The Next Move

Well, it’s official. Phil and I are moving to Perth! Late last week I was formally offered a position with the Australia-Pacific Environment team working as a Senior Environmental Advisor. My main function is to provide support and guidance to each of the nine Barrick sites throughout the region as they implement a variety of environmental programs. The regional Environment team is very small (just myself and my new boss, Ben) so the work is bound to be challenging, however I am terribly excited about it all. Ben is fantastic to work with, Perth is amazing and I am excited to take what I have learned at Cowal and share it with the other sites! At the moment I am unsure of my start date although it sounds like it could be early December. Ben is here this week to assist with some work at Cowal and we will be negotiating a finish date with my current boss. The current plan is for Phil to stay in Parkes for a few more months to finish up his work at NorthParkes and hopefully find work with Rio Tinto in Perth. Once again the Christmas season will be a very busy time for us. And I couldn’t be happier!

The heat is on…

It is still seven weeks until the official height of summer but the heat is already setting in. Yesterday it hit a whopping 40 degrees in the afternoon. I’m not sure I will ever get used to the sensation of feeling my eyes burn in the hot, dry Aussie air. The cats have been celebrating the heat by, well, sleeping. A lot. Pixel has been particularly dramatic as she demonstrates how hot she is by passing out in some very amusing places/positions. For instance…

Phil’s Shiner

Phil recently took up cricket and is playing in a weekly league in Parkes. Despite his best efforts, Aussie sports just don’t seem to agree with him! Tonight at practice he took a ball to the face and ended up with a lovely black eye.