Yawn!

I have been so exhausted today and had to drag myself through the day kicking and screaming. I only went to sleep at 1am this morning and, before any of you jump to your own conclusions, it was not as a result of having a late dinner with the very buff Llewellyn! After I wrote the blog last night I decided to tackle a bit of work that had been requested of me. I was tasked to develop a step-by-step illustrated user guide for the installation process of the software package that is used for data collection on the Research Vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen. It is a very tricky programme to install and has on a few occasions driven me almost to insanity. Last week, after two days of trying, I finally got it installed on a colleague’s computer and casually remarked that the installation guide given out with the programme was not very helpful. Anyway the IT manager at ORI requested that I do the guide for them so that in future they know how to do the job and then Jens from IMR (the person responsible for training on the system) said that he would like it too because he needs something to give out at the training sessions. I was a bit reluctant to start this guide because it meant removing a perfectly useable programme from my computer with the potential that I might not get it to work again and I could lose all the data that I had in it. I decided though to grab the bull by the horns and just do it! It took me two installation attempts and until twenty past midnight to get it up and running and all the data back in it. After that I was a bit hyped up and couldn’t go to sleep so I just read until I was sleepy. I was very pleased though to send off the completed guide to Jens this morning for comment.

As per normal I could not sleep later than normal so was awake bright and early this morning feeling like a train wreck. I went down to breakfast and decided that maybe the problem yesterday with the tea was that I had milk in it. But without milk it is a hundred times worse. I now regret not bringing more rooibos tea with me. There is enough for a cup every evening and then for one or two spoil mornings so I will see how I go. There is no way I can face the tea in the restaurant again, for me it is what I imagine dirty dish water to taste like!

Our workshop was due to start at 9am but at 9am it was just me and one other participant standing outside the locked meeting room. So much for Tantely telling me he would be in before 9am! We got down to work and it took us from 9:30 until 12:30 to get through 80% of one fishery profile. These people talk A LOT! We broke for lunch at 12:30 and had a 3 course set menu lunch which was absolutely divine. Llewellyn had told me that the chef was good but I didn’t quite believe it. He is, however, very good. I tried to approach my food with poise and dignity but I think in the end I just shovelled the food in my mouth in the fine tradition I learnt in the air force J.

The afternoon session only started at 14:30! These people seriously know how to take time out from work! We managed to finish off the fishery that we started in the morning thank goodness. We divided up into three groups (more long discussions) and each group chose a fishery to complete. I was impressed that two of the groups finished their profiles by 5pm (going home time). The third group are most of their way through their fishery but they chose an industrial fishery and these always take longer because there is more information to capture. There are a further 16 fishery profiles that need to be completed by Friday afternoon and I think that there is a strong possibility we will manage that even with the everyone having the afternoon off tomorrow. Even though I would prefer to work tomorrow afternoon (yes I know I am crazy but work gets priority) I am still looking forward to having a bit of sightseeing with Tantely as my guide. He has not said where we will be going but I think the burnt out palace is on the agenda LOL. I have been told that the views of Antananarivo are fantastic from there so that will make me happy.

Once work was finished today, I went to the gym for an hour long session on the treadmill. It is so good to get some exercise after sitting around all day. At home I try and walk at least 12000 steps every day of which 8000 are aerobic steps but when I am on these trips it is difficult to make those goals. Today before I went to the gym, I had only walked 1300 steps! I had told Paula(J) that I would be swimming tonight but I am thinking of giving it a skip now. I still have to verify the work everyone did today and the bed is calling my name very loudly.

Just one photo tonight – Antananarivo at night. Hopefully I will have some more photos tomorrow after the sightseeing.

That's it everyone! Good night and take care.