"Shift work dulls your brain"

Okay so if the quote above is correct, it explains a lot! I've been doing shift work since I turned 18 and late finishes since I was 16. As I am currently sitting on the lovely Greater Anglia train (please not high levels of sarcasm - but that's a different story) on my commute in to work, I thought that I'd give you my thoughts on shift work.

So it's 5.45 in the morning and i've already been up for nearly 2 hours (oh the joys that alarm clock brings!). I've got to say that on the whole I don't mind NOT doing 9-5, in fact there are quite a few benefits....

Firstly is that with shift times of 6-2, 2-10 and 10-6, I am never commuting during rush hour (actually we'll go with 'peak time' because at best I think rush hour lasts for 3 hours these days). This means I can always get a seat and (especially important when in uniform) I am less likely to get glares from unhappy commuters.

Secondly, 2/3rds of the time I am able to have a lie in! I have never been a morning person, so I've got to admit that the earlies are a bit horrible, however not having to be up until 11 when I'm on lates is bliss!

Finally is that my rest days are not necessarily weekends. Okay this can be a bit of a double edged sword, especially with us doing SK events some weekends, however it can be extremely beneficial. It allows me to sort things out like going to the bank or phoning the council. Simple tasks admittedly, but I'm sure that you'll agree, a pain to do when you work 9-5.

So there's my opinion on shifts and i'll write a post in a couple of days regarding what i've been up to (I know it's been ages...sorry!)

Oh and if anyone is interested the title quote comes from the following BBC article.
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29879521

From Planes to Trains

So today I am travelling up to Warwickshire for a Muster with the Sealed Knot. Beth drove up last night but due to work I am travelling by train. For the first time I am traveling on Chiltern Railways one of the UKs less well know services and I've got to say I'm impressed.

Chiltern's London terminus is the lovely Victorian station of Marylebone. This station (partly through previous neglect) is still very much it's original self with the modern updates of electronic departure screens etc. Compared to my usual rail surroundings of Euston (a horrible 60s building) Marylebone is quaint, quiet and a fairly nice place to be at 7.30 on a Saturday morning.

I am writing this whilst sitting on the train using the unlimited free wifi (usually a cost is involved in standard class) with my phone plugged in and charging. Another great plus is that the seats on this train are comparable to first class seats on other operators.

And the best point? This journey is costing me a grand total of £6! And i'm getting to see some of the lovely Chiltern countryside. A similar journey on Virgin Trains/London Midland would cost me 2-3 times as much if bought in advance and I'd get to see the joys of Watford, Milton Keynes and the M1.

However, despite the plus sides of the journey there have been a few negatives... Firstly is the fact the golden rule of public transport has been broken...Don't sit near people if you don't have to! Despite a fairly empty train, a couple has come and sat on the seats opposite my table seat and have proceeded to kick me (accidently I'm sure) frequently whilst I have had my leg room stolen!

Also once again the rules of the 'quiet' carriage have been broken. I'm sorry how hard is it not to talk on your phone, have a loud conversation or listen to loud music for an hour and a half.

However overall this journey is an improvement on my usual rail travel so I really shouldn't complain and I'm going to try and use Chiltern if I'm ever going up to Birmingham.

Landan Town

Sorry for the delay in posting, it's been a bit hectic since we moved to Cheshunt. I started work 2 days after we moved in.

During my first week I was here there and everywhere as part of my induction week. One activity we undertook was a 'Monopoly Challenge ' which involved travelling around London attempting to get a photo of all the streets on the monopoly board. Considering we work for Transport for London this involved way too much walking and not enough using of the tube or buses : / Other activities during induction week were a Transport Museum quiz ( added benefit of working for TfL, we get into the Transport Museum for Free! ) and death by PowerPoint presentation.

Since then I have been in operational training and based at either Oxford Circus (fairly easy commute) or West Kensington (ridiculous commute to the far side of London!) However the training is now complete and starting from next week they are letting me loose.....

So if you are in London during the next 3 weeks avoid Liverpool St, Barbican and Farringdon stations.

Well that's what's been going on, I'll be doing a few posts during the coming weeks but to finish off this post I'm going to leave you with a few facts about the underground (you may leave the post now if you are already bored.)

- London is home to Europe's most frequent rail service ( the Victoria Line operates 34 trains per hour during the morning peak, meaning a train every 115 seconds! )

- The four stations serving Oxford St (Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus, Bond St and Marble Arch) handle over 100million passengers per year (approximately the same as ALL the rail journeys in Scotland in a year)

- The District line is the only underground line that crosses over the Thames (other lines cross under but the district line is the only one to use bridges to cross)

- There are 1.265 billion passenger journeys on the Underground network annually, this compares to 1.5billion rail journeys nationwide

Anyway I'm sure that I have bored you enough so I'll finish there.

Our House (well Flat) in the middle of our street!

So today is moving day! After 4 days of packing (yes everything has been done in the week since I finished at the airport), we think we're finally ready.

There is a mass exodus of Knight's and Bason's from the Midlands as both sets of parents, a sibling,  two dogs, Beth and myself all head down to Cheshunt.

Luckily we've hired movers as opposed to sticking to plan A of hiring a van and moving it all ourselves. Firstly after moving everything to Beth's grandma's, I have realised that I would have died moving everything up two flights of stairs.

Also we have the added advantage that if anything gets broken then it's covered by the removal company's insurance.

So updates later to how the chaos has ensued, but for now I will leave you with the fact that for one house moving we are taking 3 cars and 1 removal van full of stuff. Crazy!

The World We Live In

The past couple of weeks has reminded us all in the industry of the tragedies that can strike so unexpectedly. Safety critical events have occurred thrice, initially with the downing of MH17, a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 with 298 souls on board, followed by the loss of AH5017, a SwiftAir MD83 operating on behalf of Air Algerie with 116 people on board. Here is not the place to go into the details of the accidents or how they occurred but working within the industry these events serve as a reminder of the risks.

In addition to these two events, the temporary ban on flights into Tel Aviv airport by US and European authorities, also shows how tragic world events can impact on the aviation industry.

I was working at the airport when news first broke about MH17 coming down in Ukraine and the possible circumstances surrounding it's crash. The first thing I (and some others in the office) did was look at my schedule and see if any of the aircraft I was dispatching were due to fly over Ukraine.

Although everyone's thoughts should be with those that lost their lives and their families and loved ones, I think it is worth mentioning that there are going to be people affected by the tragedies that no one has mentioned. The dispatchers, gate staff and ramp crews at Amsterdam and Ouagadougou were probably the last people to see those on the aircraft alive and I can't imagine how they have been affected by the loss on their flights.

So all I have left to say is that my thoughts are with all of those affected in some way by the tragic events of the last couple of weeks and that all we can do is hope and pray that there is no more loss of life in such tragic circumstances.

**EDIT** I have just remembered the loss of GE222, a TransAsia Airways ATR-72 with 58 people on board (48 have tragically died, with the remainder seriously injured). My thoughts go out to those affected by this accident and my apologies for overlooking it during my first draft.

.....And Breathe!

So today has been a lonnnnnggg day at the end of a long year. As some of you will know, the past 12 months didn't get off to the best of starts (understatement of the century), and so completing the final year of my degree has been a struggle at the best of times, and felt impossible at the worst. And yet today, at 3am (more on the ridiculous early wake up late), I checked my results and saw that I had earnt a Lower Second Class Honours degree in Air Transport Management.

Whilst 13 months ago, I would have hoped for a 2:1 minimum, this is a great result for me considering I thought I would be lucky to pass at the end of my exams last month. Four years of uni have paid off, and furthermore....I HAVE A GRADUATE JOB!!!!!!!!

Yes that's correct, in addition to my results, I have been offered employment in a graduate role starting in September in London. So the big city awaits for Beth (my fiancée for those that don't know) and I, but before then I have an extremely busy couple of months.

In addition to the usual ridiculous amount of birthdays over the summer (including mine), I have recently started a summer job as a Aircraft Dispatcher with a leading UK ground handling agent at a local airport (hence the 3am starts) and it looks that I will be going live, dispatching aircraft by myself from Monday. In addition to the obvious benefit of being paid, this job is getting me some experience, whilst allowing me to be a plane nut to my hearts content.

As you would expect in any passenger service industry, there are certain challenging moments, some caused by customers, some by colleagues and some by.....,well the French (more on the French in another post). Whilst these challenges can cause problems, they can liven the job up and do stop complacency.

As I'm sure you can understand, I'm on a bit of a life high at the moment, so here's some inspirational music for you all :)

The Big Wide World

After 4 years of work, essays and exams, my time at uni is coming to end (well at least hopefully). I had my finals last week, and my viva to discuss my dissertation yesterday. I say hopefully as the past semester has been a struggle, I've been more affected by the events of the summer than previously and have at times found it very difficult to carry on at Uni. My department and tutor have been brilliant, helping me in any way possible and although impaired performance has been submitted, I'm still uncertain that I will have done well enough to graduate in July.

This uncertainty doesn't help stress levels as I have to carry on as though I will be graduating and entering the big wide world. The job hunting well and truly began after Christmas with applications to Graduate schemes at numerous companies, with general job applications having started in the past month or so.

My parents and fiancée have been extremely supportive, providing suggestions and enthusiasm when mine has been lacking. On Saturday, my parents mentioned an aviation job agency, and so I duly submitted an application. By lunchtime on Monday the company had got in touch and by close of business I had had an interview at their offices. Hopefully something will come of it but at the end of the day, all interviews are experience. 

On the flip side, I eventually heard back after my interview north of the border and unfortunately didn't get the job. However, the feedback was positive and it was more that the interviewers thought a very desk based job wouldn't be ideal for me than me not being a good candidate.

I've got two pieces of coursework still to hand in, although they are almost done and then in early July, the uni will finally tell me whether I am to enter the big wide world or remain in the bubble that is Loughborough for another year. Either way, I know that I have the support of my family, friends and fiancée, Beth, for which I am extremely grateful. The important thing that I have learnt over the past 11 months is that everything happens for a reason, even if that reason is not clear at the time. So in the words on Monty Python, always look on the bright side of life!