Another update...

It has been a while!!!

Firstly, the new place.....Its awesome to finally be on my own, being able to have privacy, place for my things and being able to hang my clothes up is so great, something I missed terribly. The house is very quiet, everyone keeps to themselves. There are 5 of us (currently 4 coz one girl is never around) in the house, a couple downstairs, and then another girl upstairs in a single room. All of us share the kitchen, but we each have our own space in there somewhere as well as shelves in fridge/freezer etc. Then upstairs, just us girls upstiars share the bathroom and toilet as the couple have their own downstairs. My room is a double room, with a double bed, desk and tv and loads of cupboard space...only coz i dont own enuf things to fill them up, haha!! Its a very cosy room, overlooking the back garden. Will post some pictures of it in my slideshow soon, so keep coming back to check.

Secondly, the job......Work is going well, been there 6 weeks now, cant belive how fast its gone, sure does feel like I have been there for months. Get along with everyone there, have lotsa laughs with some and enjoy going to work everyday. Have got to know the regular members too, so its nice to have a chat with them when I see them. Its been quiet lately, coz of Christmas, but in the new year, its going to be VERY busy. We had our full team meeting a week or so back and everyone is pretty much pleased in the centre as the targets for 2007 were reached and the centre did very well.

As for other things....well Iv been to Cardiff often as always in the last month or so to see Bart. Usually go every 2 or 3 weeks. And as always, we have a great time. Its just so nice to have someone to see and spend time with, and he sure does spoil me!!! A few weeks ago, he came to London for a day on business so we met up that night and had a walk around the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, was -2 degrees that night, absolutely freezing!! We stood and wacthed people ice skating and had a walk around the stalls and stuff. Then in Cardiff the next time, we went to the Winter Wonderland there. Tickets for Ice Skating were sold out at the time, so we didnt get to go, but we went on the big wheel instead, again, absolutely freezing!! We both sat there shivering rather than enjoying the sights of Cardiff by night, it was crazy and so funny, he sat there laughing at me trying to talk with a frozen mouth. But afterwards, we went inside and had a nice cup of hot stuff.

I spent Christmas with him, got there on Christmas Eve and came back on the 27th. We had a very quiet Christmas Day, woke up around 11:00am after only getting to bed around 3am, watched some TV and just chilled out. Then later he started dinner. He cooked very nice salmon and a mix of crab meat, prawns and rice with sweet and sour sauce(that was full of carrots, red and green peppers). I only managed to eat the salmon...I tried the other bit, I just couldnt get my mind round it so couldnt stomach it. I am too fooking fussy!!! For Christmas, he gave me a Winnie the Pooh calender with very nice bright pictures and a very very cute Winnie the Pooh teddy.
On Boxing Day afternoon, we decided to join the madness of those out in their Sales mode and go shopping. It wasnt that busy really so we werent crushed in any stampedes. We bought a few things in a DVD store. The rest of the time there, was also just quiet, didnt do much, just watched DVDs and the Christmas specials of a few shows we both enjoy on TV.

Otherwise, nothing much else going on, slowly things are falling into place and Im able to relax alot more, trying to focus now on getting healthier, as the stress and worry of the last few months have taken their toll on me in a big way. But nothing to worry about :)

A huge thank you to my parents for supporting me in the ways that they have over the last months. It hasnt been easy, for either of us. But it just means so much that you've given me this chance to do all this and experience this. Love u both dearly!!

It has almost been 6 months since I left, I cannot believe it!!! I miss home and everyone so so much, its the only thing that kinda stops me in my tracks sometimes and makes me question whether I really wanna be here or not. And each time...I still cant answer myself. Its very very hard for me being away from everyone I love and missing out on things and seeing my little cousins grow up!!


I have the day off tomoro, so have a few things to do, like tidy my room!! And do a bit of shopping...so I better get to bed. I will put some pictures of things in my slideshow soon, so look out for them.

Missing u all, take care, xxx

Merry Christmas!!!!!

Hope you all have a great Christmas. Enjoy the day and all the food, wish I was there to spend it with my family!!! Miss you all!!!

I will be in Wales, spending Christmas with Bart, not sure what he has planned yet, so will have to wait and see what we are having to eat. Will update this blog when I am back.

Lotsa love, xxxxxxx

Last Night in Ladywell

Helloooo,

Well, tonight is my last night here at Janine's. Tomoro morning I move into my own room in a house share in Northolt, North West London, within 45 mins from work. I cannot wait. Will be living in a double room, in a house with a couple downstairs and 2 other girls upstairs next to my room. We all share the large kitchen and just me and the 2 girls share the bathroom and toilet upstairs. My room is very nice sized, with lots of cupboard space in the built in cupboards, and a nice bay window looking outside. Will post pics as soon as i can.

As for other news, I have completed week 3 already at work. Its gone by so fast!!! Its really great and the people are awesome. I really love it. My lifeguard course went really well, the instructor Jon told the managers i was doing really well and one of the best on the course. So was nice to start work and all the managers knew who i was and that i had done well.

I have to go pack up some last things now, will write again, when i have more time.

Miss u all. xxx

Things are FINALLY looking good...

Hello everyone,

Once again, its been a while since I posted anything here. Been up to quite a bit...

Firsty, I have secured a job. A leisure company is paying for me to do a Pool Lifeguard Course and when I have finished, I will be working for them as Recreation Assistant, doing mainly Pool Lifeguard duties, but also other general duties within the Leisure Centre and Health Spa. Its a great centre and the Spa is the oldest in London. The course is 5 days, split over 2 weeks. It begins on Monday (5 November). I am very excited and cant wait to do the course and then start working. I will be working full time, 40 hours, 5 days a week doing either early shifts (6h45am-2h45pm) or late shifts (2h30pm-10h30pm) and having to work one weekend every 2 or 3 weeks, but then getting a day during the week off.

Secondly, I have been to visit Bart in Wales again 2 weeks ago, the Rugby World Cup Final weekend. I wanted to be in England for the game, since it was England vs South Africa, but I didnt want to watch the game alone, so I decided it would be way better to watch it with Bart in Wales. Had a great weekend and went down the coast on the Sunday to The Mumbles just down the coast from Swansea. What an amazing sight everything was. Got some great photies with my phone camera as my digital camera wouldnt work. The sky that day was amazing, as you can see in the pictures. That night, we had another Casserole. Was even yummier than the first one.

Thirdly, now that I know I will be working, and what I will be earning, I have been looking for rooms to rent so I can finally have some space for myself and my things as well as get out of Janine's hair as recently, there has been quite a bit of conflict and talk between us. I have viewed 2 places so far, one was terrible, the other was ok, but it has a few downsides to it. Im just gonna keep looking, and something will come up soon.

Lastly, I was very stressed for a long time, and really felt it physically. Now that Iv had the chance to relax a bit knowing I do have a job starting and soon will have my own room somewhere I feel alot better within myself. There was a stage where everyday I questioned why I moved and why Im putting myself throught everything, especially alone. I have been to the cinema a few times as well as for random walks thru the city at nights, just to get out the house. My friend Mark has been a big help in taking me out and spending time with me, and having Bart in Wales is a great help too. Its a great change of pace going there, and its dirt cheap so it doesnt bring me any money stress.

Our time went back last weekend, so we are now 2 hours behind South Africa. Winter is creeping up on us, and I only have 2 jumpers and 1 pair of jeans!! In desperate need to go shopping or Im gonna freeze. Part of me cannot wait for Christmas because its just so beautiful here with everyone decorating and lighting up their houses and gardens, but then the other part of me wishes I could just skip the Holiday season. I have never been alone on Christmas and have always loved spending it with all my family, so this year is going to be very hard.

Anyway, all in all, things are looking lots better, and are slowly working their way up to me being happy, comfortable and settled. I am off tomoro morning to spend the weekend with Bart, he has had a bad week, so Im gonna go and cheer him up, the way he always did when things were bad for me. I get back on Sunday night.

I miss everyone and all my dogs very very much. Hope everyone is doing well.

Take care.

XoXoX



Oh, and by the way, I re-did my slide show. There are new pictures in there now, so have a look.

Update...

Well.....heres my update for the last 2 weeks....not been in the mood to talk much..or type in this case...hence the lack of recent posts.

The rugby weekend in Cardiff was great. Started off on the Friday night at Barts place, we had pizza for dinner, a few pints of cider and watched the Boks thrash the English!! Then on Saturday, we went into the city. The atmosphere for the Wales vs Australia game was incredible and the city and all the pubs were jam-packed with people wearing red shirts and yellow shirts. Flags flying high and people cheering like mad. Me and Bart watched the game at a pub just up the road from where the game was-The Millenium Dome. At the pub I was denied alcohol bcoz I couldnt prove age!! Was so funny!!! After the game, we went back to the castle and went on a guided tour in the main part of the castle. The rooms are stunning and the art work is truely amazing. This time we were there on a beautiful day, so got some nice pictures-in my slide show.

On the Sunday, we drove down to Penarth, on the coast. We just walked along the muddy beach and on the Pier. It was miserable and starting to rain, so there wasnt much we could do there. We then drove to the Barrage in Cardiff Bay. Quite amazing! There is a 6 metre difference in the water level between the bay and the ocean so there are 3 locks that work to get boats in and out of the bay. Basically, they let the boat in and close the ocean side door behind, then open the bay side doors a little, letting the enclosure fill up with water. Then when the level is the same as that of the bay, they open the bay doors and the boat drives out and into the bay. And would work the same the other way round. Its very impressive to see.

I got back home on the Monday after a terribly long bus trip due to a bad accident on the M4. Took us 6 and a half hours to get back to London instead of the normal 3 and a half hours. i found out an old school friend, Kaylee, had arrived in London and would be there for the week, so made plans to meet up with her. We eventually did, and I showed her a few of the sights and some shops and then went to the London Dungeon. It was really nice, I had been there twice before 2 years ago, but they had 2 new parts to it so it was really cool. At the end, they have a ride in which u drop straight down as part of a "Death by Hanging" theme. Kaylee has the picture of us on that ride...our faces are very funny!

Nothing else interesting happened between then and now, same ol' job searching every day, been out with Mark a few times to the cinema, swimming at the leisure centre and the O2 Centre where we had dinner at Spur. We were supposed to go to a recording of a Sky TV football show, but we were late and didnt get in along with about 300 other people.

This past weekend, I went to visit Bart in Wales again. Its dirt cheap firstly, costs less to go there for a weekend than it does for me to stay in London on a weekend and secondly, its a great change of pace. Really enjoy spending time with him and seeing the sights and it takes lots of the stress away....and i have been feeling LOTS of that lately. This time, we relaxed alot more, only went out on Saturday into the city centre where we went Tenpin Bowling (I lost by 1 point!!!) and went to the "Doctor Who" exhibition. Doctor Who is filmed in Cardiff, so the exhibition is a very popular place, especially for the kids. Took some pictures of some of the different characters and aliens...they are in my slide show as well.

Otherwise, just enjoying some time on my own while Janine is on holiday in Bali. And of course, hunting for a job....

Hope everyone is well. Missing my family very much!!

Rugby, Rugby, Rugby this weekend...

Well, no news really. Been a quiet 2 weeks, especially since I had a very bad cold/flu which left me in bed miserable for a while. Time just flew by really. Looking forward to this weekend as I am going away again, to Wales again to visit Bart :)

I leave tomoro afternoon, and arrive at 17h40 in Cardiff, with just enough time for us to either: 1. Head to the store, get some munchies and then get home in time to watch the rugby game-South Africa vs England..or to 2. Head home to drop off bag and get changed, then head to the pub to watch the game there. Its gonna be great!! I have my Safrican shirt all ironed and ready to wear allllll day tomoro, LOL. Am sad, a lil, that I cant be watching the game with Mark in a London pub, but then again, I am glad too, I dont think I wanna put myself thru the pain of listening to all these english blokes crying and making excuses when we kick their asses. HEHEHEHE!

Saturday is also going to be a great day, Wales play Australia in Cardiff so the atmosphere in the city is going to be AWESOME!! I cant wait!! Pretty much a rugby filled weekend for the most part. Not sure what else we will get up to...maybe the boat trip we didnt get to go on the last time...

Anyhoo, bed time me thinks, have to be up early.....ish...to do things before I leave...and make sure I get to the station in time this time!!

Have a great weekend everyone, take care!

My weekend Fun in Wales

On Friday night, around 6pm I got a phone call from a friend of mine Bart who lives in Cardiff, Wales. He was on his way home from work and was just calling to say hello. Around 7pm, after he had been home and done some things, we talked again. We were talking about the weekend ahead and ho we both had no plans, then out of the blue we both decided it would be a good idea for me to go to Cardiff for the weekend to visit him. We both checked ticket prices, saw how cheap they were and within 20 minutes had bought a bus ticket leaving at 9:30pm from London and arriving at 12:20am in Cardiff.

After that, it was a mad rush to unpack my little bag, repack it, shower and get all the way to Victoria Station by 9:15pm. I left home around 8:10pm, thinking I would have plenty of time as I could catch a train straight to Victoria from the Station here in Lewisham. But.....when I got to Lewisham Station, realised there are no trains to Victoria at that time of night. So had to take a big detour to a different station, get on the tube, change lines and eventually got to Victoria at about 9:10pm. I knew that the walk to the Coach Station would be about 10 minutes so I was stressing that I would miss this bus. But, in the end I arrived there, got on the bus and 5 minutes later, we left. Very close call!!

Bus trip wasnt that bad, just listened to music and had the occasional phone call form Bart to see where we were and how the trip was going. Due to traffic along the way, we were delayed about 30 minutes and arrived at Cardiff Central Station at around 12:50pm. Caught a taxi back to Bart's place and chilled out there, watching tv and talking til around 5am!!

On Saturday, we only woke up around 12pm, got dressed and everything and headed out to Cardiff Bay. Bart works right there overlooking the bay, so he parked the car at the office and then we set off to see the sights.

We caught a boat from the Bay which takes u to the city along the river Taff (I think). Once we got to the city, we just walked around, looked in a few interesting shops and just talked. Eventually had lunch at Burger King and watched all the crazy Welsh youngsters out and about. They were all dressed in funny things, as part of organised parties and stuff. Very strange lot!

After all that, it was pretty late and we headed back to the Bay to fetch the car and then headed home. Watched TV again, talked most of the night and again, only got to sleep late, around 4:30am.

On Sunday, we decided we were going to go on another boat trip, this time, it took u out to an island. It was a real miserable, overcast and cold day, but we were keen to do it anyway. But when we arrived, we had missed the last boat and all the others had been prebooked, so that plan was out the window. We then went on "The Giant Wheel" and took some nice pics of the view from the top of the Bay. It moved pretty quick so didnt have too much time to take that many pictures. But here are some of them...

After we got off the wheel, we caught a bus into the city and went to the Cardiff Castle. This castle is like 2000 years old. Pretty amazing!

We arrived there too late for a guided tour, but we just walked aorund in the rain for a while by ourselves. Amazing place it was. My camera batteries died as soon as we got inside but managed to take one picture of "The Keep" . This was inside grounds of the castle and is a 12th century Norman Keep.

We went right up to the top of it, just below where the flag is and looked at the view of the city, pretty spectacular, but couldnt take any pics coz of flat camera!! Will have to go back to the castle next time. We fed some peacock in the grounds and then headed out as it started raining harder and we were already pretty wet. Headed back on the bus to the Bay, got the car and headed home. I was supposed to go back with the bus that night, but Bart said he would get me back on a train rather in the morning before he goes to work. Again, at home, just watched some TV, talked and then went to bed early, well earlier than the other 2 nights...around 2am.

On Monday, woke up at 9am, got dressed and packed up and made our way to the station. Got on the train at 11am, after it being delayed for 20 mins, and eventually arrived back in London around 1:30pm, got on a bus, and took forever to get home due to very bad traffic in London.

Had an amazing time, was a nice break and had great company. Totally took my mind off things and I feel a while lot better now, except...I now have a cold!! LOL!

Injury time..

Well, from great news to not so good news.

Have a sprained ankle, spent about 4 hours in total at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) unit at the hospital. First waiting about an hour and a half to be seen, then sent for xrays as they thought there could possibly be a fracture, which they saw on the xray, but then later said it wasnt, then had to wait to be re-seen and finally had to wait 30 mins for a cab to take me home. Been told to rest this week, so therefore I cannot go in to work, as all my job involves is walking up and down streets doing door to door sales.

The other thing that has come to my attention is the fact that, after working a full 12 hour day on Monday with the company, realised exactly how it isnt the ideal starting job for me. Because pay is based on commission, there r gonna be days where you will work 12 hours and not earn anything because that day, no one bought any packages. This could happen for a day, 2 days or even 3 days...and u wouldnt get anything from it, rather all you would be doing is spending more as you have to pay your own travel and lunch and dinner expenses. We get sent out all over london in the morning and we are there untill 8 or 9pm. Its a great job for someone who is settled and stuff, but as a starting job, not so good.

So, once again, will be looking for a new job, something that pays while i work, so I can at least start earning money while I work long hard hours.
Will keep everyone posted.


Have a good week!!

Officially has a job...

AWESOME NEWS!! I start work on Monday!!!

Got called in for an interview on Friday for an Advertising company. They deal with sport/entertainment based direct advertising and have recently just opened in London. basically its a entry level management training program. There are 4 phases. 1. Distrubutor-just door to door sales and marketing 2. Leadership-training others as well as door to door sales/marketing and building ur own team 3 Assistant Manager 4. Manager. Each phase takes a certain time period to get through and in each there are specific criteria that one has to meet in order to get promoted. The more effort u put in, the faster u will move through the program and reach management. That is exactly what they are looking for, managers...as they are expanding and opening various offices and they need managers to run them. They take on big clients and make those clients a heck of a lot of money!!

So anyway...I had a great interview on friday and was called back for a second interview which i had all day today. Staring at 10 30am, was paired with Aidan, who is in the leadership phase of the Program and Mark who has just been promoted to Leadership from distribution. Spent the whole day with them out in the field, doing door to door sales for Sky Television (One of the companies big clients). Was a great day and had alot of fun. Getting to chat to strangers and just have a conversation, or sometimes, like what happened twice today, u get invited into their home for some tea or lunch. Its really great. Got back to the office around 7 30pm!! Had to fill in a short questionairre to test how much i had payed attention to and how much i learnt. After that, had a final interview and was offered the job right there. I start on Monday.

For now, salary is based on commision and bonuses. As u move throught the phases, of course pay increases as u have more responsibilities. Had an awesome day with Aiden, he a great guy and is so motivated to work, was assigned to his team now, so it is going to be awesome!! i cannot wait!!!

Have to be there 9 30am Monday morning to sort out the paperwork and once that is done, ready for the 3 days of training to get myself started with the sales. Work hours are npredictable, depending on how things go and what area we are sent to for the day, etc. But generally they say like 9 or 10am till 9 or 10pm......so very long hours on ur feet. But from the way it went today, very well worth it. Great people, lots of enthusiasm and fun in the office, everyone high fiving each other b4 they go out and when they get back, loud music playing in the mornings to get everyone pumped up to go out and do their thing. And the company backs everyone up very much, really invest in you. The more u put in, the faster u will get thru the program and start earning the big bucks as a manager in ur own office.

Gonna go rest now, so overwhelmed and tired from the last 2 days. Will write again soon.

Love to my friends and family.

XOXOXO

Am really excited and cannot wait to start.

Not too much News...

Been a while since I had something to say again. The weather has improved drastically here, this weekend in particular is very hot!! Dying without my fan or aircon!!! Cannot wait for the winter!!

Not been up to too much. Had another interview last week, but I didnt get the job. Joined the leisure centre down the road so gonna be visiting there alot, plan to do lots of swimming. Been spending alot of time with my friend Mark, as well as with some other guys Iv met. Going pubbing, etc. Otherwise, spend my other time during the week searching and applying for jobs.

Played softball again last Thursday after not having played for 2 weeks. Was a great game and we gave the other side a whooping! Next week is our last game of the season and we are on top of the Log at the moment, so we just need to win this last game to seal it. Muppets will win the league and be put back into the First Division next season. Looking forward to that!!

Miss my family back home very much, miss the company and support and all the laughs. Been here a month already and there have been some good days, some really great days but also some really really bad days where I question why I gave up the comforts of home to come here, but I have some friends here who talk me through it and help get my head back in the right place. If I didnt think I could do it here, I wouldnt have left in the first place. So I just keep plodding on, knowing that when i least expect it, I'll get the break I need and things will get better.

Otherwise, not much else to say.

Going to have yet another shower now because it is just too hot!!

Will write again soon. Take care!

XOXOX

Busy Busy Busy

Been a busy last few days...watched the New Harry Potter, had an interview and saw Keane in concert...

On Thursday, i met up with a friend in East London and he took me around the Museum of Childhood. They have all the toys from all the ages there, going back hundreds of years. Was very interesting.

On Friday, I had a short interview at a hotel in London for a part time fitness instructor position at the hotels fitness centre. There were quite alot of applicants, and will be finding out this week whether I got it or not. Am holding thumbs. I know a guy who runs the football leagues at a Leisure centre in North London and we have been in contact, he says they are opening a new centre in the next few weeks and has send my CV off to the manager. He has also spoken about getting a kids softbal league going in the summer for the kids as currently they have no program like that, and recently he told me that the sports development council approved that, so will see where that goes as well. If that works out, it will be awesome.

On Saturday night, went to see Keane in concert at the O2 centre in North Greenwich with Janine and Michael. The evening didnt start well at all, but by the time Keane came on stage, everything had been sorted out and we were all able to enjoy the gig. It was great!!! After that, we went to Spur!! They have a Spur and a Nandos right next to each other, was great to see. The place is pretty much the same, altho the menu is fairly different. They dont have the famous spur rib burger or the chicken snitchels(spelling), but it was ok. janine and I had steak and Michael had ribs. Was very yummy.

Apart from that, didnt get up to much else over the weekend, finally got my bank card so am all sorted now with my accounts. Just have to get money into it asap! Took out a mobile phone contract bcoz pay as you go is expensive, so will be getting that tomoro and will have to let you all know my new number again.

Off to get some food now, chat soon.

Love to my family and friends.

XOXO

Two new Pooh's

Was out and about yesterday with a friend, had a look around Hamleys and then went to the Disney store and walked out with 2 new Pooh's. My friend bought me this big one.

And I spotted this Graduation Pooh and just HAD to get it to add to my special collection back home. Its sooooo cute!!

Also bought a cute Eyeore file thing so i can now file all my papers away, been getting lots of bank letters in the post as well as all the documents I had to bring over with me, so needed a place to organise and file them.

Anyway, time for bed now, its almost 3:30am!!!!

Will write again soon. Night.

Almost the 10th day...

Been a few days since I had anything to say. Not much has been going on really. Cant belive its only 9 days since i left...it feels like I have been here for weeks. Experienced this feeling last time i was here on holiday and now again. Seem to lose track of everything here, maybe because it does feel like I am on a kinda holiday like last time. Im sure things will feel normal once I start working, cant wait!!

On the job side of things.....I received a call from LA Fitness on Tuesday and had a phone interview regarding a Fitness Intsructor position. Asked me questions regarding my experience in a gym as he could see from my CV i had sports and outdoor experience but none in a gym setting. He told me I was actually over qualified for the position as my sport science degree puts me at a REPS (Register of Exercise Professionals) level 3 and that position only requires a REPS level 2 qualification. The only problem with everything is my lack of experience in a gym setting. During the interview I was honest with him and told him even at University we didnt go into gym stuff tooooo much. Or if we did, i always opted to listen to the sport side of things anyway. He said he would pay for my training to get an exercise to music qualification as well as a spinning instructors qualification. All and all it went well and he did say he appreciated my honest answers to the questions he asked. He did say as well there were lost of applicants for that position in that gym and so he had lots of other calls to make. Waiting to hear how it went now. Either i will be called in for an interview at the gym or I wil receive a letter in the post saying i was unsuccessful.

On the softball side, we played again on tuesday night and won. This time not in the rain, but rather a nice sunny evening. Playing again next Thursday night.

Received my credit card in the mail yesterday which was quite scary really. Wasnt sure whether to actually activate it or not so talked to some friends online to get their advice about it and then called my mom to see what she said. I know i wouldnt go crazy and get myself in trouble with it, but wasnt sure if i should even bother having it. But i activated it anyway, as long as i use it once every 6 months it will stay open. One day im sure it will come in handy and in the mean time, at least i am building up a good credit record for myself.
My bank account was also opened at the same time so am just waiting for my debit card and then im all set with that.

As for any other plans I have, I am wanting to join the Ladywell Leisure centre so that i can at least work out and swim and do some exercise, apart from all the walking im doing while rushing about in london!!! Am still trying to enquire about doing a lifessaving course as i have always wanted to do one and there r plenty of lifeguard jobs here in fitness and leisure centres as well as more posh places like health spa's and I reckon it would be a very important qualification to have under my belt. Will keep everyone posted.

Alone this weekend as Janine has gone to Paris to visit Michael(her bf). Not sure of my plans for the weekend yet, will see what happens. Next week I have a few "dates" with friends. 2 r taking me to dinner and one to movies then the pub. Should be alot of fun, am looking forward to seeing them.

Going to go for a walk now to buy something to eat. Talk to you soon.

Love to my family and friends. XOXOX

Muppets Blog

Just read the Muppets Blog, thought id share it....


"Muppets break the Breakers"

The Muppets exacted a sweet dose of revenge against the Breakers last night with a comprehensive 16-4 victory. Despite the inclement weather, the Muppets were fired up for this game, and despite trailing early on, the outcome was never in doubt. (Especially since the Breakers only had 9 players, but don't mention that to your friends when you are bragging about this game).

This game saw a new face in Leanne, who barely 24 hours previously was on the plane from South Africa. (That is serious softball dedication). In addition, the Muppets welcomed back hard-throwing Laura Brockman after a several-week long sabbatical.

MVP of this game had to be Terri who made several nice plays at 2nd, including gunning down a Breaker at the plate with a perfect throw. Also, her 2-out, 2-RBI single in the bottom of the fourth was absolutely clutch and really opened the floodgates for us.

Other strong performers:

Tom - another great game on the mound in difficult conditions

Laura - 2 for 4 at the plate and nice defense in left. Showed off her cannon of an arm on a close play at 2nd. (I though the guy was out, but what can you do.)

Mike - another strong performance at the plate going 3-4 with 3 runs scored.

Lisa - several important catches in right.

Leanne - fantastic hitting and great game behind the plate.

Penny - excellent support and drinking in the pub afterwards

Sorry if I missed anyone, but similar to last week, we had pretty much everyone contribute in one way or another. We are now tied for first with a record of 7-2, but have another important game next Tuesday against the OddSox who are in 3rd place at the moment. See you then!


They usually post something after everygame, so if you want to keep track of how things with the team are going, u can check out the blog with this link http://mightymuppets.com/blog

Just became a new "Mighty Muppet"

Today was a veryyy busy day and am knackered!!!

Had my IMPI meeting at 12pm and so rushed off to get there and still find the place on time. Took almost 45 mins to get there and went straight in to the room. Basically just talked about what we need to know about living and working in London. And most importantly, had a rep from Lloyds to come help us with setting up a a bank account. So have that organised, will be recieving the documents, etc withing the next week and by late next week it should be finalised.

Had to meet Janine to get my softball bag and get some keys cut as she only had one set. By the time i had finished doing that and got home it was 4:30pm. Had to leave at 5pm to get to the softball match ontime. It was North West London, in Finsbury Park. Arrived 10 mins b4 the game started, not knowing anyone. But they made me feel really welcome and explained slowpitch softball to me as i wasnt too familiar with it. We were playing for 1st position in the log so it was an important game for them. We started off badly but we came back and won the game 15-4 i think. Played in the rain and i got full of mud!!!After the game, we all headed to the pub to celebrate and have a few pints.

They r really cool people, a very fun team. Majority of the people in the team are American, there is 1 Cabadian guy, 1 South African girl and then the rest are Brits. Playing again on Tuesday night. Gonne be real fun playing with them. At least keeps me busy and im able to socialise more than i would if i wasnt playing.

Bed time for me now, night night.

First day in England

Well today was my first day in England.

After a very long, but good flight we landed at 6:20am. Got off the plane and stood in the passport control queue which was about 6 rows long. After standing there about 10 mins i read a sign pointing to a different queue saying UK visa holders, so i asked and was told yep, i had to stand there. Stood there about 20 minutes and got to the front, then was told i needed to go to Port Health to be cleared since i didnt have a chest Xray with me. Form was stamped, i was cleared and then off through to baggage claim.

What a mess!!! bags everywhere, off the conveyers, in trolleys just sitting there waiting for peple to get throught passport control and to collect them. Was no order or organisation at all. Luckily i spotted my softball bag on the conveyor and after walking around that conveyer, i spotted my other bag. Phew!!

Left Heathrow on the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and had to wait there quite a while, while Janine finished doing some things at her office. Once she came, she helped with 2 of my 4 bags untill her stop and i carried on, now with 3 bags. Had to get across to the other side of London with these bags and it was a killer. Along the way, 2 older guys offered to help me which was very much appreciated, especially at Charring Cross station, trying to carry 2 bags, weighing together a total of about 35kg up 2 flights of stairs. Eventually got on my way and back to the flat. Was dead tired, feet were in pain, back was sore and was sweating like a pig in a slaughter-house. But i was home and could relax.

The flat hasnt changed much, still the same as it was before and nothing really has even moved. The biggest change is the TV. Janine has a 46'' flatscreen LCD TV now. Its huge. Gonne be real fun watching anything on it :)

Went back out again after i had relaxed a bit, had something to eat and wondered around the mall at Canary Wharf. Need to go back there tomoro to buy some things, few toiletries and towels and some food for the flat while im home during the day.

Weather has been ok. Overcast mostly, then raining on and off throughout the day. Quiet amazing sitting here, looking outside, if someone asked me the time, i would say 2 or 3pm...but in actual fact it is 6:45pm. One of the many things i have to get used to.

Have my IMPI meeting tomoro so will finally get my Sim Card and can activate my number. Have felt quite lost without my phone today, but thankfully i managed to get on the internet thru someone's wireless connection. Could at least let my friends know i got here ok, and was nice to chat to them, we all didnt expect to talk for a while untill i had or Janine has sorted internet out. Had emails from a few of the "Mighty Muppets", my new softball team members saying there is a game tomoro night, so i will be playing in that. Very excited!! :)

All in all, a very busy, tiring day and need to have a nap now.

Lots love to all my family, talk to u soon.

Ciao.

First Blog!

Well, this is my first entry. And, to those who are reading it, welcome to my page :) :)

I am moving to London, England in 3 days time and it's all about New Begginings. Getting out by myself in the world and doing the things I want to do. Not having to be told what to do, where to do it and how to do it. Being able to fail at something and learn from my mistakes, the pick myself up and move on or try again without being looked down upon for failing in the first place.

So, this blog will be my place to share all the stories of what I'm up to and how things are going for me so keep stopping by from time to time.

Having my family over today for lasange, a kinda farewell get together. Going to miss them all very much. :(

Anyway, must go. Ciao.



Next Blog: First day in England.