to get this up and running about six months ago, but life intervened. I went on holiday in late January and was delayed coming home. That, in itself is another story. Suffice to say here that I survived and lived to tell the tale. Later. Then my sister fell very ill. Ambulances, hospitals and all that. I ended up staying away for months. Nice to have a break from the long, hot desert summer. Sister recovering slowly. I came home and right now I am recovering. From a nasty cold/cough/sinus/throat thing. Lost my voice last week (oh I sounded so sexy and husky!) and this week I’m on antibiotics. And still feeling rather ill. Hence my job hunting is on stand-by and I am at home with the internet and a few good books to read.

Here endeth the first post. More in the days to come!