Bugger it has been a while.

Back

I found myself at a lose end today and decided to trawl through the Internet. I have a rare day off and too much time on my hands and not enough money in my pocket. It suddenly struck me - write a blog. I have not done so for a very long time and now seemed the ideal oppertunity. So here goes ...

What has happened to me.

1) My job is going well. I have been therre 18 months now (doesnt time fly) and am still loving it. I have leart many new skills and now feel like a real nurse. whilst my job is very safe (great thing in the current economical climate) I am still unsure where my future will be.

2) Im still single - enough said.

3) Im off on holiday to Australia in October for 3 weeks. Now financially sound and debt free I had some oppertunities for a nice holiday. I met a very nice Australia last year in the summer. He moved back to Oz but we still keep in touch. I told him I had always wanted to visit there and he gave me the inspriation and detemination to make it happen. I saved up the cash (with a mountain of overtime and not going out) and now it is paid for. I also have many months to ssave up cash to have fun with aand buy myself some new clothes.

4) Im debt free (as mentioned above). I had a reasonable amount of savings but a large debt hanging over me like some great albatross. I bit the bullet and it has now gone along with all the bad memories attached to it.

5) I plan to blog a little more now - well atleast twice a month.

Bye for now.

Hello

Hello. I have been away for a while (not prison - just very busy with work) but now hope to get back to writing a few things.

This did catch my interest though. It is a cunning little puzzle that drove me mad for about 30 mins and then I got it and boy did I feel stupid that it took me so long> By all accounts it takes some people even longer and some may never get it. Read on and have fun - but enter into the spirit and promise not to reveal the secret with others. It adds to the mystique !!!

Petals Around a Rose

Life’s Little Mysteries

Why do washing machines have so many settings and yet we use so few ?

I have lived in my house for four years now and still have only ever used two settings, C (normal wash) and S (spin) despite it to have over 12 settings for me to use. I can’t even work out what some of them are used for !

Amsterdam Trip

I must have been one of the few people who had never been to Amsterdam … or so it seamed. Everyone I talked to had a tale to tell about there visit, most of which revolved around vast amounts of drug consumption ! Now I am no angel but this sort of thing does not appeal to me any longer (honest). I needed a holiday and the added incentive was that fact that the Reluctant Nomad was there. I contacted him a said that I wanted to visit and he was more than happy. Another friend, P, was also planning to go at the same time.

My flight was booked and I counted down the days. I arrived at the airport and consumed the customary pint of Stella at 6am and waited to board. Going through to departures I noticed a man who I recently pulled at a club. Should I say hello ? My mind was soon made up for me when I spotted him with his wife and young child !!! Bastard. Hey Ho. The flight was quick and uneventful and then I was in Amsterdam.

My first thoughts – lots of water – lots of bikes - very flat – everyone is so bloody tall. Train and tram and I was at my destination, the flat of the Nomad. A very comfortable and stylish abode apart from the bloody awful picture of what can only be described as a devil dog that hung above his bed. Ask the Nomad for more details about tis monstrosity.

So the weekend went on. Much fun was had. I must admit that it was a few months ago and I can recount all the details and do not wish to tell about others but it must be said it was one of the best holidays I have ever had.

A few details:

The boat trip. During which we almost crashed – twice !

Dinner. The Nomad is a wonderful cook (beware to typing slips there) and I am sure that anyone who has read his blog will be aware of the number of recipes he adds from time to time. You should really try to get him to cook for you at least once. P and myself managed this every night for the whole holiday ! We did buy him lunch at a very nice restaurant to say thanks for his hospitality.

The bars. Fun, friendly and the ability to smoke inside ! God how I miss that so much. Drinking played such a big part of the holiday but it was not just the consumption of alcohol that was important but the relaxed atmosphere that greeted me on every visit to the pub. Even Spyker, a leather bar that the Nomad took us to for shock value and maybe the hardcore porn playing on two TVs in the corner.

The sights. Wonderful architecture and some stunning young men. The city is clean and easy to get around and the people are very friendly.

So much happened and I seem to have written so little but hopefully that will be put to rest in the New Year as I have already booked my return visit. I hope to write much more then. So until then Prost.

Leave of Absence

I have not blogged now for a number of months. This is due mostly in part to my new job. It has taken up a huge amount of my time and I have found myself unable to concentrate on much else. It is not that I have not wanted to put my thoughts and whims onto the web but time just seems to have flown by and before I knew when or when it was I found myself in November !

It has not just been about getting up for work each day that has done me in but all the new things that I have had to get used too. My responsibility has increased and it seems that three years at University did little to prepare me for what nursing really was. Also I have has to do so much work for extended roles for my job it often feels like I never left formal education.

But now they are done (for the most part) and I have some time before I can start the next lot (thank God) so I think that I now have the time and the inclination to spend a little more time blogging.

So what have I been up to ? Well work as mentioned but a few more exciting things too. A trip to Amsterdam (to visit the Reluctant Nomad) which was great fun, many alcohol fuelled nights out with friends, my 31st birthday (so much alcohol) and the return of one of my guilty pleasures – Strictly Come Dancing.

So here is more to come …

Old Friends Re-United

Many years ago I used to be the assistant manager of a bar in Nottingham. Over the time I was there we employed many staff but one in particular became a close friend; Sophie. We got on like a house on fire and had many a drunken time together. We soon became the best of mates and used to tell each other everything. For some time we shared a house.

But then it all went wrong !

We fell out. Even to this day I don’t know what it was over or even who started it. It upset me a great deal but my stubborn nature refused to allow me to apologise and we drifted apart and she moved out and we both moved on. We did meet briefly in the street some months after losing touch but we were both in a rush and did little to reconfirm our once strong friendship.

Years later, whilst I still remembered Sophie fondly I had one little to try and get back in touch. That was until I was looking through some old things of mine and found the first Christmas card she had ever sent me. It said some very nice things and made me realise what a fool I had been to let such a good friend go (you don’t get too many). All I knew was that she had a very unusual surname (not going to mention it here) and I remembered that she had planned to move to London to study medicine. My search began.

I googled her … all I got was a research paper that she had co-wrote whilst at Nottingham University. I trawled the phone book (I remembered the town her parents were from) but despite the unusual surname there where too many names for me to call up. What next ? Friends Re-United … no luck !!! Then one day my sister phone me to say that she had seen some of my old school mates on Facebook. I wasn’t that bothered in contacting them but did ask her to look up Sophie … success !!!

I sent her a message and she replied. I felt so good to hear from her again. We both apologised but neither of us remembered why. Unfortunately she is in South Africa at the moment as part of her medical studies but we have planned to meet up when she gets back in October. I cant wait and I am sure that we will have a great drunken night out (or maybe two) as we have so much to catch up on.

Blade Runner

Everyone has heard of the Olympics and most people are aware of the Paralympics but where does on end and the other begin ? I am referring of course to Oscar Piturious the South African sprinter who is known as the “Fastest Man On No Legs”. A birth defect left him as a double below knee amputee but he did not let this get in his way and took up running.

He uses specially modified running blades which allows him to complete against other amputee athletes. He has done this with great effect. He has a number of Paralympic gold medals and holds the world record for 100m, 200m and 400m. But he his now so far ahead of the rest of the disabled world he wants a new challenge – racing against able bodied athletes. He has already had a few races in his native South Africa against athletes with both legs and did quite well. Well better than most people expected. But where to now ?

His dream is to compete at the able bodied Olympics but there are many people that wish to stand in his way. He is quick. His personal bests would have won him the gold medal in the womens sprit races at last years World Championships and he is improving at a great speed (pardon the pun). However, many people say that his “blades” give him an unfair advantage over able body athletes normal legs by giving him a greater stride length and more recoil of the track. At present the IAAF (the governing body of athletics) have given him the go ahead to compete in able bodied events but it is still unclear weather he can go to the forthcoming World Champs in Osaka and next years Olympics.

Checks on the fairness of his blades are currently been undertaken and the sports world awaits the decision. And I am all for his inclusion. That is what the Olympics is all about; inclusion. He is a talented sports man who is so far ahead of his peers he wants a new challenge. His blades allow him to run and a long stride length is not the be all and end all of good running. Whilst a number of sprinters have been successful with long stride lengths (Roger Black and Marie Jose Perec were said to have a stride length pushing 4 metres) the greatest sprinter of the modern era, Michael Johnson had a very short stride and went on to hold the world record over 200 and 400m as well as numerous World and Olympic medals.

I feel he will be a breath of fresh air in the sport and at least he is clean ! The sport of athletics has had a bad reputation recently with a number of high profile drug cheats being exposed. Lets hope that the governing body see sense and allow him to run or at least try.

A Job !!!

At last I have a job. After many months of worrying about the current status of the NHS I have secured employment. The interview was two weeks ago and I thought that it went very well. Despite this I still wasn’t sure if I had got the job and had to wait until last Thursday to get the conformation. I now have a start date (9th July) and can look forward to many (happy) years in the Health Service.

Once again I would like to say thanks to everyone that has helped me over the last three years and good luck to all those that I graduated with.

Odd facts from a bored mind.

Here are some odd facts that I have discovered whilst trawling the Internet.

A cockroach can live several days without a head – but will eventually die of starvation.

Men are six times more likely to be struck by lightning than women.

To be considered for the Olympics a sport must be widely practiced by men in 75 countries on four continents and by women in 40 countries on three continents.

The youngest parents ever where a Chinese boy aged nine and a girl aged eight !

A human could swim through a blue whales aorta.

Eighty-five percent of all plants and animals are to be found underwater.

A dentist invented the electric chair – he was put to death by it for murder too !

More to follow when I next get bored.