Tractor + ditch = broken axle

There is a wee problem with the tractor at the moment. I was going to rotary hoe a part of the farm and getting there involved going through a ditch. Not usually a problem with a 4 wheel drive tractor with agricultural tyres with superb tread. Except that this time the rotary hoe hit the bank I had just come down and the tractor got stuck.

Again, this is not normally a problem, a bit of sweat expended swinging a spade and we're away again. Not this time though. After I had done the needed digging I tried to drive forward out of the ditch when .... a small 'bang' and I lost drive to the front wheels. Of course I stopped what I was doing and investigated and when I used the front end loader bucket to lever the front of the tractor up off the ground .... the right front wheel fell off! Unprintable words spoken with some vigour and then into problem solving mode.

The tractor is still stuck in the ditch but the front bevel drive is disassembled and ready to take to the tractor fixing place. A plastic bucket is keeping dirt and moisture out of the axle until I can get the bevel drive fixed and then reassemble everything. In the picture you can see the two bits that should be one intact bevel drive firmly holding hands with itself. Looking at the broken shaft it looks like there might be a flaw in the metal. In the second picture you can see a little dark spot in the shiny metal on the left. That dark spot shouldn't be there. If that's indeed a flaw then the axle might have broken at almost any time.

Just what I wanted when I'm trying not to spend money. Ugh! Hopefully it doesn't turn out to be too expensive and hopefully the parts don't have to be flown in from Japan.

The really good news about this mishap is that the axle didn't break while I was mowing one of the more hilly paddocks. If it had broken then; the tractor would have rolled down the hill for sure and that doesn't usually end well for the tractor driver.

Very soon the sequel of me driving out of the ditch and rotary hoeing what needs hoeing and safely crossing the ditch again will be posted (I hope).

It's been a while

But ... I'm still here and I have finished the first year of my degree.

My results are:
Person Centred Care - Communications Skills - A+
Learning and Teaching - A+
Professional Nursing - An Introduction - A+
Bioscience for Health Professionals I - A
Skills for Nursing: The Fundamentals - A-
The Nursing Context I: Society and Health A+
Bioscience for Health Professionals II - A+
Clinical Practice - Passed

I'm happy with this.

Now I need to use the break between the first and second year to read up on a few things, do a bit more research and get myself ready for the next lot of courses. Lots of reading over Christmas.

Hopefully this coming year I can give more frequent updates. During this past year I have felt that I needed to dedicate my time exclusively to my course work. We'll see how we go next year.

The Christchurch earthquake

You will have heard that there was a major earthquake in New Zealand on the 3rd of September.

We were lucky to have felt it only as a mild tremor. Jenny was at home in Masterton and I was camping alongside the Huka river near Taupo. Both of us woke up shortly before the quake hit. I woke because I heard the rumble and thought it was a big truck driving past. Then we both felt the quake.

What an amazing thing that there were no fatalities in Christchurch, particularly when you see the massive damage to property. Something that is really mind bending are all of the aftershocks. I couldn't quite comprehend the effect of those until I say this animated map;

http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/