Quiet here, isn't it.
I recently got a new job. I decided there wasn't a career for someone who's nearly 30 in smashing bags.
I now work with ships instead of aeroplanes at the local Harbour, which is quite a busy port as these things go.
I am a Ship's Agent. I have to visit each of my allocated ships twice a day. I could be asked to do just about anything on behalf of a ship, but the bread and butter is to make conversation, deliver and forward mail/freight and arrange services like inspections, customs clearances and utilities like fresh water and waste collection.
It's quite good fun.
The work is similar in theme but totally different in scale. For instance, when an aircraft gets bent, someone appears with a sheet of Duralumin and a rivet gun. When a ship gets bent, about 20 dirty boilersuited bacon butty munching men appear, each with a diesel welder in tow and a couple of angle grinders under each arm.
Similarly, when one of the aircraft I was dealing with takes fuel, it might take a couple of tonnes. One of our ship's tanks might take
600tonnes at a fillup. Lubrication oil is loaded in bulk, through pipes in the quayside, thousands of litres at a time.Still got the MX-5. Insides of the rear sills of it are starting to rot, in a 'they all do that sir' way. I still love it though. I had the rear brakes in bits today. It was making a funny noise. It isn't any more after I took a wire brush to the discs as I couldn't find anything amiss.
Also still have the 106. It's still fun and hasn't broken. Hammerited the wheels silver a few weeks ago.
How is everyone else?