2020 / 2021 HeliOps Calendar Giveaway - With a Twist
 

Well this years giveaway will be slightly different since we are in the middle of one right royally Farq'd up world.

I know some of you here on the forum have been laid off and my thoughts are with you.

To qualify for the 2021 Calendars all you have to do is post on this thread and tell us what your 2020 has been like. Please no one or two word answers - give a good explanation - good, bad or ugly.

And here is the twist - I am going to allow each person who makes a genuine post to choose TWO ​​​​​​calendars from the options which are the HeliOps (Civil) one and the HeliOps Frontline (Military) one. When you send me a PM with your name and postal address you can ALSO send me the name and postal address of a colleague or friend who might need one, like one, or deserve one. And no you cant choose two for yourself - its about showing kindness in this **** of a time to someone else - have a think - then send me the PM with BOTH names and addresses at one time and which calendar you want sent to which address.

So be safe out there everyone and hope everyone enjoys this years offer. Below are the front and back page of each calendar so you can see whats in it.

Kia Kaha from Aotearoa.

Ned



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Well done Ned; a truly generous offer in such a horrible year for so many Rotorheads and their families.

Thank you :ok:

2020
Spent some time in Isolation
Used all my leave
Stayed interstate at work for long periods
No SIM - checks in Aircraft
Suffered a lot of uncertainty

And I’m in the luckiest group of pilots in Australia- those that still have full time employment

Well thanks for the kind, generous offer again, Ned.

For the most part, we've managed to dodge the worst of it as a family - we count our blessings that we've got through mostly unscathed so far. We have had at least 2 Covid positives within the near family that we know of, and one of those is still making a slow recovery, but we know others have had things so much worse.

As we are lucky to have jobs still, a home, food and family, we have nothing to complain about, and everything to be thankful for. All we can do is hope for better times to come, and pause for reflection for those who have suffered worse. PM on its way, thanks.

Thanks Ned we have grown so used to your generosity.

Here in Singapore a daily covid case taly of close to "0" for the majority of the time, so it is easy to stay away from the pandemic stress,

But the same time, all borders have been closed for the past 8 month and that has prevented any chance to renew both type ratings and medicals.
I can see that once the pandemic is over there will be a surge of type rating renewal business (not just revalidation) and al sort of refresher training.

hopefully that might help stimulate the flying schools back in business, when its time to get that license out of the closet and back in order.

I have mixed feelings about 2020.
Economically 2019 was much harder for us (primary income isn't from aviation) and the pain and sacrifice that was needed then, put us in a good place for this year.
Brutal lockdowns prevented anything involving an aircraft, so the focus was on trying to adapt to a constantly changing environment.

2020 has provided an opportunity to adjust the perspective, to see what is important, to reflect and be grateful for what we have, at a time when so many people are in really difficult situations.
So I am glad for the clarity this year has provided, but concerned about the longer term economic issues that have been created.

Not everyone has had the resources to weather the storm and I worry for those less fortunate, and just starting out in life, for what it will mean for them.

I often hear people wanting everything to go back to normal, I just hope we don't settle for that and rather aim a bit higher and all try to be a little bit better.

Ned, thank you for this offer. Great idea.

2020 has been quite a strange year for me here in Germany.
As I'm working in IT, I had considerably more to do than ever and didn't lose any of my income. Except that I'm basically working from home office now.
Luckily, no one in my family and friends has been directly hit by CoViD. Knock on wood...
Aviation wise:
Fortunately, I finished my R44 Type Rating (still PPL) in February before our country went into lockdown mode in march.
Unfortunately, I didn't have much opportunities to fly ever since. Made only a few hours. Far less than I've planned to.
Will definitely need some refresher training early next year...

Hoping for the vaccines to come.

Alternative
 

Another great idea from you Ned. Thanks for that.
We decided to up sticks in spring amidst the first wave and since August we are living on a boat away from all the hassle in lockdown light of our own choice.
Just moored up in the north of Germany to let the next wave pass by. Hopefully we'll be able to tour the Baltic in spring. Feeling sorry for everybody who is
suffering from the current situation, but happy for ourselves that we've made our choice ahead of time and can be as free as the ever-changing restrictions allow.
There's no shortage of food and drink, and even plenty of special boating loo-rolls.

Ah dae best for all of you towards the end of the year. NO STORM LASTS FOREVER.
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Just arrived at the Weener Marina / Germany

Ned,

Firstly I hope you and those close to you are well and looking forward to Christmas, secondly thank you once again for the generous offer of your calendars.

As for 2020, I doubt it has been a great year for many of us mere mortals, and many have probably suffered harder than others. I’ve been fortunate enough to have kept my job having been classified as an essential worker, I have been unfortunately unable to travel to the UK to see my 86 year old Mother or my daughter who was on the frontline of the 1st wave of Covid in the UK.... yes a **** year for all,

Ladies and Gentlemen, stay safe and fly safe, and a big thank you to everyone that has been involved with helping those in need this year.

Ned, really appreciate the offer of “free” calendars but also would be happy to make a contribution to a charity of your choice. As you said it’s been a very different year.......

Very generous offer Ned, thank you, but being retired I find I have no need, every day is Saturday, or maybe Sunday, or public holiday. :p Where I live has been unaffected by the terrible disease, border restrictions yes, but in the town, other than restrictions put on places of dining and signs related to social distancing, you would hardly notice, no mask wearing. Most cases have been folk repatriated from overseas and found infected while serving quarantine, no deaths in the state or community transmission. Only concern in our household is the investment returns.

A very Merry Xmas and a far better (Happy) New Year to all. :ok:

Hello Ned:
Unlike Megan I need a calendar to actually know which day it is! I am well and truly retired now and also widowed, so need any mental stimulation that I can get.

Here in Thailand I believe that we have been very fortunate in regards to the virus. At the start a very strict lockdown was enforced, along with "social distancing" and internal travel bans.
The biggest impact has been on those that struggle to exist at the best of times. Thousands out of work in many sectors of the population, particularly any that depend on tourists for a living.
My adult daughter was laid off from her long term management job at a hotel because of the lack of tourists, as an example.

For me I suppose that the biggest problem has not being able to return to Australia, even for a short visit. Internal travel restrictions have now been relaxed, so that part is pretty much back to normal. Local shopping was initially affected for a short period and a shortage of some imported products is ongoing, but basic food supplies are ample.

There is no local helicopter industry here as we know it, and most of the offshore pilots are now nationals, so rotation jobs probably no longer exist. The Government training school is still in operation, but I no longer have anything to do with it. The last time that I was there they had more bent and time expired helicopters in the hanger than were online!

Merry Christmas to all.

Hi Ned, once again, a very kind offer from you, and a great suggestion as to how to “apply” for your amazing calendars. I’ve only ever flown as a PPL(H) when I had the time, but my day job is a Pharmacist in the UK, so as you can imagine, this year has been tough. I found an email I wrote to a family member in April 2020 at the start of the pandemic, and it reflects what was going on then in community pharmacy:



It's a very scary place at the minute, working on the frontline. When the initial news broke, the world went mad, and the issues faced by the supermarkets were replicated in Pharmacy. We had people panic ordering prescriptions for all sorts of things, and as a result, the workload went through the roof. At the same time, we lost staff due to self isolation and childcare commitments, and as a result, our pharmacies, like all community pharmacies sank under the volume of work! Couple with that, the fact that the doctors surgeries closed their doors to just about anyone, meant that people had nowhere else to go for advice and reassurance than to the Pharmacy. So we had people walking into our stores coughing and with a raised temperature, asking what they should do. This was despite big notices everywhere, telling people not to do that! My wife (also a Pharmacist) and me were supposed to be on holiday last week, but had to give that up to go into our pharmacies to bail them out and support our teams.



We struggled initially with getting basic food items and other household essentials, as we were in work at 7:30am and often not finishing until 7:30pm, by which time, when we went into the supermarkets, there was nothing left. We were down to our last toilet roll at one stage, and I told my wife we'd need to start tearing up the newspaper in the garage! We couldn't buy a loaf of bread, or any fresh fruit, and then, I couldn't find a potato anywhere! It was getting really difficult, and quite frankly, annoying and upsetting that people were being so selfish. There was a video on social media that went viral of a nurse crying because she couldn't get any basics and we too felt like that. We've both cried more than I can ever remember, in the last 2 weeks, as the stress and strain have taken their toll on us. We've seen the very best, and the very worst in people during this time, and even the slightest gesture of kindness, sees us both blabbing again! Last Thursday at 8pm, (the first night of clap for carers) I said to my wife, shall we open the front door and listen if we can hear any clapping, as we felt sure, in our little cul-de-sac, there would be no one out. Oh how wrong we were! There was clapping, cheering, saucepans being banged and our names being called out - that made us cry too! With some of the supermarkets now introducing special NHS shopping times, it has made things a bit easier, but even now, we don't have many of those times to choose from, as were working most of them. At one of our lowest points, in terms of getting food, we had a knock at the door on a Sunday, and there was a delivery from my brother, a Fortnum & Masons hamper of provisions. Not just any old hamper, but an F&M hamper, that made us cry again!!



We've been working now for two and half weeks solid, pretty much, including weekends, just to try and get on top of everything. All of this with NO personal protective equipment (PPE). Finally, this week, we are starting to see some form of PPE arriving in our stores which may help us to avoid contracting Covid19. We've still got a long way to go, in this crisis, but I'm hoping that people can now see, that community pharmacy is going to be there for them throughout this period, and so hopefully, things will slow down a little for us. Our main priority, at this time, is the protection of ourselves and our staff. It's very hard to "social distance" in a busy pharmacy and so the PPE will hopefully help the team protect themselves from one another.



So that pretty much sums up my 2020, and hopefully gives a small insight into how it affected community pharmacy in the UK.

2020...oh boy....

I managed to stay employed, but in the beginning it was sketchy.
during the pandemics start, the company I was primarily working contract for decided to do a complete reset, and make some decisions that have literally sunk them. No, none of their failures were the result of the pandemic, they were a result of their own poor decision making. You reap what you sow.
My employment with them came to an end in august, but I had a backup already lined up and continued to work doing what I love, which is 350 components. This segment of the industry so far has remained strong and unless 2021 literally implodes, I believe I will come out of this on the good side.
My thoughts are with those that are weathering this harder than others. I do believe things will get better soon.

Echoing what everyone else has said, Ned, I add my sincere thanks for the generous offer.

2020 saw my employment come to a temporary layoff mid- April. By May, the had made in permanent as they said "it is highly unlikely we will ever return to a point where we can afford to have a full-time in-house trainer". I spent my last couple of weeks writing safety training and equipment manuals. Finished the manual at noon, phone call at 1530 hrs accompanied by an HR rep who watched me clean out my desk. I have been applying left right and center only to find out that being 63 IS a hindrance when applying for jobs.

Ive been picking up some classes teaching ground disturbance, H2S Alive, and first aid.

My wishes are to everyone for a safe and merry Christmas and a happy New Year. And ps: lets get that stupid lawsuit dropped against those who risked their lives during that eruption.

I always find it interesting every year - so far 1000 people have viewed the post and yet we have only had about ten people take up the offer :rolleyes:

Hi Ned, maybe there are 989 others like me. Love the calendars, look at the thread, interested in the stories but don't feel my story deserves a freebie.
I'm in a similar boat to Thracian; I'm in IT and, coincidentally, jumped from self-employed to full-time employee just as lockdowns hit so I've been working from home since March, feeling like I managed to get onto a lifeboat as the Titanic sank alongside me. In aviation terms I've not flown for a number of years and was all set to make 2020 a flying-revitalisation year. I managed two flights and then we got clobbered.
As I say, there will be bound to be more deserving recipients of your brilliant calendars out there.

Thanks again for this annual treat.
Yes, odd year, less flying but more open skies, when it has been possible.
Long summer here made the lockdown periods frustrating - but probably gave the ‘environment’ a break.
Certainly hope that 2021 brings some new world order, and the rotary world makes a strong recovery

Hi there Ned. 2020 started out like normal with HAI in Anaheim and a lot of other travel demands in the schedule. As I headed to Asia on my first long-haul trip of the year, I passed directly over the city of Wuhan, which I had never heard of until a few snippets of news regarding a major outbreak of an unknown disease had been detected there. Things were definitely not right when we got to the Singapore Air Show and a huge number of major Corporations simply didn't turn up. The biggest exhibitors on the flight line and in the exhibit halls were completely absent, despite having invested huge sums of money in advance. Then there was a single case of Covid in Singapore, and the response seemed completely out of order in terms of scale and reaction - we still didn't get it yet. Checking in at Singapore for the flight home on the 14th February, a few more things became apparent, if you weren't a US Citizen or Permanent Resident, you couldn't fly into the United States, something I was completely unaware of up to that time. Finally got home and haven't been able to cross the border into the US since March, and who knows when it will be resolved. I already worked from home, so no particular change for me, other than no travel. Then everyone got hooked into Video links and it's never been the same since! Watching the 2021 show schedule unravel, with Paris being added today, so who knows what or where will be next. I'm sure I'll run into you somewhere around though! Merry Christmas and let's hope for a much better 2021.

Perhaps phones/computers have overtaken Ned.

Probably right Megan - maybe no need for the calendar on the wall anymore when everyone can just have a desktop calendar on their laptop or phone.

I quite liked the "screensaver" ones that used to appear here. Still use the May 2019 but it would be nice to see a more current month. :)

Hi Ned,
so lets go for the calendar(s) ;-)
2020 - what a year. With all the bad vibes I actually had to make a decision.
If I wanted to catch a chance to get promoted (with some bucks more in the pocket - especially when I retire in a couple of years) - I needed to apply to a desktop-job.
On the pro side were more money, getting out of shift work, something new to do
on the con side - less flying (only jumping in if one of the pilots gets sick), 10 hrs working days with a 140 km travel (one way) which means leaving home at 5 am and returning about 6:30 / 7 pm.
Well, I took the chance, "won" in the competition and got the job.
Now it is my turn to coordinate the missions, check with the mechanics, when I can have which helicopter for which time period, checking fuel bills, doing statistics, and so on.
Instead of helicopter displays I now have two computers with four monitors and a big TV with a status board in front of me.
Little and bigger problems, flight crew do know nothing about, have to be solved....
Surprisingly for me, even with the long days, I am feeling much better now, getting sleep every night ;-)
Also some of the back and neck pain I had disappeared...
Funny enough, with moving to the "chair force" with a check ride I could convert my CHPL to ATPL ;-)
So all in all not such a bad year for me.
Greetings to the other side of the plant
Udo "Flying Bull"

2020 the good: still gainfully employed at my full time job (engineering). In fact my operational tempo significantly increased. In a world of unintended consequences, working from home increased my customer's focus and efficiency and therefore it required a similar increase on my end. I could have told them that since I've worked from home for the last seven years myself! Thus my day-to-day routine actually remained relatively unchanged. What little commercial air travel I had to endure was actually nice. Aircraft were uncrowded, upgrades plentiful, and loyalty program status extended no questions asked.

2020 the bad: both my private and commercial flying dropped off considerably. Every single tour opportunity dried up and has continued to be that way. It does not look any better for the foreseeable future. Business travel, normally plentiful, has been nil. While the air travel was easy, hotels and eateries have been badly affected and posed many challenges when on the road. The lack of face to face, human contact with my colleagues and customers definitely started to affect me negatively right around Aug/Sep. Definitely starving for actual human contact.

The one highlight of the entire year was a two week deployment for a test where I got to fly around in a UH-60. Sadly, in the back, but still an amazing, incredible machine, and it was wonderful to experience the Hawk first hand.

Thank you Ned for your kind and generous offer. Best wishes to all for a better 2021.

As a US ag pilot our year was interesting to say the least. Our acreage covered was down, but mainly due to a late frost in Oklahoma in April which halted the pecan crop and destroyed a huge acreage of wheat. Low cattle prices and the oil price going negative didn't help out much either. Corn and beans up north were slightly lower than normal courtesy of strong winds damaging the corn crop. As far as the 'rona goes though, we weathered the storm without any 'damage' and for that we have a lot to be thankful for.

Once again many thanks for your generosity.

Thanks one more Ned.
For my family it have been a bad year.. my wife recently change lane due to illness and got a GREAT job selling gourmet food to restaurant's.. she only had the job a year before Corona hit.
She is now unemployed and there are very few jobs available in this trade currently.. -not easy to get a job with limited experience:( . I wonder when the things will be normal again... until then will be on one income.. luckily we can make ends meet by stretching things..

Hi Ned, I'm very happy that you and the mag are still doing well enough to continue with this very generous giveaway!
For me the year has been very fortunate. End of 2019 I gave up my full-time office job with a company that has been hit hard by the pandemic this year. Instead I moved on to my first full-time flying job. Got my first twin rating and flew close to 500 hours on critical infrastructure. Travelling wasn't always easy but somehow we always found a way. We had countless delivery dinners in hotel rooms because the cooks had been laid off. In fall me and my crew cought the Covid while travelling for work. We got very lucky, had only mild symptoms and were back in the air a couple weeks later. So far it doesn't seem like we have any long-term effects, fingers crossed. I'm almost used to the new reality now but I really hope we can go back to something in the vincinity of the old normal in 2021. One thing I'm already looking forward to is a lot less news about soon to be former US President Tweety.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone. Stay safe, stay healthy and try to stay positive! :)

Thanks for yet another generous offer Ned!
Contrary to the current general mood, 2020 has so far been rather good. Still employed, still happy with my job. The first wave hit us pretty hard, the second was more intense but we were overall better prepared. The outlook looks not as bas as it used to, even though we’re fully expecting a third wave come January. Surprisingly, I was even able to spend more time in the air than anticipated, including two additional type ratings. And to top it all up on the personal side, the family got a very welcome addition end of march. Our baby boy is healthy and makes sure neither his sister nor his parents have a dull moment.
I hope everyone stays safe out there. There will be sunshine after the rain...

Ned, thank you very much for keeping up a nice ritual that means so much to the members here.

I am not sure we can brand 2020 as a "Murphy's year" but it covers most bases. I started the year without a job but hopes to get a decent one and it ended up in a similar situation: I have landed a job on a call center with little interesting prospects. Additionally 2020 turned to be the most aviation-free year for a long time despite my willingness to make at least a couple of trips. The closest I came to aviating was trying to make a short airline trip to save a friend from driving some 80km. It didn't materialize and maybe it was for the best - I managed to swim in a river - I was trying to arrange such an activity since 1989 when I swam in Lake Erie.

And while we are all adults here - a female friend who I met on a flight (and spent time with her later) re-appeared and I am happy to announce that not all ex are created equal and are worth my time.

I am going to get the calendar and I hope I will enjoy it as much I enjoy it when this great offer started.

Shock-horror!! I haven't been in a helicopter all year!! That hasn't happened in a while.

There has not been much in the way of work but I have scraped by with some aviation-related and some road transport.

On the plus side, I have not caught COVID-19, in spite of work taking me to other parts of the country. This year the house has been adorned with no less three helicopter calendars, one New Zealander, one Polish, and one Italian. (After nearly a year I still have not got the hang of Polish months!)

Not many mountaineers going wrong on our patch this year but plenty mountain rescue support stuff to be getting on with including new radio and satellite stuff. The ICAR Air Commission was an online event. The procurement for the next UK SAR aviation contract is about to start so I have been helping to express mountain rescue's needs from the next generation of air support.

I would be delighted to receive one of your calendars.

Anyone else interested as we are doing the last mailout this week before Xmas.

My year 2020 was rotorarywise quite uneventful.
Ik did my last (for the time being) offshore trip in February from Esbjerg.
I was back according plan and in time from my own 50th birthday.
(My wife arranged for surprise party while I was offshore)
We lost my father in law in March.
He was already terminal ill but the virus gave him a quick but final blow.

The second calendar will go to one of my best friends as he was quite more affected this year.
He lost his brother in law due cancer in January
He missed my birthday party due to a “fever”.
His fever turned out to be a bacterial infection on his hart valve.
In April on the height of the first wave he spent 6 weeks in hospital while only his wife was allowed to visit.
He received an artificial valve and recovered fine.
In November his mother in law died due to Corona.
After the funeral his wife and himself got the virus from a niece.
Luckily they recovered fine.

Always optimistic He and his wife have already declared that 2021 will become their Happy New Year.
That is what I want to wish all of you as well:
Happy New Year!
and hope, wish and make 2021 your year!

Hi Ned!

Great you are doing the calendar giveaway again :).

2020 has been a mixed year for me, We have still seen offshore flights flying out with not too many problems, main issues being the airport opening hours restricting flights. Seeing the offshore helicopter companies adjust themselves to the pandemic has been impressive. Screens between the pilots and passengers and wearing of masks in the cabin and social distancing in the cabin to client requirements and the requirement for testing prior to flying offshore has made the flying as safe as they possibly can be. Negatives have been not seeing my friends on going on fly outs in the fixed wing aircraft I fly as much as would have liked. Especially with the amazing weather we have had! Some other positives are for me getting out on the road bike and enjoying some exercise for a change! Also spending lots of time with my partner.

Here's to a better year next year for all!

Hi Ned.
Hope it´s not too late for the calendar challenge. Once again many thanks for these great calendars and amazing helicopter industry photos.

Like a lot people in the rotary world, 2020 was a mixed feelings year.
I've decide to leave my former company in the end of 2019 to get a new type rating on a more advanced aircraft and to change place. Based in Western Africa for 6 years the intention was to get there back again with with competence to fly a better helicopter for the offshore.
Well. Everybody know what happened. the pandemic closed all the oppotunities to get a new job and I found myself with a new TR but with no way to get a job and some experience.
Fortunately I found a vacancy as a freelancer for HEMS that allowed me to get some income and some flying hours on the new type.
Like everything in life: one door closes, but there are good chances of getting a window open for you. Looking for an offshore job, this place now is giving me the opportunity to see some other aspects of life and I feel myself rewarded to be part of emergency medical care.

I'm looking to 2021 as light at the end of the tunnel - the train is passing right now.
Wish you and all the other ppruners a great 2021.

APT

Hi Ned, pretty keen for a calendar :-)

This year I probably had the biggest rollercoaster ride of my flying carreer. Just before covid came along I was about to get my Ag rating. Due to the travel restrictions, the flight examiner couldn't get to me so by the time he did I had accumulated well over the minimums (more than another 100 hours). During the lockdown the weather here (NZ) was great so it was spraying every day. Fantastic flying until..... September where I learned the hard way about turning downwind with a full load on and not giving myself wiggle room to escape. This put me out of action for a few months. (Bad news for the chopper but no injuries to me) Needless to say, being grounded for a few months has been pretty hard and there has been a fair bit of soul searching going on. I've been driving these things for 18 years now and this is my first 'hard-landing'. Anyway the new gear has arrived and I am back into it.

Here's looking towards a better 2021..... season greetings to you all. Chur

may be I'm allowed to get one?
 

Hi Ned
I always enjoy visiting this forum as a Wannabe/PPL(H)er/and long time engineer who was active in flight testing... But I don't think my knowledge and opinion is enough to have a say here. (and I just can't resist the humour of the Brits).
I have followed your calendar action closely the years before... now I dare to do it too... - I find this action awsome (Although I did not responded the last times)!!!
2020 - a very strange year .... I have been in a home office since March and I and my family have had incredible luck so far!!! I've always had work, even if it hasn't always been fun. Everyone has stayed healthy (so far)... and my efforts to get back into aviation after 3 years in the automotive industry have paid off!!!! - I can even devote more time to my favourite, helicopters, again!
In this respect I have been mighty lucky! - which doesn't necessarily mark me out for a calendar - But my future office needs an eye catcher!!!
Merry Christmas to you and your family and a peaceful start to the New Year!!!! As well as everyone else here!!!
Stay healthy, save , and keep your optimism!!! -

Thanks for the offer Ned - very generous of you!

2020 has seen changes in the way we do things in HEMS, but I guess all the disinfecting and inconveniences aviating with masks etc is easier than trying to breathe through a tube. Many mates have lost their incomes, and the light at the end of their tunnels seem to be an oncoming train, financially, so my tentative relief at still being employed is balanced by a sense of survivor's guilt, and the knowledge that the axe could fall at any time on us too...
Here's hoping for a quick roll-out of an effective vaccine and a return to a semblance of normality as soon as possible. Season's greetings to all of you.

Don't be so bashful. Very few of us have any knowledge, but it doesn't stop us, we might even learn some thing, you'll find everyone has an opinion though, even when demonstrably wrong. Engineer in flight testing? There is a whole bunch you could contribute. Jump in, and welcome. :ok:

I've benefitted from Ned's generosity for the last couple of years so I think it only fair that others get their share - so a late post from me after the distribution has taken place.

To echo Megan's sentiment, everyday is a school day on Rotorheads, just as it should be in an aviation environment.

My 2020 was unremarkable compared to many, no Covid in the family, one case at work in the whole year, light restrictions where I live and work and continued employment throughout.

Some good sparring on PPrune with a mixture of frank exchanges of views and coffee-spitting humour in equal measure - mainly civil but there will always be exceptions who love to revert to name-calling instead of debate.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

Crab - Happy to send them out to anyone who posts. Still got a bunch of them here. You made a post so send me your postal and to anyone else - keep posting if you wish.

2020 has been a wild year, but my employment has been ongoing. I returned from normal 6 week rotation in Kenya to USA on March 14th, the day US locked it down. I had an interesting layover in Chicago, on way to Denver, but made way onto connecting flight just before doors were shut. Awesome, other travelers spent way more hours in that airport and missed connecting flights. Then spent a few months at home, no one traveled outbound/those on shift stuck there . Back to work in Kenya, June to September (longer than normal rotation as contract quickly expired/equipment needed to be loaded up and sent home). Worked my way into a new contract that company was awarded to kick off in January 2021, lots of training at home plate, and now ready to head off back overseas in a few weeks.

None of my immediate family suffered COVID, none of my co-workers came up hot (there were tests, and I can vociferously admit I am not fond of the brain tickles). There were long periods when I could not see kids/grandkids this year, even those living in hometown, as we all tried to practice acceptable social distancing. Win, win. Now let's all get back to normal life!