Day two

I've been adopted by Rick, a more experienced tradesman assistant. We paired up yesterday under the supervision of Dale and have continued today, working together on top of scaffolding to scrape thick black grease from the enormous 'round bits' where the machine's boom attaches (I'll attempt in due course to describe what exactly the machine looks like and how it functions).

It's tedious work but I have a new friend to talk to and this time I'm applying de-greaser less extravagently and staying dry in the process. Rick is stimulating company - cheerful and good natured. We seem to have an unspoke agreement that he'll take me under his wing as he can tell i'm a little unsure of how to manouver around the worksite. 'You're an environmentalist aren't you' he said to me. 'You can tell', he added. I picked Rick's background as Philippino straight away which surprised him as his stocky frame lends most to guess a differently. Rick is only a few years old then me but he's had about 15 year experience in industrial labour so I'm in safe hands.

Before lunch we fumble around with a seemly impossible task of elevating all of the electical cables that are spewing out from around the machine. I'm confused about what is going on but follow Rick's lead as we locate platforms and awkwardly raise the coursing veins of power above the worksite. I tell Rick straight up that I had no idea what we were doing but he seemed pretty relaxed about it. It's going to be a long job for me.

In the early afternoon we vacate the site temporarily as a big explosion is set up in the mines for 12:30pm. We all sign out, hop in cars and drive a few kilometres up the road to eat our lunch. I munched on my tuna sandwich while listening to Mark's explanation of how easy it is, even with his two years of commerce study under his belt, to incorporate as a company and present shareholders with a prospectus detailing how the company is prospecting for minerals. It turns out that in the fied of mineral exploration there's not need for the company to have any infrastracture before it can incorporate.

I sit cross-legged in the middle of the road when I can fell in my buttocks the exlosion underground, a second before the loudness of the blast is heard. It was nince little diversion from work for brief moment.