Well, loads has happened since the last post. I meant to write of my travels around the UK but none of them seem to be as exciting or interesting as the places I visited earlier in the year. I can’t believe that a year has nearly passed since I first started the trip and I have been very thoughtful and introspective about how I was feeling this time last year.
Since returning I quickly settled back into a routine at work and it became very apparent that not much has changed back here but so much had shifted in my mind. I moved in with Wil in Jesmond and continue to rent my flat out to tenants that thankfully, I haven’t had too many problems with (so far!). I love living here and honestly think that I would have found it extremely difficult going back into a flat on my own after 6 months of dorm rooms and loads of other people around. The one major thing about living with Wil is that my alcohol intake has significantly increased to the the point where Helen thinks I should be going to AA meetings. I am enjoying it and do try to have the odd day without a glass of wine now and then!
I have had a few trips down to Helens since my return with highlights from these trips being The National gig at Brixton Academy, audience participation at the filming of The Hairy Bikers cook off, free tickets to see Phantom of the Opera and various nights out including the TVC bar, Wahaca and The Bull. I have been down to Oxford to house sit for Gregg and Andrea whilst they were away in New Zealand. The highlight of that trip being the free tickets to the England vs. Samoa rugby match at Twickenham, courtesy of Catherine and Brita. All those bears in one place was quite something. I have to say that the low point of that particular expedition with having to leave the car behind and get the overnight bus back to Newcastle, which, in itself was not a major task. It was the hours wait outside in the freezing cold at Milton Keynes at midnight that was the problem. But I survived and I am here to travel on National Express buses once more!
I got a new car. A black Peugoet 207 that I have decided to call Patrick. In his short life has been through quite a bit. At only 7 miles old he got a piece of metal stuck in one of his tyres which deflated in a matter of minutes. The AA man came out and prompted started to jack the car up in the wrong place. I was positively wincing hearing the crunching coming from the body, and again when he realised those weren’t healthy noises so started kicking the jack further under the car. Just about over that ordeal then the snow came and he was subjected to -8 degrees and copious amount of snow. I am happy to report he is managing well and seems to be taking it all in his stride.
I keep getting waves of things that I must do and the ESTA for America was one of those things that has been coming into my head and then going again. Although the ESTA itself in valid for 2 years from the first application (and I managed to get that in well before they started to charge for it) you have to update the details everytime you enter the country. I updated this today for the trip to Canada in five weeks time and that prompted me to start thinking about blogging again.
I think I may have forgotten to mention that my parents finally managed to emigrate in early October after over a years battling with Canadian immigration they gave them the go ahead and they left 2 days after my brothers 30th birthday. They seem to be adapting to their new life well, although there was a lot of moaning about the price of cheese in the early days, that seems to have settled now.
Thats all for now, let the countdown begin. Canada 8th January 2011.
