16 May 2010

An incident free bus trip with a toilet on board and we arived on time, certainly not what I am used to recently in Asia so it was quite a treat! So with my oversized ruck sack, bright pink suitcase (together weighing about 50kg) carryon bag and big handbag I trundled off down the road with my handwritten instructions off google maps (dam printer had no ink) looking for my accomodation. I passed by drunks and people dressed up (apparently that is normal for blackpool on a Sunday at 2, or any day at that). I only had to ask one taxi driver where I was going and Ifound my hostel. For £18 per night I got a room (in a building that stank like stale smoke) with a double bed (that was made with only a duvet and under sheet, thats how the Britts like it, in your own home its ok, except in this sitch not so good as the cleanliness wasnt really up to scratch (looked like it hadnt been vaccuumed for months) and who knows how long ago it was they cleaned the duvets, ick, but I had no choice) a tv with freeview (so I could watch my Desperate Housewives), and shared bathrooms, although I was the olnly one in the dam fangled place so it was all mine. Nevertheless it did the trick and I could store me luggage there the nxt day whilst I was at work. I grabbed my next set of google instructions and hightailed it to view this new flat. I made it there no pobs and liked the look of the place, flatties to Sarah and Geoff seemed all god so we cut deal and planned to move tomorrow! It is just a 20min walk through beautiful stanley park (http://www.google.co.uk/images?q=stanley+park+blackpool&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7DSGJ_en&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=qeL6S97dOZ-y0gToue3pBw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CDsQsAQwBA)

to one of my works, so I went to check it out to make sure I wouldnt get lost tomorrow!

17 May 2010

Day one at work! I am working at 2 days per week at Parkwood, an inpatient acute mental health centre. It has 4 wards 22 beds in each, 2 mens wards and 2 womens wards and an ICU unit. I will be working on one of the womens wards - Balmoral (like the pies). The OT's have their own department called he restart and recovery centre. In it we have our office (4 OT;s, an OT regional team leader, an OT team leader, 2 technical instructers (OTSW) and an activity co-ord), a multifunctional room which is used for social groups, computer groups, educational groups,dvds etc; a kitchen with two kitchenettes in it, a woodwork room, and art room, a music room, and a relaxation room. Pretty well set up and resourced. My role will be to help facilitate and cover groups but mainly to complete OT initial interviews, assessments, devise activity plans, assist the client in reintergrating into the community. So from next week I'll do Thursday's and Friday's here.

18 May 2010

Day two at work, but day one at the Community mental health team (CMHT). It is based in Fleetwood at Mountcroft reource centre in a nice new purpose built building. We cover the Wyre area. I will be doing things lke OT asessments to assess occupational pefomance difficulties and make recommendations that ST&R workers can carry out or care managers can or else I will. My role is OT specific so I just do OT key working and not care management. I was greeted on day one by a floater in the loo, which had me wondering what I had got myself into, but apart from that it was all good!

22 May 2010

Blackpool wins their football final and makes it into the premiership league! I purchased a netbook (small laptop) and accessories incl ext disc drive, bag, microsoft works and nortons for £410.00. BOOM!

23 May 2010

Shopping for groceries in the UK without a car equals me catching a bus with me rucksack travelling 20 minutes to tesco doing my shop (incl 21 portions of meat, I am set for 3 weeks,BOOM) and then loading all my food (you can only imagine how much there is, ove £100 worth) and legging it back to the bus with handbag and 3 bags that didnt fit in the rucksack in hand. Luckily the bus tops 50metres away from the destination at each end. GO ENGLAND!!!!

26 May 2010

I went to a psychic evening, haha what a laugh! A few OTs from around the region get together about 2 monthly and do something, this get together invovled going to see a psychic. It was a pub setting dinner incl for £6, why not I thought! She did actually talk to me, said that I was a happy person - true, said that I had some decisions to make about where I was going (True i mean i am travelling), said I hadto think about an investment, which could mean buying a car but heck they are not investments they are liabilities, maybe something else will be on the cards. Finally she said I was scouting, she asked if I knew what it meant, luckily I didn't say "um, yeah is that loking for blokes?" which is what I thought it meant, no it means going in first checking things out and letting everyone know about it, well I guess you could say this blog is record of that and my travels so far and the great tips I have and will continue to give out, so you can now refer to me as scout!! Who knows I may go back for a private reading for a bit of a laugh!!

4 June 2010

I found out how the Blackpoolians describe or say they are doing a perky - imagine this, you are a plumber and you get a phone call to go and do a perky, your wife is not home yet so you leave her a note - if you did this in Blackpool (and it maybe all over the UK too that they say this) you would write "gone out to do a foreigner, be back at 8". Haha how funny is that. So my flatmate is a joiner and he might do three foreigners in one weekend, busy boy isn't he!!

At work I have to say my name funny so they understand me, if I say Abbey they hear Ebbey, so I have to say it Ah-B. I feel a bit rediculous, but am going to start doing as today I phoned someone and asked for Anne and they thought I said Ian, haha oh dear we must sound like a strange bunch!! But it is OK becasue everyone thinks I am from Aussie so they can think Aussies are wierdos and I am not destroying the kiwi name haha!!

7 June 2010

I have been called many a thing in my time, (this one I was possibly called by my brothers when younger) but I did onot really expect this. . . .

So I was once again doing my big /semi big shop at Tesco, this entails me taking my big travel pac on the bus so I can get home with all me bits and bobs. So I hall ass accross the carpark and sit down in the bus stop to await the bus. I relax for about 3 minutes when next I hear and echoing drawn out almost in slow motion delivery "Meeeat staaaaaain" in short that is meat stain. Well I am asuming that it was called out to me as I seemed to be the only one around, but then again I may have been being paranoid. Well following this the bus arrived. I was aware that this bus doesn't head off for approx 10min because it is at the last destination and has to regulate the service but thought I would be able to climb aboard. I rock up to the driver and sheepishly ask if I can get on yet, he responds 'well is it raining outside?' s***e I think is he having a laugh or genuinely rude, 'um no, not that can see' I reply sweetly to him. 'okay then you can get on, if it was raining I would have made you ait out there' phew he's having a laugh, obviously he isn't as funny as me because I didn't get it right away. Anyway so a trapse on pack and all and he asks where I am going, 'Stanley Park' i reply which is my bus stop. He looks at the park and laughs 'ha is that where you live, in the park?' hardee har har Mr Bus man to be honest I think I am going to get a photo next time so I am well aware of how silly I look. A laugh at my expense is still cheaper than buying a car so I am still a winner!!

9 June 2010

Well I would like to report that none of my clients cried during my sessions today. Over the past week 3 different clients became tearful during our sessions, my theory is that they feel emotionally safe in my presence so they let their guards down, agree??

Other interesting facts from work include my colleague Jill not eting paid her expenses, and apparently this occurs rather regularly so her response was to send an email to the boss (whose office is one door down) saying that if he didn't rectify the problem she would slash his 4 car tyres damage his cell phone amongst other things. I am sure it was a humerous wayof putting accross a rather serious issue. I wish I had balls the size of planet earth so I could have done something similar to a previous employer (no not you Bazza) lets call her AK47, HARK you know who she is!!

Secondly Dot my other colleague told mea sad but funny story which really goes to show people are cheap. So I am going to retell it: This girl was house sitting in London so that she could take care of the dog whilst the owners were away. The dog was very sick so they had left details of the vet in case anything happened. Well on day two, the dog died. The girl rang the vet who said to bring the dog in and they would arrange cremation. So for some strange reason (to be honest this story reminds me of me on the bus with my large pack full of roceries, I am cheap too) he decided to put the dog in a suitcase (this is like a labrador sized dog) and take it accross London on the tube. Well she changed tubes half way and then arrived at her destination. She got out and was hauling her suitcase up 2 flights of stairs. Up the first one a dude asks if she would like a hand. She explained that she would be fine and carried on. Half way up she had a rest, the guy appeared again and offered to take the bag up the next flight of stairs and he would leave it there for her. She agreed. (Now I know what I was thinking right now) She arrived at the top and the suitcase was nowhere to be seen. He had stolen (what he no doubt thought to be very heavy expensive posessions) the suitcase and the dead dog, never to be seen by the girl again!! How would you go about telling the owners, what a bizzare story!!

Wa wa weee wa!!! It has been a long time and thank you to Gfy for reminding me!!! Well the date today is actually the 17th of July so I have about a month to fill you in on so here goes highlights from the past month!! (Oh yeah and I was also ridiculed for my punctuation and spelling so just or you Bazza I have drafted this on word, spell checked and put on off exploring!!! I am not saying it will be perfect but it will be an improvement!)

18 June 2010

Hannah and I decided on a whim that we would hit the town, hadn't been out in BP yet but we thought we would have a few at home with the delicious Nachos I made and head to the local to watch the England world cup match. So we dilly dallied and then finally left home at half time to get to the Belle view to see England yet again dismal effortand from there we went to the ol No.3 pub. As you will see in the photo section we passed a delicious cake store on the way check out the crazy cakes, fish n chips, English breakfast and a BBQ, fancy one for your 60th Bazz?

Han decided we needed a bottle of pink fizzy stuff, aka Sparkling Rose and we shimmied outside to lap up the last of the evening sun.It was here that a joker started talking to me and getting right up in my grill, or in my dial as they say over here. I later learned his name was Neil and quite rightly he was referred to as Neil Neil orange peel from that moment forward. Any who another bottle of pink fizzy stuff later and we were having a ball, I was showing Jon, Peter (who has a brother Paul, we thought that was very funny) and Neil how to drink beers properly when the bell rang as a signal of home time. By this stage we had made friends or perhaps enemies with the Bouncers, one who was shorter than me, so of course I hassled him about it, later to find out he was a cage fighter who won a national title or something 7 years ago haha, my memory fails me a bit but I am sure I would have told him who would win the fight if he dared, . . me of course!! Anyway, Jon suggested we hit town!! I sneakily asked ol Peter to give us a lift into town a he was sobering and he obliged legend!!

Once we got to town (Me, Han and Jon) we hit the pubs. We also, okay not we, me hit the bouncers, with all black quality NZ tackles!!! I don't know what got into e but I had a great time messing with authority figures all night, even had a chat with some wee coppers and got a few snaps with them!! At the second pub - Rumours, we were keen for a dance so we said to Jon I hope you are into dancing because that is what is going to happen and BOOM he was up for it!

Had an absolute ball out in Blackpool Hannah pashed some dude who was wearing a monster much t-shirt, they are chips or crisps over here and Hannah is a crisp addict so I thought that was destiny!!Anyway at about 4am it was time for home so I invited some people back to mine, however the landlord was none too happy with this and I had to boot the people out. (side note, Gfy this is soooo funny). But before they left they arranged another time to meet up.

19 June 2010

Handigidy came round and we satisfied our hangovers with some of the finest food in the land - KFC and ate it in the sun at the park whilst listening to music, bliss. Handigidy then rudely suggested we go out OTP (on the piss) again, well after very little arm twisting and a wee nap it was agreed. We had a few starters at home then trotted back down to the No. 3 and had been planning on a quiet one and not heading to town but when I came back from the loo and Handigidy had ordered up a pitcher of cheeky vimto and a bottle of rose the plan of attack soon changed. We had a good banter with the bouncers from the previous evening, who were delighted to see us as they remarked 'oh not you again' as we strolled up to the pub, but they let us in anyway.

At closing we taxied into town and back to the old faves, not talking the bouncers this time! Well somehow tiredness did not set in and before we knew it we were partying away into the small hours. Hannah attracted a dude by flipping him the bird, I mean only in Blackpool is that an invitation to come talk to me haha, try it out at home girls. The reason for pulling the fingers she told me later was that he had let a veteran who had walking stick get served at the bar fist and Hannah had been waiting for ages, she was like 'for fricks sake, I have been waiting for ever and you let this old coutt in, I work with people with mental illness for a living, I NEED A DRINK more than he does!!!!' Oh Hannah you are a legend!! We finally hit the kebab shop at about 4:30am and left there with some guys who were keen to get some booze and have a party back at their hotel. We ventured down the promenade in daylight in search of an off licence, but that was difficult so we hauled over a cab. Hannah and I jumped in and we were waiting for the boys, but then it got a bit cold so we shut the door and the taxi just started to drive off hahaha ooops, sorry boys, one sad wave goodbye and it was finally time for beddy byes!!

23 June 2010

Went to the pub to meet Jon. It was quite cute he thought that just in case we struggled to find something to talk about, he would school himself up on details about NZ, but this wasn't a problem as we chatted and laughed away the night then he walked me home.

Was pretty gross at one point Jon came back from the loo to warn me not to go inside because someone had apparently shat on the floor by the bar. EEEW gross. Apparently they didn't even know who did it and didn't even see it happening.Told Jon it was going to be my new facebook status, he begged me not to put it on there as it would give Blackpool as it would degrade his town, pah I did it anyway and in fact it is gross but wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't happened in Invers anyway, Shrug would do it!!

25 June 2010

Hannah and I decided it was time for a repeat of last week and had a few drinks at home but they didn't seem to be flowing back that great so Hannah offered to sober drive after she was struggling with her first wine. We soon found out the reason we loved Blackpool nightlife last week, we were leathered, it doesn't quite have the same effect when you are only tidily so after a couple of dances I ordered Hannah out of the pub and home!

26 June 2010

Lytham gala day - Beautiful weather, Han and I headed to Lytham on the bus (took about an hour!! Blooming public transport) for Gala day, Basically there is a fair in town but most people spend the day basking in the sun drinking on the green (which was actually dry and yellow since it has been so hot lately) and in the pubs! So that is what we did. We caught up with Emma, Liam and Karen (work mates from Parkwood) for a few drinks. I asked one dude who was dressed in an orange singlet and shorts (speaking of singlet's, people here in the UK have no idea what a singlet is because they don't call them that, they call them tops or tank tops, weird!!) to take a photo of us, he replied in an American accent saying he would and continued to talk that way until he had finished. Hannah then informed me that he was taking the piss out of my accent and must have thought I was American. I hadn't realised and thought that he was just American himself. Well I was having none of that so called the cheeky b***** back over! I informed him I was a kiwi, he asked how we were enjoying the day and I said it was great and that he had really put the weather on for us (because the was a local and the sun was beaming). Well he couldn't understand what I was saying so Hannah stepped in a told him that what I meant was that he looked like an f***ing walking sun (because of his orange kit), I was gob smacked luckily he just laughed and when he left I almost wet my pants with laughter, Hannah how can you say s***e like that I do not know!!! Well we were a bit peckish so went and got some food; Hannah as usual got cheesy garlic chips. As she walked out of the shop a man walked straight into her and flopped her tray of chips right onto her chesticles, in true Hannah fashion she leant over and shoot her cheesy garlic chips off her boobs and back into the container and continued to consume. About 5 minutes later Hannah started to choke and then asked where the loo was, directed her to the pub. She returned to inform me that she had to choose between choking to death or wetting her pants, she chose the latter, all class!! After that debarkle Kazza took us to the fair and we went on the biggest ride there. It was a little scary to start wit but the it was just beaut!

27 June 2010

Well I wanted to go to the pub today dressed as a German and support the Germans against England in their bid for world cup footy success but Hannah wouldn't let me and the consensus on Facebook advised me not to and since I didn't really want a hiding I decided against it. Germany won anyway, and I got to laugh and cheer behind my hands at the reactions from the crowd haha oh I love it!!

30 June 2010

Dinner at the grapes in Wrea Green. Jon took me out for dinner to a nice wee pub out of town in a small village called Wrea Green. It was very cute. It was quite funny when we sat down after we got some drinks, and Jon sat on the bench and I sat on the seat, and Jon is not very tall at all maybe even shorter than me slightly and when I sat down my chair seemed to tower over Jon and he looked like a midget, which he soon stated himself, so I had to move, haha.

2 July 2010

Asked my flatmate if I could have 'people' over, no deal dang it!

3 July 2010

Went shopping today exciting purchases included 'special' deodorant- you know the kind Mickey and Grace, some clothes and .... a tent. Firstly when making purchases of clothes we were in the cue and Hannah asked if I needed to go anywhere else then loudly suggested I could go to the lingerie shop as I was in the need of some new knickers. Well the lady to our left tried not to acknowledge what she had heard but as soon as we realised she had we started laughing and so did she, probably thought Hannah was my girlfriend so concerned about my knicker collection. Any way so the tent, which is not just any tent a family starter tent ; ). It is a 4 man text split into two rooms with veranda space between. Only £80 and came with a double air bed, double sleeping bag, 2 single sleeping bags and two bed rolls Also says it only takes 15minutes to erect, will have to get me stop watch put when I put it up for the first time. Hannah had to help me carry it through town, knocking into people, onto the bus, off the bus and then home, luckily we are both trained in calming and restraint and were able to put those skills into training when we had to get through the door with the tent, we had the manoeuvres down pat!

Well we got all dolled up and had a few drinks at Hannah's before heading to Sue's (ex Technical instructor aka OT support worker from Parkwood) place for B'day celebrations.Shots were flowing down and I even taught the gals how to do a strawpedo!!! Fair to say they still need a bit of practice will have to crank out the ol beer bong for assistance! Had a great night out, why is it that OT's are such a mad fun bunch!!! Poor ol Lesley had a far too good time and we had to send her home in a cab. I put her into a cab, Lesley gripping my arm to be able to remain upright, checked she had money and told the driver where she lived. Well this was a bit of a mission because the stupid man couldn't understand my accent and Lesley was so fecked that she wouldn't tell him either. She had to go to Whitten place, far out I basically had to spell it out to him, he never did get it luckily Lesley piped up in her lovely northern Lancs accent and told him! Well it wasn't until the next day that I found out Lesley got home, and couldn't get in and had to stay at a friend's place because she had is placed her bag and keys etc. Well when she went home the next morning, sitting on a car on the street and in the garden was all of her stuff, luckily none had been stolen. Bloody drunken twat!!! The rest of the night was fun times but we called it a night at about 2:30 and tottled home!!

4 July 2010 (Happy B'day Ping Ping)

Discussion with flatty - def no to having 'strangers'over, dang!

Movies with Jon tonight to see Robin Hood, was pretty good movie. Had Ben and Jerry's cookie dough ice cream, not a huge fan like the macadamia one more!

6 July 2010

Went out for dinner with Jon. Took me out to the sticks, I asked him if he was kidnapping me. He told me he wasn't and he'd told everyone where he was taking me anyway (so I'd be safe), well except his work mates as he said they'd be inclined to turn up. He said his mates at work say things like 'oh does she throw another shrimp on the barby?,' and 'she'd be good to go bush with cos she could wrestle snakes' requiring reminding that that is Australia not NZ and NZ doesn't even have snakes, bloody jock straps haha. Anyway where he was really taking me was to Guy's thatched Hamlet. It was a really cool pub that has a thatched roof and sits on the edge of a canal. It also has accommodation there too and heaps of lil nooks and crannies and outdoor seating, would be a very cool pub to sit and drink at on a sunny day!

9 July 2010

Tonight it was decided to go out in Poulton, a slightly classier part of Blackpool and not inundated with stag and hens parties. So we had a few drinks at Hannah's, fired back a couple shots of Sambucca and then Hannah, Jon, Mark and I headed to Poulten. Met up with a few of my work mates who were out - my boss Robert and Anna, as well as the ward manager from Parkwood who I don't know at all and ended up slapping her are later and telling her she was one hot b**** haha can't wait to see her when I am sober!!Well at one pub I put my handbag down so I could dance and then eeek sort of forgot about it. The pub closed and I remembered about I so I had a quick look around then got turfed out. Asked Han or Jon if they had picked it up, no deal conned my way back in and a bouncer took me by the arm, I thought oh s***e but then he took me to the bar and got me 10 tequila shots .. .not but he did point to my handbag behind the bar and say 'is this yours' yes I screamed, got a warning of you can't do that sort of thing here and you are very lucky no one stole it! Tried to give him a £10 tip, wouldn't have it, beauty! Home time and went back to Hannah's for a night cap.

11 July 2010

Went to Preston with Jon and looked around the shops. Went out for dinner at Frank and Benny's stuffed to the brim had a yummy prawn cocktail numa na and carbonara!! We were planning on seeing Killers but at last minute swapped and went to see Shrek 4 in 3D. It was pretty good, not as good as 1 and 2 but all the same had some good funny bits!! Favourite was when Puss in Boots eats Gingy!

15 July 2010

Went out for drinks with Jon at the No.4, who would have known a No.3 and a No. 4!!!

16 July 2010

Tonight was Jacquie's (a nurse from the CMHT I work for Mon - Wed) leaving do. Another opportunity to experience Blackpool nightlife! Went to a pub that had drag queens for entertainment. One went to get changed into Tina Turner and I asked if we could be her back u dancers, the other Drag DJ said we could be her welcoming party so we lined the stage and sang and danced to Proud Mary and then Tina ricked the stage to a medley of her songs was a real hoot!

17 July 2010

Night out in Poulton with Jon. - was a pretty funny night, another proposal, ha not from Jon, had you going there, but some old dude in a pub said I was gorgeous and said he wanted to marry me, I had to decline. He was so funny he was like you're from Australia; I was like no I am not. Then was like, so what are you just faking an Aussie accent, hahaha I mean really!! No I had to inform him I was a Kiwi! Later we were getting a taxi hoe went up to the taxi rank and the security guard asked if we wanted a cab I told him we did and started to waffle about something then started to give the taxi driver a bit of s***e. The security guard was like woe, I did not expect that accent to come out then. I put my arm around him and said guess where I am from, and if you get it wrong I'll put you in a headlock, then he was like a what I was like a headlock haven't you heard of those he was like a hid lock a hid lock, taking the piss yet again of the old kiwi accent! I swear it is the vowels, they always catch you out I say ten they hear tin!

20 July 2010

Dinner at guys was the plan of attack, so Jon picked me up at 8 and we headed out of town . . . the wrong way and it wasn't until we got to Preston that Jon realised that he was meant to go on the motorway so we pulled over and got the GPS out, however even this was hard to follow - well for Jon anyway and we still took a few wrong turns, but eventually we got to Guy's. We had fe drnks and were wafflin awy time was ticking by and efoe we knew it it was like 9:45, and headed in for food. Picked what we wanted Jon went up to the bar to order, only to return empty handed - kitchen closed. Haha this goes down as the smoothest date ever, late pick up, lost on the way - twice, and no dinner, hah loved it! So I was dropped off home without dinner, but Jon wasn't having that so text me and said do not go to bed, bare with me 10minutes, and in 10 minutes he delivered a midnight feast - only the colonels best chicken and chips, numa na, champion!

30 July 2010

Last night in sunny Blackpool before heading off for a month's holiday in France, Italy and Amsterdam! Jon the wee sweetie got me a beautiful bangle as a leaving present, the work crew got me a huge bottle of vodka and also a necklace that's a star 'just like you' they said!! So we wrangled the OT crew up from Parkwood for dinner at Thai. Beaut food, however on the way out Hannahconda decided to get a bit outrageous and was waiting for Andy who was in the crapola so she pulled up a pew in a china bowl. Well this was fine until she decided to try to get out and her ass was having trouble getting out (not because its big, was just a big spot of gravitational pull in that area of Blackpool). So eventually she fell sideways and thought she'd cracked the bowl and her purse spilled all over the floor but she made a run for it. Then she didn't know wha6t she had left there and was too scared to go back in. So, good ol Jon boy went back in after a bit of begging on Hannahconda's behalf and got the contents that she left behind and had to have a chat with the Asian lady worker. Well you wouldn't believe it, about £3.50 was all that was left, and Hannahconda was stoked!! We rolled on down the road and hit up a karaoke bar. The conda and Sue hit up a sweet tune and then I joined in for a sweet number of Pretty Women, then Anna and Lesley cranked out Son of a Preacher man, let's just say no one offered us any record deals before we left. We got to Rumours bar and after I got back from the loo he DJ blasts out over the speakers, "ladies and gentlemen we have someone here from Down under tonight, last night in Blackpool, Abbey from NZ get up here" or something to that effect, Jon and Andy had organised a bottle of champers and the D's cranked it open, I took a brief knee for a skull but didn't chop it all thought I had better share the love. Was a cracking night, thanks team you are all champions and no doubt I'll be back for more fun loving antics in sunny BP!

31 July 2010

Slightly hung today, but Jon was worse, he went to pick up his car and come back to get me and my bags, well he took an hour, had to have a spew an arrived with a wee cool flannel on the dashboard to sponge himself down when he was feeling ill again! Jon drove me to Preston to catch the train down to London, I only just made it onto the train as the doors were shutting,must not have had the correct times and this train was running 20 minutes late so think I was lucky to get on board, missed out on the big romantic goodbye though damn it haha.