Must be the weather:

This time last year we were in the last week of hols down Sydney [burbs] town. Fine weather for the most part, winter temps were higher than the spring and early summer here.

Our return mid July saw an abrupt change into much more sunshine and higher temps.

So even though we won’t be able to take credit for it we are hoping for the same to happen this year.

Since the 1^st June it has been for the most part foggy, cloudy, drizzle interspersed with brief sunny breaks.

Temperatures have been mostly in single digits with two days up to 11, three days up to 12, one day up to 16, one day up to 18 and the piece de ristance of one day up to 23.

Not that it keeps people from getting out and enjoying doing outdoorsy things like fishing, going off to cabins, enjoying Aboriginal day and Canada day and the like.

But I think if people were honest they would say it does dampen the spirits over time.

On the bad news front: Carter and his mom n dad moved to a new apartment [new for them] on July 1.

That’s the good news, the bad news was that the apartment was not hooked up for internet, Carters mom’s last facebook post before closing the door to their old place said just that, and no more pictures of Carters progress into the IT world.

This is bad news because eastern Labrador is serviced by Bell Aliant Newfoundland and Labrador. The circuits out of Labrador are at capacity and Aliant is not taking any more internet customers for the foreseeable future.

Needles to say I was thinking very bad thought about Aliant and the two levels of government. Why government? Well because nothing happens in this province unless government chips in in some way.

We would not have the level of phone and internet service we have here [which is not bad] if it was not for the fact the Feds chipped in with money to help provide the high speed micro wave system.

But that was then and this is now. The 40% of voter turnout in the last election who saw to it that that type of assistance goes the way of the dodo is to blame IMO. Still plenty of corporate welfare but programs that assist the proletariat are down the shitter.

Any way that bit of downer news then turned into a ray of sunshine. Carters mom informed us yesterday that one of the new neighbors has given permission for Caters mom n dad to piggy back on the neighbors wireless signal for a small monthly fee.

Call it bad luck, or call it bad management, or call it lack of due diligence, whatever! But the realy bad start to the shipping season up this way does not get any better as days pass.

As you can see by this take from the CIA-Nunatsiavut marine web site;

Freight/Cargo Service
A bi-weekly freight service will commence as soon as ice conditions permit in the spring to the end of November. The MV Dutch Runner will originate in Lewisporte, NL and deliver cargo and goods to Black Tickle, Rigolet, Makkovik, Postville, Hopedale, Natuashish and Nain and will stop in the coastal Labrador communities on its way back to Goose Bay. The vessel will then reload in Goose Bay and depart for Rigolet, Makkovik, Postville, Hopedale, Natuashish and Nain and will stop in any of the coastal Labrador communities on its way back to Black Tickle and re-load again in Lewisporte. Vessel operates based on freight demand.

For starters its first run up the coast took in Goose Bay. Maybe a good thing or a necessity, because they had to wait in GB for a replacement part for the bow thrusters.

So then after leaving GB they then retuned to GB from Rigolet to pick up some late delivered freight for Natuashish.

It was then discovered that the boat rides too high in the water to unload from the rear other than at low tide.

On the return to GB it then leaves for Makkovik, waits for low tide to unload, then now is proceeding to Black Tickle and [hopefully] Lewisport.

The company and government then have to figure a way to LOWER the vessel in an ad-hoc way before then departing north again.

Meantime retailers have perishables and other fright sourly needed to service their customers on the coast laying idle in Lewisport.

Then there is the Northern Rangers last run. Left GB 20 hours later, then did a speed run up and down the coast in attempt to get back on schedule.

As mentioned previously this put all sorts of folks out of sorts. Besides the brief stop in each community [except Nain where it was here for 4 to 5 hours] it’s arrival into Nain at 1:50 Thursday morning apparently inconvenienced some tourists.

There was a booking made at the local hotel for two nights. But when tourists arrived at hotel only the night watchman was on staff.

It is not the night watchman’s mandate to look after late arriving guests but he did his best. He tried to contact management to no avail.

With no access to the key cabinet the end result was tourists put on single mattress on floor of a service room.

Next morning management informed said tourists that with no information of where the Northern Ranger was and no knowledge of what it’s ETA was, and no message re-layed to management from said tourists then no accommodations made for their arrival.

There seems to be some conjecture as to attempts to re-lay messages, but the point I am trying to make is that these constant disruptions to marine service put lots of unnecessary pressures on a lot of people.

Not to mention it does nothing in developing the tourist industry to the area.

The provincial government recently announced plans to build 6 new ferries. But nothing mentioned about plans for the Labrador service.