Tiverton's A Bust

Found out last night that Tiverton's Home Rental - the company we are using for the property management of our condo - closed it's doors Wednesday. Fantastic! So easy to handle such things from another country! We are very lucky we have Trevor who owns Innovative Properties (who we bought our condo from and who has an office in our building) and Tony who is the builder and I guess the buildings property manager. Trevor emailed us Wednesday night to give us the heads up, so I in turn emailed Tiverton's to find out the deal. This morning I received an email from Tammy Johnston (the owner) stating yes indeed she closed the doors because of financial problems and that she'd started a new company called Peachtree Home Rentals (which I later discovered was opened under a different name of Tammy James) and that she'd be happy to continue our property mangement contract under the new company. Yeah right! Shortly after receiving this email I received another urgent one from Trevor giving me more details and a link to the article in the Daily News: http://www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=33541&sc=89.
How interesting!

Trevor explained the importance of contacting our tenant and having her issue a stop payment on all her post dated cheques. He even offered to do it for us. He called our tenant who we discovered is a smart lady and had already heard the buzz and issued the stop payments yesterday. We are very lucky our tenant wasn't moved in yet so Tiverton's didn't have access to any income at this point. Trevor even set up a meeting with her for tomorrow (her move in date) to sign a new lease and write out new cheques to us (not Tiverton's). Keith and I prepared a new lease under our name (not Tiverton's on our behalf like the previous) and signed and scanned it to Trevor. Tony has offered to handle our property management for us and anything else we may need.

Keith spent the evening studying as he has a recci exam tomorrow. I went for a long walk/run on a quiet country road where there is little traffic and I can sing to the cows (as there's no one else around to hear me - I hope!). It was a beautiful evening.

Off To Penzance

Took off to Penzance this afternoon as I had to pick up a job application. Penzance is about 25 minutes away and seems to be a funky little town. I've been told the people are strange! Haha. Not quite sure this is true. I spent a few hours walking around and browsing the many shops that run up and down the streets.

The town overlooks the Atlantic and is quite a beautiful looking area with restaurants and coffee and ice cream shops along the waterfront. As I drove out of town I discovered even more waterfront, so there is still plenty to see the next time I visit.

Keith spent the evening playing soccer and badminton with the boys. He's enjoying having guys to hang out and play sports with.

Extra Long Weekend

Keith enjoyed an extra long weekend having today off as well. We dropped his motorbike off for an MOT (Ministry Of Transportation - motor vehicle inspection) to start the process of getting the bike on the road. It's a bit of a roundabout process here so hopefully it won't be as painful as we're expecting. Then we walked into town to run a few errands and browse. Spent most of the afternoon in town, then came home to enjoy a quiet evening.

Helston Tour

Today is a bank holiday so we're enjoying a long weekend. Walked into town to give everyone the tour and down to the beautiful Coronation Park.

There's a walkway around the lake, a skateboarding park, play area for children, and building which offers coffee, cornish ice cream and a place to sit down.

That evening, Keith and I took a walk down to Loe Pool. It's an hour return trip from the car park (yes, it's called a car park here, not a parking lot) we stopped at. It's a fantastic walk/hike away from the world, through the forest that runs along side Loe Pool (Lake). It's very similar to the hike around Warren's Lake at home. The hike leads to Loe Bar, which is a huge sand bar that separates Loe Pool from the ocean. We didn't continue to Loe Bar, although we could see it. It would have taken probably another 1/2 hour to get to there but it was late evening and there wasn't enough time before dark.



It's beautiful and serene here with only the sound of the birds and squirrels and the smell of the fresh air and flowers. Next we headed to Church Cove. This is the cove/beach I visited a few weeks ago on my own and wanted to show Keith. I have to say it is my favorite place yet. Being by the ocean and hearing the waves crash is so relaxing and refreshing. There is a small little church right next to the beach. I hadn't checked this out before so Keith and I had a look. It's a very old church, built no later than the 1800's - I'd say it's probably 1700's. It's stone (as I believe most or all churches are here) and has a quaint cemetary surrounding it. The sun was going down as we were there, so it was a bit creepy!

Keith discovered this evening we get the hockey playoffs! We're excited! He stayed up until 2am to watch some of the game as it didn't come on here until 12:30am. That's the only unfortunate part, if we want to watch the game, we'll probably be up to all hours of the night in order to enjoy it.

Cozy Day Inside

What a nasty day - it rained and blew all day. We attempted a trip to St.Ives for some touring and shopping, but only enjoyed the drive there. It was too miserable to get out of the car. On our return trip we stopped in a pub in some little village and grabbed a drink and some food. While at the pub we played a little pool while Olivia danced for us.

I had to take a picture of Lauren for you all to see her belly. Within a month we should have a new neice or nephew. I'm routing for a nephew!

The rest of our day consisted of a lot of chatting, eating, and just hanging out.

Dale, Lauren, Olivia & Emma Arrive

Dale, Lauren, Olivia, And Emma hit the road at 9:30am to make it here by lunchtime. However, as it's a bank holiday weekend here the traffic coming into Cornwall is insane and the 2 hour drive turned into 4! This is very typical as Cornwall is hugely touristy and everyone takes off from the cities to enjoy the outdoors and surfing. Quiet day of chatting, goofing around at the park, eating, and drinking. Keith made a big pot of fantastic seafood chowder and I made a Rhubarb Mousse Pie.

Before long Keith & Dale found a pastime of drinking game checkers where the checkers are like shot glasses filled with Sambuca. I believe more matches will develop in the fture as Keith kicked Dale's ass.

After the intense game, we were off to the playground behind our house. The 6 of us had a blast between watching Olivia enjoying the swings, jungle jim, and slides, us kicking the soccer ball, the boys throwing the football, and just carrying on. The British kids playing must of thought we were crazy.

The cutest thing was a handful of boys about 10 years old watching Keith & Dale throwing the football in amazement. They couldn't believe how far the guys could throw the ball. American football isn't really played here, so it was probably new to them all together.

What!? Mandy's pregnant!? Yes, I delivered a bouncing baby soccer ball over the weekend. Since Lauren and I were dressed the same - black coats, green pants, and black shoes, I figured we needed a picture, and to make it complete, I needed a belly. Thanks to the soccer ball for completing the outfit.

Weekend Preparation

Keith enjoyed a morning of paintball with the guys. They were given a day to do a course activity to get to know each other. He came home looking like someone beat him. Last week they began playing soccer (football or footy here), so between the brusies from blocking the soccer ball (which are some douzies) and hits from the paintball he looked in rough shape. I rather the story that he got out of line and I had to set him straight. Haha.

While he was playing paintball, I went to Pool (by Camborne) and checked out a few home shopping stores. It's not an easy place to find housewares likes sheets, curtains, picture frames, etc. Homebase had a little more than Asda and I was finally able to purchase sheets, but still not the variety as say Walmart. I miss Walmart! Being away from the city does't make it easy to shop for such items. What I've learned is the Brits seem to have something against top sheets. I don't get it but I've slept in several beds here - haha, with Keith that is - that have a bottom sheet, then a duvet, but no top sheet. Haven't figured out why. I'm guessing they just wash the duvet cover the same time they wash the bottom sheet - I hope so anyway! It was a job to find a set of sheets for our single bed. And all pieces are sold separately - well atleast in the few places I looked that's how they were sold - and not all colors had a flat sheet to match and some brands didn't have flat sheets for the single size. Still shaking my head. After Homebase I popped into the Tesco and it's huge! It has a section almost like Walmart. I was so excited. But still limited on what I was looking for. Did grab a soccer ball to kick around for the weekend though.

The rest of the day was spent with me doing some cleaning up and Keith mowing the lawn and trimming the hedges.

Organization Is Sanity

Pretty uneventful day. The usual daily job search, then I decided I was really tired of looking at the stacks of paper we have on our dining room table. We have been given so much paper work since we arrived, it's insane. We bought a bunch of binders weeks ago but haven't made use of them. Today was the day to change that.

Why can't the world have a standard paper size? The UK's standard is A4 (Letter) and A3 (Legal), therefore their binders are different too. And they're all 2 ring. So everything is longer and narrower than our Canadian/US. Therefore, any paperwork we brought, does not fit properly into the UK binders, and if you want to put it in anyway, you have to re-punch the pages. Anyway, a few hours spent reorganizing our mess, and we're good to go.

As Dale, Lauren, Olivia, and Emma are coming up for the weekend, Keith and I went for a big grocery order to feast on. It's surprising how much you can fit in this small fridge/freezer. By the time we got home we figured, shit this isn't gonna work. Thankfully it did. However, to Keith's dismay there is not enough room for food and beer. We knew we brought the cooler for a reason.

Steak & Guinness Pie

Today I took a stab at making a Steak, Guinness, and Mushroom Pie. It's a bit of a process to make, simmering the steak for an hour, banking for an hour, plus the preparation. I was surprised, it actually turned out! Keith liked it more than I as I'm not a Guinness fan - it was on the strong side. But I was making it for him as he's a big fan of the dish.

After supper, Keith met the guys for some badminton that turned into Squash as the badminton courts were full. While he was being active, I got some heavy duty exercise shopping. Haha. We were in need of a few things like sheets, so I headed into Penryn to Asda and B&Q. While shopping I picked up a Freeview Box. This is a brilliant invention here. It's a box - like a receiver - that you purchase for anywhere between £20-100 ($45-240 CAD). The more pricey ones have a recorder built in. It's a one time purchase which gives you access to approx 30 tv channels plus some radio stations (like on satellite). So much better than purchasing satellite and paying a monthly subscription. No thanks! We bought a cheapy and it works great. Better than the 5 channels we were getting, but we're not really TV people, so 30 channels will be more than enough.

Keith's Dunker Re-Qualification

Today Keith was up at a painfully early hour of 4am as he was off to Yeovil for his dunker re-qual. As Yeovil is 3 hours away, he and another guy had to be on the road bright and early. He was back home at 2pm and enjoyed the rest of the sunny afternoon outside. This week and last has been mostly recce (reconnaissance) training which is a welcome change to computer based training, but apparently still painfully boring. During the past few weeks, I have learned about the Merlin's hydraulic system and how to spot a Russian submarine. The Russians seem to have more subs than we (Canada) have frigates. Yes, I actually do find this stuff interesting. Who'da thought!?

Incase you're interested in some of the Royal Navy/Ministry of Defense (MOD) info, here's the link. This link will take you to the Merlin Training Facility located at RNAS Culdrose.

http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.3281

On The Road Again

Weekends pass way too quickly. I'm a firm believer in the 4 day work week! Spent the morning relaxing and eating - that was our main activity all weekend (I loved it!) - then we hit the road around 2:30pm. Arrived at Dale & Lauren's at 5:30pm, where the boys had dinner ready for us. Keith & I hit the road again around 8pm and made it home at 10pm. We both had a great weekend, me having some girl time, and he having bro and uncle time.

Shopping In Birmingham At Bullring

Shopping day! I feel like I'm back home in Ingonish where you have to travel to Sydney to go shopping and it's an exciting event since there's no shopping in Ingonish. There is more shopping here than at home, but you do feel somewhat cut off - atleast in comparison to living in Dartmouth, 5 minutes away from the Mic Mac Mall.

We travelled to Birmingham which is approx 20 minutes from Emma's. We first shopped at Matalan's which is somewhat like a Winner's I suppose, but more organized. I treated myself to a great pair of brown pumps. I fell in love and couldn't part with them. Next we went to the Bullring. http://www.bullring.co.uk/website/Default.aspx

Wow! This place is massive. I don't know if I can even explain. There's a huge mall, that opens up onto a pedestrian street of many more shops, China Town is just around the corner, and there are vendors lining the courtyards. No shortage of things to buy. We spent all afternoon here, and enjoyed some fantastic Chinese/Vietnemese (sp?) gourmet for lunch. As you can see from the picture, Emma and I found some funny hats to model. Hats are a big thing here...don't think you'll see me taking advantage of the fashion!

Buses, Trains & Automobiles to Coventry

Off to Coventry today with Lauren! Heading up to visit her sister for the weekend. Coventry is approx 5 hours from Helston and is located in the Midlands. Coventry is not on the map, but it is right beside Birmingham. It is the middle of the country (hence the term 'Midlands'). We (Helston) are located below Newquay (pronouced Newkey) on almost the most south westerly tip of the country.

Left the house at 9am to catch the bus at Tesco at 9:30am. Bus arrived at Truro train station at 10:30am. Caught the 10:42am train to Tiverton Parkway which arrived at 1:30pm. Lauren met me there and we were on our way to Coventry. Arrived at Emma's at 4:30pm. What a long day of travel! The approx 5 hour journey was obviously extended due to my various means of transportation. I enjoyed every minute of it! It was my first time on the bus here and my first time on the train on my own. So I figured it would be quite the adventure. It ended up being uneventful, which I am quite happy for. Usually my adventures on buses are far from eventful. I get this feeling of freedom and independance when I'm travelling on my own - like I can do this, I don't need someone to hold my hand. It's a sort of high I really enjoy.

Spent a quiet evening eating lots of good food, girl chat, and watching Monsoon Wedding. So nice to get away with the girls.

No Go Again

Happy 30th Birthday Travis (aka "Peaches")!!

Well this sucks. Actually today sucked in general. Just one of those days where it seems like a mole hill has transformed into a mountain. And this was before I found out I didn't get the job! I wasn't disappointed to see the day end. Haha. Funny, the two interviews I had, both with Cornwall College and two different recruiters (one is the other's boss) both told me I had strong interviews and both mentioned an HR position opening very soon they'd like me to apply for, and neither of them had spoken to the other about me. Strange. Maybe it's a good sign. But not getting my hopes up after they way these two turned out. She hoped to let me know early next week if this position was posted.

My Brain Hurts

Drove to St. Austell today for my interview. It was an hour drive! Ouch! Definitely not accepting this job if it's offered to me. Way too far to travel. The interview was 45 minutes long. Longest and most detailed interview I've ever had. I haven't had many to compare, but this was one to make my head hurt. It seemed as if it went well, but who knows right. They said they'd let me know by end of day tomorrow what the outcome is.

Mark Kotzer, a Canadian Aire guy whose posted here in July called this afternoon. Talked to him for almost an hour giving him all the details I could about moving here. Wow, didn't realize how much we've done and learned in such a short period of time. I was excited to share what we've experienced and offer any advice I could as I know every little bit Chris offered us when we were coming was a huge help. Mark, his wife Laura, and their two children (another on the way) will arrive mid summer and actually be living just two houses away on the same street. It'll be great to have Canadians close by.

No Go

Received the call this morning that I was not chosen for the Admin Assistant position. I had a feeling I wasn't getting it. She told me the reason being it would not be a challenging enough position for me. So true! But I was willing to make a go of it anyway. She said they have another position that's opening very soon that they want me to apply for that I'd be more suited for if I was interested. They are waiting on the approval to post the position, then will contact me. Not sure how long before I hear from her or what the position is as she couldn't tell me any details. Hopefully by the end of the week. I'm excited they seem interested and are keeping me in mind. I have another interview tomorrow. However, it's 45 minutes away. It's quite the hike so I'm not sure if I'd take it if it was successful. I applied for it because the posting said Cornwall College Camborne/St. Austell and I was hoping the home base would be Camborne with maybe some travel to St. Austell. If it's totally based in St. Austell it's definitely too far to commute. We'll see how it goes.

Just a few notes incase you weren't aware: You can leave comments on our blog if you'd like. Under each post there is a link to comments. If you click on it you can enter a comment - remember it is visible to everyone. That way if you want to comment on a picture or something we did you can. You can also click on the pictures we post to enlarge them.

My First Interview

I believe I forgot to mention I have 2 interviews this week! Yay! I received a call Friday May 4th for my first interview...which was the one I had this morning. And it was the first CV I sent out! Received the second call Friday past for another interview. That was my second CV I sent out! They are both with Cornwall College - HR Administrative Assistant and Client Services Administrator. The one this morning was for the HR Admin Assist. It's a full time mat leave position until December. I was interviewed by two ladies and thank-God they're accents are not thick and I could understand them well. It was an easy 20 minutes and seemed to go well, but that doesn't mean I'll succeed. They have interviews all day today and are hoping to make the decision by end of day. Keep your fingers crossed!

This afternoon I went for a tour on my own since Keith was at work. I drove to Goonhilly Downs (funny name!) which is home to the Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station. With over 60 giant satellite dishes it is the oldest and largest satellite station on Earth! I only drove into the parking lot so I could get an idea what it was about. Keith & I will have to go back someday for a tour. It looks quite interesting. http://www.goonhilly.bt.com

To get there I drove through a small village called Gweek. It is home to the National Seal Sanctuary. I finally did my own driving on some of these extremely narrow roards that are 1 car width wide and hedges you can't see over. I'm still in awe over those.

After Gweek and Goonhilly Downs I went to a beautiful beach that I have yet to figure out the name for. I was thinking it was Church Cove, but I think it may have been Kynance Cove. I'll have to go back and find out. It was amazing here. Breath taking cliffs and crashing waves. I felt so at home.

I have to take Keith there as I'm sure he will enjoy it as much as I did. It was fun touring on my own because I hadn't been to any of these places before so it was exciting to figure it out on my own - you never know with so many country roads where you'll end up. It was about a 2 hour trip in total and it was finally sunny so it was a perfect day.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mom, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandmothers, aunts, and all my girlfriends who are moms. You all deserve a fantastic day for all your hardwork and dedication to your kiddies.

The weekend just got better...it's cleaning day. Booo. Finally emptied our last few boxes, hung pictures, and moved what we don't need to the garage. Slowly but surely it's looking cozy. We still need to buy items like modern curtains! And light shades and more pictures but that'll come in time.

Lazy Day

Very lazy day. Finally left the house around 4pm and drove around getting more aquainted with Helston. Also drove to Camborne which is 20 minutes away. Watched a few movies. Oh the excitement!

Rain, Rain Go Away - Met More Friends

It is piss pouring rain here. I mean cats and dogs at some moments. It has rained for a few days now. Hopefully that means the sunshine is on its way. Keith should be home from work soon as he usually finishes early on Fridays. No real plans for the weekend except a BBQ at Matt's house (one of the guys on his course) if the sun decides to shine. And maybe we'll get some pictures hung up and other odds and ends.

Added a few posts to March as I forgot when I was in such a hurry to get this blog together. I added a post regarding my last days at work and my trip home to see my family. If interested, go back and have a read. I also posted a few pictures.

We went out with a crew of guys that Keith is on course with. I had already met Simon, Kevin, and Matt but tonight I also met Sid and his wife Catherine, Allan and his girlfriend Rachel, Justin, and Matt's wife Diana. Yay! I met some girls! Girls who have moved here within the past 6 months or so from another part of England and also know nobody. Perfect! We started at The Rodney Inn (pub), moved onto The Beehive (club) and then ended up at The Angel House (pub). Afterwards we went to the Helston Grill (it's like Pizza Corner in Halifax but serves grease instead). Their specialty is Kebabs. I had Chips & Cheese! Strange? Somewhat. Good. Definitely! It's basically poutine without the gravy. And they add a little salt and vinegar to it and you're good to go. Another heart stopper for sure - I believe that sums up most of the British food. Keith and I had a great night and it's nice to meet more and more people.

My Trip To Truro & Tony Blair Steps Down

Had my National Insurance appointment this morning to apply for a national insurance number (NIN) just like our Canadian SIN. The appointment was in Truro so I dropped Keith off at work and was on my way. This was my first outing on my own in the car. Haha. Sounds funny but I haven't needed the car.

Last night Keith and I drove to Truro (30 mins away) to find the place because we have only drove through Truro and had no idea where anything is. My appt was for 9:10am so I had no time to be getting lost. As previously mentioned, driving on the left side of the road is not my issue, it's shifting with my left hand. No problems at all until we got into Truro and I'm squeezing between cars in these damn narrow streets and it's already difficult because I don't know where I'm going. So lump that all together - new surroundings, very narrow surroundings, crazy drivers, and me new at the right hand drive. Needless to say Keith and I both needed a drink by the time we arrived at Staples (that was our second stop in Truro). It feels like I'm learning to drive all over again - it's somewhat painful and quite frustrating.

After having done a trial run I was good to go. It was a smooth trip (thank God). After the appointment I went to Marks & Spencers - huge department store that's quite popular here - and Tesco (grocery store). Then back to Penryn (15 mins away) to B&Q, and Asda. All kinds of shopping! That was the highlight of my day. I have to say it was much less stressful driving on my own. Keith is great, he doesn't say anything at all and just lets me figure it out, however it's nerve racking just having someone to witness it all! Haha.

In the news - Today Tony Blair announced he is stepping down as the leader of the Labour Party and from his post as Prime Minister June 27th. Being in the UK this was all over the radio and I listened to his speech during my trip home from Truro as he delivered it in Sedgefield where he first won the post 10 years ago. Blair has lost the faith of the British people after taking them into Iraq and they're happy to see him go. Gordon Brown has now launched his labour leadership campaign to be Blair's successor. I'm not a political person but it's interesting to be here during this huge change and see who becomes the next PM of the UK.

Flora Day

The biggest day in Helston! You can click on the pictures to enlarge. Here's the blurb on the tradition...

"Flora Day is held every year on May 8th. This celebration is believed to be pre-Christian and at one time during the Victorian era was banned as being "a drunken revelry." The whole town is decorated with local greenery and bluebells which grow in millions in the surrounding countryside. Dancing occurs in the streets to the beat of the big base drum, elegant gentlemen and their ladies dance in and out of Churches, shops and houses. The day starts with the 7.00 am dance (originally for the servants of the gentry) with the Gentlemen wearing shirt and tie and the ladies wearing light summer dresses. Next to follow about 10.30am is the Children's Dance. The boys and girls are all dressed smartly and are decorated with flowers and lily of the valley. At noon the main dance of the day is started. This is the formal dance with the men wearing morning dress and the ladies magnificent ball gowns and hats that could be the envy of "Ascot." This dance is always led by a couple born in Helston. At the bottom of Coinagehall street are many stalls selling souvenirs, crafts and food, running all the way down to Coronation Park where a large fairground is set up. The celebrations last well into the evening with Helston's many public houses doing a roaring trade."

Simon and Damon met us at our place and we walked in to town for the 12 o'clock dance. It was insane with people. The streets were packed and everyone was in great cheer. After the dance, many of the people holding either a Cornish Pastie in their hand or a beer - so British! We walked through the streets and checked out all the vendors - food, clothes, jewelry, tarot readings, you name it, it was there. Very exciting to be a part of the tradition.

In the evening, Simon and Damon came back for a BBQ in the rain. Keith was soaked after cooking up a feast. We sat around the table and gabbed for hours. It was a great day minus the evening rain.

Dinner At The Sherar's

What a lazy day. I think we were all bagged from all the weekend fresh air and touring. In the afternoon we visited the pub that is about 5 doors down from Dale & Lauren's. How convenient! It is very small, quaint, and smoky. Quite a nice pub minus the smoking part. There are even a few dog dishes on the floor by the fire place for the local dogs that frequent with their owners. Very cool.

Please take note of the pictures of our little Newfie niece!










How cute is she! I believe Keith may have had something to do with this.

We were invited to Lauren's parents' home for dinner. And what a feast it was! Roast beef, chicken, potatoes, variety of several veggies, yorkshire pudding (such an English tradition and so good), gravy, wine and finished by a delicious apple crumble and ice cream. Fantastic! After our supper settled, Keith & I were on the road back home.

Our First English Cream Tea

Met up with Lauren's family and the 9 of us plus her parents' two dogs Pepsi and Max went for an hour walk via the walking trails in Exmoor Forest. During the walk Keith & I were surprised to learn from Terry (Lauren's Dad) that there is such thing as wild garlic and it grows in Exmoor Forest. Terry scoped some out for us and we picked handfuls. It's amazing - it looks like a medium thin/smooth green leaf and it smells and tastes like garlic - maybe even better. We put it to the test in the evening using it to make garlic bread - fantastic!

After the walk we ventured to a cafe where they serve the famous English Cream Tea. Everywhere you turn there are Cream Teas and I was anxious to try it out. The traditional cream tea consists of scones (tea biscuits) topped with clotted cream and jam and of course served with tea. It was delicious. The clotted cream is a thick cream (almost the consistancy of cream cheese) made by heating unpasteurized cow's milk and then leaving it in shallow pans for several hours. It is served with various desserts and would be sure to kill you if you ate it often as it cannot be anywhere close to healthy.

Girls Outing At Tarr Steps

Lauren, her twin sister Emma, Olivia, and I took off to a place called Tarr Steps.










The Tarr Steps are a prehistoric clapper bridge - which are huge stones that weigh up to 5 tonnes each - placed across the River Barle to make a bridge.

Walking trails surround the area and there is a small restaurant/pub. We took advantage of the trails and enjoyed a shandy (beer & 7up) when finished. Then Olivia played in the water. She loves the water just like her uncle Keith.

Saturday evening Dale & Lauren hosted a BBQ. Her parents, sister Emma, and her brother Sam all attended. We enjoyed listening to the boys play the guitars during the evening while sipping a few drinks.

Happy Birthday Karen!!!

Today is Karen's (one of my closest friends) 30th birthday. Wish I could be there to celebrate it with her as I'd make sure I was holding her hair (just like last summer K-Shea!). LOL. I will have a drink for her here instead.

It's another beautiful sunny day - 16C at 10:30am. Keith & I are off to Chumleigh this afternoon to spend the weekend with Dale & Lauren. Their sea shipment arrived on Tuesday so they've been quite busy and could use some help. Especially since Lauren is 7 months pregnant and is unable to move much. We'll be there until Monday as Monday is a bank holiday here.

Keith is hoping to finish work early today so we can get on the road sooner than later. His course is still quite boring to date as it's mostly computer based training, so he spends most of his day sitting in front of a computer reading. He's hoping by July they'll be in the helo doing some flying for a change.

Exercise

I had an urge to attempt running this morning. It's been a year and I thought it's time to try. I always put it off when I want to start back up because I'm scared to see how bad I'll be after so long. So I did it anyway. And sure enough I didn't get far, but atleast I tried and the next time will be easier. I hope! I'd love to find a forest trail as that's where I enjoy running most, but seeing there's not really forests here I guess I'll just have to run through farmers fields!

Had my new patient health check today. I got weighed, height measured, blood pressure taken and finally a prescription for this damn sinus infection. It's a bit different here for prescriptions it seems as you hand the pharmacist the prescription and they fill it for you without asking any questions. No paperwork to fill out with your first one or anything. I thought that was bizarre. It must be beacuse a lot of your info is already on the prescription when you give it to them. Who knows.

Keith was a bit sore today as he started back to the gym yesterday. It's been over a month and he's been anxious to go - but not so anxious for the pain. He misses having Kwas as his CrossFit partner to share the pain and glory with. Hopefully he'll find someone here who will be as interested in the program as he is.

The Surgery & Drugs Tutorial

Woke up to a beautiful warm, sunny day. But man, can it blow a gale here! The wind has been blowing for days and I swear it will be like this for the next 4 years. Hopefully that is not the case. Spending my days on the fabulous job hunt. I love looking for a job. It's one of my favorite things to do. Kidding! I absolutely hate job hunting. It's not even the job hunt, it's the cover letter and CV writing. You know, I am the most wonderful, fabulous person you could have to work for you and I even do backflips! LOL. It's hard to toot your own horn and not feel like a knob trying to entice the reader to interview you. Good times!

Walked into town this afternoon (only 7 min walk) to run some errands. Everything we need is so close - post office, bank, drug store, butcher, liquor store, bakeries, convenience store and pubs, pubs, and more pubs. As you walk down the narrow streets of old stone buildings (they have such character) you can smell the bakeries with their Cornish Pasties and other traditional wares. I am definitely a fan of the Cornish Pasties and it's a good thing because they're everywhere. Between the breads, sweets, pasties, and beer it's no wonder the Brits are jolly people. Hopefully I don't become just as jolly!

The most interesting experience today was visiting the Surgery. Sounds scary doesn't it? It's actually the doctor's office - Meneage Street Surgery. Yes, here they are called surgeries. If you weren't already scared to go to the doctor, this would finish you off. It looks just like a doctor's office inside so the only scary part is the name...hopefully. I had to register with a doctor while we're here and that involves registering with the NHS. The NHS is the National Health System. From what I gather it is somewhat like our MSI. I completed a bit of paperwork and I go back tomorrow for a 'New Patient Health Check' where they check my blood pressure and stuff and oh yeah, I get to take them a urine sample! How nice! Once that's complete, I'm good to go to book appointments and see the doctor when needed. Here they have nurses that do the basic stuff like this appointment and do the ladies yearly checkups. And apparently, you call in the morning after 8:30am and try to book an appt for that day. Otherwise they'll pre-book you and that's atleast a week away. Guess I'll learn the system in time.

Visited the 2 drug stores (right next to each other??) to check things out. So many things are similar to home, but not the variety we have at home. In my observations, rollon deodarant seems to be the thing here, they have shower products, condoms, tampons, shave products, and make-up the same as we do. No I wasn't purchasing these items, just browsing the store! The biggest difference is over-the-counter drugs. Everything looks different. They do have Ibuprofen which I discovered today, but only for pain, they do not have sinus/cold meds with Ibuprofen in them, nor do they have any with Acetaminophen. Here it's called Paracetamol. Apparently it's the same drug, just different names. This was my drug tutorial for today.

It was such a nice day/evening that Keith and I BBQ'd and had supper on the patio. He's now busy collecting all the stuff he needs to get the motorbike registered/insured. He's anxious to get it out and enjoy these windy, narrow roads.