I have been looking forward to this day for a year! And it's finally here!
I didn't end up sleeping great last night. The room was cozy and clean but the bed felt like I was sleeping on springs. The cheap price I paid also meant a shared bathroom and I could hear people from the other rooms opening and closing their doors through the night going to the bathroom. So I woke up every 2 hours and that was probably ostly due to my excitement to go home.
I got up at 6am, got ready and walked to the train station for 7am. Caught the hour train to Gatwick which seemed to take forever. Finalyl arrived at Gatwick just after 8am and wow this airport is crazier than I thought. I think everyone flies out in the morning because the place was very busy. I eventually found the Air Transat check in after 15 minutes of walking around and finally asking someone. No wonder I couldn't find it - it was hidden down a flight of stairs. I walked right through the check in and security as there were no lines up - how nice!
I spent the next few hours checking out the shops, which there are a lot of. I bought a bottle of Pimms (British liquor) to bring home. It ended up being an eventful visit to Gatwick with a fire alarm. Nothing major, just a nuisance more than anything.
It's time to board!! By midday I was in the air and on my way to Canada! I sat with a lovely lady on the flight. She's British but has lived in the Valley for 30+ years. The flight was uneventful and pretty enjoyable as I had paid a small fee for a better seat which left me ots of leg room and a wider seat. It was great. We arrived in Halifax 40 minutes early! I'm on Canadian soil again! Yay! As we taxied towards the airport I had to fight the happy tears. I was doing fine until I saw the Canadian and Nove Scotia flags. What a feeling to see those again.
I could barely contain myself in the Customs line up. By the time I got through customs (which wasn't a problem at all) and got my luggage it was our original landing time. It was great to arrive early except no one else knew so nobody was there waiting for me! I ended up waiting 20 minutes before Mom and Lexie arrived then Aimee, Lynden and Jamie were right behind. I was disappointed to not have anyone there when I arrived but was so happy to see them all when they finally did. What a feeling to see my Mom after a year and 2 months of being away!
We chatted for a bit then hopped in the car to do the 5 hour drive to Ingonish. We stopped at the causeway for supper than I drove from there for an hour and a half or so. Mom and Lexie drove to Halifax this morning and Mom has to be up at 3am for fihsing tomorrow so she needed a snooze in the car. I was pretty wired so I didn't mind. It was nice to sit on the left hand side to drive! I ended up driving on the wrong side of the road for a minute when I took the turnoff to the ferry! I didn't even realize, it was Lexie that said 'Mandy, you're driving in the wrong side of the road!'. Too funny! I had no idea.
We arrived home at 9pm and I ran into see Dad. Once again what a feeling to hug Dad after so long. After dropping Mom at home I popped out to see Nan and Gampie, ran to Deb's to pick stuff up, dropped into see Nanny Neil then to Karen's for a few minutes. When I got home at 10pm Graham was home and I got another big hug from him. So weird to come home and Matthew not be here. Really disappointed he won't have a chance to come home while I'm here. I crashed hard by 10:30pm and fell asleep so happy to be home.
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Monday, 19 May 2008
Off to London!
Said my goodbyes to Keith this morning when he left for work. I'm really going to miss him. The hardest part about going home is leaving him for a month.
Did some last minute running around into town and picking up munchies for my train journey. All set and ready to go with room still left in my luggage! Is that even possible? I actually went around the house making sure there was nothing else I should take with me to fill the space. I wanted some space as I'll be buying some clothes at home, but this was more space then expected. I'm impressed with myself!
Headed out at 11:30am to drive to the train station in Redruth. Keith has a simulator today and it was much more convenient for me to drive myself and him pick the car up later. I caught the train just after 12pm and was on my way. I arrived in London at 5:30pm then made my way to my hotel via the tube.
The hotel room was small which is the norm in London. That never bothers me though because who really spends time in their room when they're in London? After changing and freshing up I went touring. I was meeting Anya and Horacio at 8pm so I didn't have time to go too far. Instead I checked out the St Pancras International train station where I am catching my train to Gatwick in the morning. I hadn't been in that station before and didn't know much about getting to Gatwick. Figured it would be safest to check it out now so when I arrive at 7am I know exactly where I'm going and what I'm doing. The St Pancras station is a new building and is very impressive. It's packed with fancy shops and cafes/restaurants/etc. It is the station where the Eurostar train leaves from England to go to Europe so it's a very busy and massive station.
After I gathered all the info I needed and bought my train ticket I hopped on the tube and went to Livepool Street where I would meet the crew. I walked around a bit as I arrived early. Liverpool is on the edge of the financial district on London and everyone is in a suit. I felt a bit under dressed! Horacio met me at 8pm and toured me around this area of London I hadn't seen before. We met Anya at the Ma'ida restaurant for Indian. We had a delicious dinner and chatted for awhile. We finished around 11pm and I hopped back on the tube to the hotel.
Oh my God, I'm going home tomorrow! Am I going to sleep tonight?
Did some last minute running around into town and picking up munchies for my train journey. All set and ready to go with room still left in my luggage! Is that even possible? I actually went around the house making sure there was nothing else I should take with me to fill the space. I wanted some space as I'll be buying some clothes at home, but this was more space then expected. I'm impressed with myself!
Headed out at 11:30am to drive to the train station in Redruth. Keith has a simulator today and it was much more convenient for me to drive myself and him pick the car up later. I caught the train just after 12pm and was on my way. I arrived in London at 5:30pm then made my way to my hotel via the tube.
The hotel room was small which is the norm in London. That never bothers me though because who really spends time in their room when they're in London? After changing and freshing up I went touring. I was meeting Anya and Horacio at 8pm so I didn't have time to go too far. Instead I checked out the St Pancras International train station where I am catching my train to Gatwick in the morning. I hadn't been in that station before and didn't know much about getting to Gatwick. Figured it would be safest to check it out now so when I arrive at 7am I know exactly where I'm going and what I'm doing. The St Pancras station is a new building and is very impressive. It's packed with fancy shops and cafes/restaurants/etc. It is the station where the Eurostar train leaves from England to go to Europe so it's a very busy and massive station.
After I gathered all the info I needed and bought my train ticket I hopped on the tube and went to Livepool Street where I would meet the crew. I walked around a bit as I arrived early. Liverpool is on the edge of the financial district on London and everyone is in a suit. I felt a bit under dressed! Horacio met me at 8pm and toured me around this area of London I hadn't seen before. We met Anya at the Ma'ida restaurant for Indian. We had a delicious dinner and chatted for awhile. We finished around 11pm and I hopped back on the tube to the hotel.
Oh my God, I'm going home tomorrow! Am I going to sleep tonight?
Sunday, 18 May 2008
Packing Day
Happy birthday Nanny Neil! Nan is 89 today. Wow!
What a lazy morning. We stayed in bed until almost 11:30am! Not hard to tell we don't have kids. I was taking advantage since I'll be away from Keith for a month.
Today I'll finish packing and doing the last minute things that need to be done before I leave. I head out tomorrow as I stay in London for the night. It worked out to be cheaper to take the train up in the afternoon and stay at a hotel then taking the overnight sleeper. Keith will drive me to the train station tomorrow at lunchtime and I'll arrive in London around 5:30pm. I'm meeting Anya and Horacio that I worked with at Aukett Brockliss Guy. They work in the London office and we thought it would be nice to get together. Horacio knows a really good Indian restaurant so we'll meet there for dinner. Yes, more Indian! I think Indian cuisine is more prominent here than English. The Brits love their curry. After dinner, Anya and I will probably walk around and check out the city. Originally I had been planning to go to a show as I've been wanting to see Chicago or Les Miserables or something along those lines, but then I made plans with Anya so I'm not sure what else I'll be up to.
I'll crash at the hotel for the night than I'll be up early to catch the hour tube to Gatwick. I fly out at 11:40am Tuesday with Air Transat but they require you to check in 3-4 hours earlier for international flights. I'll arrive in Haliafx at 2:40pm where Mom, Lexie, Aimee and Jamie will meet me. Yay! I can't wait!
The day after tomorrow I'll be in Canada!!!!
What a lazy morning. We stayed in bed until almost 11:30am! Not hard to tell we don't have kids. I was taking advantage since I'll be away from Keith for a month.
Today I'll finish packing and doing the last minute things that need to be done before I leave. I head out tomorrow as I stay in London for the night. It worked out to be cheaper to take the train up in the afternoon and stay at a hotel then taking the overnight sleeper. Keith will drive me to the train station tomorrow at lunchtime and I'll arrive in London around 5:30pm. I'm meeting Anya and Horacio that I worked with at Aukett Brockliss Guy. They work in the London office and we thought it would be nice to get together. Horacio knows a really good Indian restaurant so we'll meet there for dinner. Yes, more Indian! I think Indian cuisine is more prominent here than English. The Brits love their curry. After dinner, Anya and I will probably walk around and check out the city. Originally I had been planning to go to a show as I've been wanting to see Chicago or Les Miserables or something along those lines, but then I made plans with Anya so I'm not sure what else I'll be up to.
I'll crash at the hotel for the night than I'll be up early to catch the hour tube to Gatwick. I fly out at 11:40am Tuesday with Air Transat but they require you to check in 3-4 hours earlier for international flights. I'll arrive in Haliafx at 2:40pm where Mom, Lexie, Aimee and Jamie will meet me. Yay! I can't wait!
The day after tomorrow I'll be in Canada!!!!
Saturday, 17 May 2008
Falmouth & Penryn
Happy birthday Travis!
It was suppose to be a drab rainy day but it wasn't as bad as expected. It was overcast but atleast it didn't rain much. After dropping all the recycling off we spent the afternoon in Falmouth going to Trago to look for storage containers, walking around and dropping into the Kind's Head pub for a beer and cider. On the way home we went to B&Q and Asda for a few things we needed to get and a few last minute items for me to take home.
I was planning tomorrow as my packing day but I decided to do some of it this evening to get it out of the way. I got quite a bit done but still have more to do.
Keith and I went to Anglo Asia for a late supper and enjoyed the usual good Indian food. We got back home around 10pm then watched a movie 'Michael Clayton'. Good flick - I'm a fan of George Clooney.
3 days until I go home!
It was suppose to be a drab rainy day but it wasn't as bad as expected. It was overcast but atleast it didn't rain much. After dropping all the recycling off we spent the afternoon in Falmouth going to Trago to look for storage containers, walking around and dropping into the Kind's Head pub for a beer and cider. On the way home we went to B&Q and Asda for a few things we needed to get and a few last minute items for me to take home.
I was planning tomorrow as my packing day but I decided to do some of it this evening to get it out of the way. I got quite a bit done but still have more to do.
Keith and I went to Anglo Asia for a late supper and enjoyed the usual good Indian food. We got back home around 10pm then watched a movie 'Michael Clayton'. Good flick - I'm a fan of George Clooney.
3 days until I go home!
Friday, 16 May 2008
Dentist - Fillings
Had my dentist appointment first thing this morning at 8:30am. I was apprehensive about this dentist doing my fillings because one of them is on a tooth that my plate sits on and is such a pain in the ass to shave down to fit my plate over it. And I was worried that if it didn't go well, I only have Monday morning to get it fixed because I'm 2 hours from my old dentist in Sydney once I arrive in Ingonish. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised as it all went very well.
It took a few hours for the freezing to leave my face so I did some stuff around the house until it was gone then I headed to Penzance. Spent a few hours there picking up some things and searching for some rubbermaid like containers. Once again, there is little selection and it's damn expensive! Came home empty handed with that item. We have only been here a year but we've already accumulated a bit of fancy dress costumes and I was hoping to find something to store them in in the garage. Oh well, they'll just stay in the storage room until I return.
We enjoyed a quiet evening making some appetizers to munch on while watching tv.
It took a few hours for the freezing to leave my face so I did some stuff around the house until it was gone then I headed to Penzance. Spent a few hours there picking up some things and searching for some rubbermaid like containers. Once again, there is little selection and it's damn expensive! Came home empty handed with that item. We have only been here a year but we've already accumulated a bit of fancy dress costumes and I was hoping to find something to store them in in the garage. Oh well, they'll just stay in the storage room until I return.
We enjoyed a quiet evening making some appetizers to munch on while watching tv.
Thursday, 15 May 2008
Cinderella
Jamie Frees finishes work today as she'll be moving to England on Tuesday! We have such funny timing - her and I have been anxious for months for her to get here and now it works out that she's flying to the UK the same day I fly to Canada! What kinda of timing eh? She doesn't fly out until just before midnight so she's actually going to come to the airport to see me when I arrive. She'll be living about an hour away from us so it'll be nice to have her so close.
Today was a quiet day. I decided to actually sleep in a bit and try not to think about things that need to be done. Eventually I got my butt in gear and decided to play Cinderella for the day. Haha. I cleaned the stove - everyone's favorite job! Then cleaned the fridge which is another wonderful task. And spruced up a few other things in the kitchen. Why am I cleaning before I leave? Well that's a good question! They both really needed to be done so that's the only reason, everything else Keith can look after. Haha.
Went into town for a bit to run a few errands and grab supper food. That was the extent of the day.
Today was a quiet day. I decided to actually sleep in a bit and try not to think about things that need to be done. Eventually I got my butt in gear and decided to play Cinderella for the day. Haha. I cleaned the stove - everyone's favorite job! Then cleaned the fridge which is another wonderful task. And spruced up a few other things in the kitchen. Why am I cleaning before I leave? Well that's a good question! They both really needed to be done so that's the only reason, everything else Keith can look after. Haha.
Went into town for a bit to run a few errands and grab supper food. That was the extent of the day.
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
Dentist - Cleaning
Had a dentist appointment this morning for a cleaning. So far everything they do here is very similar to home except they don't do fluoride treatments! The hygienist told me she did one once and that was during her training many years ago - just so they would know how to do them! They also don't have fluoride in the water here - no wonder the Brits are known for their bad teeth. The hygienist was a sweet Scottish lady and she was great. I'm always apprehensive to go to a new hygienist because I went to one in Halifax years ago and she was so rough my gums hurt for hours afterwards. Thank God I found another one in Halifax that was great.
I may have mentioned before but there are 2 types of dentists in the UK; NHS and private. The National Health System dentists are paid for by the NHS similar to the doctors visits except there's a small fee to pay for the minimal service the dentists provide you. There's also the private dentists which are exactly what we have at home - we pay for everything we get done at the dentist. I have opted for this as Dale had warned me about his NHS dental experience. The NHS dentists do as little work as possible for the fee you pay as the fee is subsidized by the NHS and is minimal. It's hard to explain so I won't try further. Because of this I have chosen a private dentist as I want the best service and care I can get and also because the Canadian Forces pay most of the bill.
After back from the dentist I packed up all the gifts I'm sending home. I'd hoped to do it earlier in the week but the last item just arrived yesterday. I sent it off and now it may arrive just before I leave home to come back here! So far that's been my day. I have to pop back into town and either do a bit of cleaning or French training - I'll decide when I get back.
I decided to do some of the French as it's much more interesting than cleaning the stove and the fridge!
I may have mentioned before but there are 2 types of dentists in the UK; NHS and private. The National Health System dentists are paid for by the NHS similar to the doctors visits except there's a small fee to pay for the minimal service the dentists provide you. There's also the private dentists which are exactly what we have at home - we pay for everything we get done at the dentist. I have opted for this as Dale had warned me about his NHS dental experience. The NHS dentists do as little work as possible for the fee you pay as the fee is subsidized by the NHS and is minimal. It's hard to explain so I won't try further. Because of this I have chosen a private dentist as I want the best service and care I can get and also because the Canadian Forces pay most of the bill.
After back from the dentist I packed up all the gifts I'm sending home. I'd hoped to do it earlier in the week but the last item just arrived yesterday. I sent it off and now it may arrive just before I leave home to come back here! So far that's been my day. I have to pop back into town and either do a bit of cleaning or French training - I'll decide when I get back.
I decided to do some of the French as it's much more interesting than cleaning the stove and the fridge!
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