***********ATTENTION: MOM and other fan's. This is the LAST day of the trip, you need to scroll down and find the blog about the first day and work your way back....you can DOOOO it Mom!. If they don't show up below this one, click on the blogs on the right hand side of this page." *******************************
Day numba five
We got to start our day a little bit later which was lovely because we hadn't slept past seven on the whole vacation. We woke up had some breakfast and decided to check out Glasgow until we left at 3.
For some reason Kristin decided we should check out the train station to confirm what time we left. Upon arriving, Kristin talked to a person working and this nice lady told us that it would be smart for us to get on the next train. The weather was apparently bad and was causing delays all over the place. We then had to hike back to the hostel to get our bags. We got on the train to Edinburgh around 12 o'clock expecting it only to take the normal 50 minutes. We rolled into Edinburgh at 3 o'clock, there were in fact delays. At one point we were stopped in the middle of no where for 50 minutes while we waited for the train ahead of us to get towed. We made the best of it and made a sandwich.
Once we got into Edinburgh we jumped on the first train to London. We got onto the train we left Edinburgh and within three minutes THIS train was now stopped. Apparently the driver had to do some safety inspection. UGH! We played some cards, laughed and yes you guessed it-made a sandwich.
We rolled into London around 8 o'clock and finally made it back home.
Overall, our trip was absolutely amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better trio to travel with. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard for so long in my life. There wasn't a moment where we were annoyed with each other or anything. We had so much fun and every moment was indeed a new adventure. I can't even capture the trip throughout these blogs but I hope that I have given everyone a good idea of what we all saw and did.
Once we got home we went to midnight mass. Midnight mass was very good and I'm glad we did manage to go to Church on Christmas Eve. The carols were sung different and it was hard for us to follow. It was definitely less entertaining the normal lisoway-ward Christmas eve rendezvous. There was no one choking on bread and no one singing funny. Quiet really!
Christmas day was also very good. I sort of thought that I would be a huge sad sack for the whole day but instead I had a lovely day. I was surrounded by good people and we had many good laughs. I got to open a present from ma and pa and it was a Craven Ticket! YAY! I think it was mom's way of making sure I come home! We made this HUGE Christmas dinner complete with chicken, potatoes, veggies, gravy, dressing and wine. We then enjoyed a few games of cards and had a nice evening! I got to talk on the phone to mom and dad, grandma John, Aunty fern & family and to my surprise William :)
Now that the trip is done, I am getting very excited for the arrival of Carrie and Jerid!
Thing's I've Learned....
1. Christmas is celebrated by everyone very differently. To me Christmas means lots of snow and good cheer. However, to people that I have met from Australia it means sitting on the beach for a nice BBQ. This year, even though I was so far away from home with no snow, it still felt like Christmas because of the people I surrounded myself with :)
2. Train delay's suck. Between Glasgow and Edinburgh the train was stuffed. We managed to get two seats so all three of us were sitting on these two seats. ugh!
3. Haggis, neeps and tatties are a tasty treat even if you just get a "wee" taste"
Alright, well that is all for now! I hope you enjoy the million new blogs i have written today. I decided that it would best to write one for each day because I did not want to miss a moment!
Merry Christmas everyone!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Day four!
Day four started out brighter and earlier than any of the days thus far. We left Edinburgh at 6am to get back to Glasgow for 8AM which is when our day trip left. We talked outside to a winter wonderland. It snowed SO much. (If you look on facebook you will see a picture of me and Marlee after our walk to the train.) We started the day off once again frozen to the bone.
We arrived in Glasgow and were ready to go on an adventure in hopes of seeing Nessie. We went on a day tour by Rabbie's tours, they basically have a sixteen passenger bus and a tour guide who drives the bus. Our tour guide's name was John and he was full of knowledge and an accent we could understand! While other tours were canceling, John decided to trek through the storm for us to experience the highlands.
Our first stop was at Loch Lomond. For a second I thought I was back home and we were going to go ice fishing, but I was wrong! I forgot I was in SCOTLAND, silly me!!! Loch Lomond is the largest fresh water lake in Scotland and is over 600 feet deep in some areas. I can't even comprehend that depth. We stopped at a small village called Luss and got to walk around for a bit to explore the place. Loch Lomond is a very popular Loch in Scotland and there is an old song written about it-John played it for us and it is indeed very lovely.
Next along the road we got to see things such as the oldest pub in Scotland. It was built in the 17th century and John told us that if we were ever to stay in there that we should avoid room number 6 because it does not heat up and there are ghosts in there. (Good advice I reckon) We also got to see Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland and the most popular mountain to climb. John told us that he has seen a lot of people getting air lifted off of it since he started working with Rabbies. We traveled through Glen Coe, while traveling through you can see mountains on both sides. It's very majestic. Along the road we saw many stags. The stags (aka deer) were everywhere! At one look out point people had left carrots for the stag's to eat.
We stopped at the Invernochy Castle near Fort William. The castle is sited on the south bank of the River Lochy, at the strategically important entrance to the Great Glen, a key passage through the Scottish Highlands. We got to do some major climbing in this castle. At one point we were standing on top of the old castle - of course we were careful without travel insurance and all!
FINALLY, after stopped at all these small places and look out points we reached our destination, Loch Ness. Here our search began for the monster-we were CERTAIN to find her! Loch Ness was beautiful even though Nessie was too shy to make an appearance. We are pretty certain we saw a ripple in the water which was her greetings to us. There was a boat there that you can take onto the loch, but we didn't have time. Besides, we were unwilling to pay to get onto a boat! come on now!
On the way back we stopped at places such as look out places, war memorials and a small town called pitlochry. Pitlochry was a nice little resort village where we stopped to have some supper.
Overall, I would strongly recommend people to take a day tour by bus. The tour guide (John) was amazing. He knew so many different stories about the heritage and history of the highlands. He had a head set that he wore while driving and was able to tell us popular things to check out alongside the road. He is also a saint in our eyes because he introduced us to "Celtic Thunder" which translates in English as "Music sung by Angels." You should download some Celtic Thunder - our favorites are called Caledonia, Brothers In Arms and Castles in the Air. You could also Youtube them to see them perform. As soon as we got home we downloaded it all and now we can't get enough! It's beautiful!
After the big day trip (12 hours in total) we were hungry! We hit up a local establishment to try Haggis! An online dictionary defines Haggis as:" n.
A Scottish dish consisting of a mixture of the minced heart, lungs, and liver of a sheep or calf mixed with suet, onions, oatmeal, and seasonings and boiled in the stomach of the slaughtered animal." Yup- sounds awful. We decided just to try a "wee" taste. I'm happy to report that is tasted great! It tasted very similar to a sausage before you case it. Momma used to fry up a piece of sausage without casing on it and I would compare this to Haggis. It is served with mash potatoes (tatties) and turnips (neeps) along with a gravy made out of scotch. Yummy! I would strongly recommend it for everyone!
We got back to our hostel so tired from all the traveling only to find a complete psycho path in there! We were in a hostel with 12 beds and for the most part all the people are always very normal and friendly. This woman was the exception to any and every rule there has ever been. Apparently her husband was cheating on her and left her and blah blah blah. She was drunk and staying in this hostel making phone calls which ended up with her yelling and screaming and crying. Finally we told her to pipe down and get out if she couldn't. She then went outside to have smoke and we locked up all of our stuff in the lockers. I guess one psycho in 4 months isn't too bad.
Things I've Learned....
1. "Wee" - wee can be substituted in any instance where you would use the word small or little. You can have a "wee loch" or a "wee taste" or a "wee break." John used it in every sentence. Kristin was so intrigued by this word that she too used it in every sentence that followed our tour.
2. "Loch" Loch means lake. In Scotland, there are a whole chain of Loch's that are connected by the Caledonian canal.
3. It's cold in Scotland. I can't stress that enough I'm sorry!
Day four started out brighter and earlier than any of the days thus far. We left Edinburgh at 6am to get back to Glasgow for 8AM which is when our day trip left. We talked outside to a winter wonderland. It snowed SO much. (If you look on facebook you will see a picture of me and Marlee after our walk to the train.) We started the day off once again frozen to the bone.
We arrived in Glasgow and were ready to go on an adventure in hopes of seeing Nessie. We went on a day tour by Rabbie's tours, they basically have a sixteen passenger bus and a tour guide who drives the bus. Our tour guide's name was John and he was full of knowledge and an accent we could understand! While other tours were canceling, John decided to trek through the storm for us to experience the highlands.
Our first stop was at Loch Lomond. For a second I thought I was back home and we were going to go ice fishing, but I was wrong! I forgot I was in SCOTLAND, silly me!!! Loch Lomond is the largest fresh water lake in Scotland and is over 600 feet deep in some areas. I can't even comprehend that depth. We stopped at a small village called Luss and got to walk around for a bit to explore the place. Loch Lomond is a very popular Loch in Scotland and there is an old song written about it-John played it for us and it is indeed very lovely.
Next along the road we got to see things such as the oldest pub in Scotland. It was built in the 17th century and John told us that if we were ever to stay in there that we should avoid room number 6 because it does not heat up and there are ghosts in there. (Good advice I reckon) We also got to see Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland and the most popular mountain to climb. John told us that he has seen a lot of people getting air lifted off of it since he started working with Rabbies. We traveled through Glen Coe, while traveling through you can see mountains on both sides. It's very majestic. Along the road we saw many stags. The stags (aka deer) were everywhere! At one look out point people had left carrots for the stag's to eat.
We stopped at the Invernochy Castle near Fort William. The castle is sited on the south bank of the River Lochy, at the strategically important entrance to the Great Glen, a key passage through the Scottish Highlands. We got to do some major climbing in this castle. At one point we were standing on top of the old castle - of course we were careful without travel insurance and all!
FINALLY, after stopped at all these small places and look out points we reached our destination, Loch Ness. Here our search began for the monster-we were CERTAIN to find her! Loch Ness was beautiful even though Nessie was too shy to make an appearance. We are pretty certain we saw a ripple in the water which was her greetings to us. There was a boat there that you can take onto the loch, but we didn't have time. Besides, we were unwilling to pay to get onto a boat! come on now!
On the way back we stopped at places such as look out places, war memorials and a small town called pitlochry. Pitlochry was a nice little resort village where we stopped to have some supper.
Overall, I would strongly recommend people to take a day tour by bus. The tour guide (John) was amazing. He knew so many different stories about the heritage and history of the highlands. He had a head set that he wore while driving and was able to tell us popular things to check out alongside the road. He is also a saint in our eyes because he introduced us to "Celtic Thunder" which translates in English as "Music sung by Angels." You should download some Celtic Thunder - our favorites are called Caledonia, Brothers In Arms and Castles in the Air. You could also Youtube them to see them perform. As soon as we got home we downloaded it all and now we can't get enough! It's beautiful!
After the big day trip (12 hours in total) we were hungry! We hit up a local establishment to try Haggis! An online dictionary defines Haggis as:" n.
A Scottish dish consisting of a mixture of the minced heart, lungs, and liver of a sheep or calf mixed with suet, onions, oatmeal, and seasonings and boiled in the stomach of the slaughtered animal." Yup- sounds awful. We decided just to try a "wee" taste. I'm happy to report that is tasted great! It tasted very similar to a sausage before you case it. Momma used to fry up a piece of sausage without casing on it and I would compare this to Haggis. It is served with mash potatoes (tatties) and turnips (neeps) along with a gravy made out of scotch. Yummy! I would strongly recommend it for everyone!
We got back to our hostel so tired from all the traveling only to find a complete psycho path in there! We were in a hostel with 12 beds and for the most part all the people are always very normal and friendly. This woman was the exception to any and every rule there has ever been. Apparently her husband was cheating on her and left her and blah blah blah. She was drunk and staying in this hostel making phone calls which ended up with her yelling and screaming and crying. Finally we told her to pipe down and get out if she couldn't. She then went outside to have smoke and we locked up all of our stuff in the lockers. I guess one psycho in 4 months isn't too bad.
Things I've Learned....
1. "Wee" - wee can be substituted in any instance where you would use the word small or little. You can have a "wee loch" or a "wee taste" or a "wee break." John used it in every sentence. Kristin was so intrigued by this word that she too used it in every sentence that followed our tour.
2. "Loch" Loch means lake. In Scotland, there are a whole chain of Loch's that are connected by the Caledonian canal.
3. It's cold in Scotland. I can't stress that enough I'm sorry!
DAY trois!
We had to get up at 7AM again to make it to our train on time. We had a bit of a hard start due to the previous nights rendezvous. We climbed onto the train and it temperature felt as though we were in the Arctic Tundra rather than a train in Scotland. We bundled up and tried to get a few moments of shut eye on our way to Edinburgh.
We stepped off Edinburgh to the coldest weather yet. We bundled up sporting three pairs of pants and three shirts- EACH. Still, we were chilled. I'm not sure the temperature but it was indeed cold. It's not the cold Saskatchewan winter that I have experienced in my life- this is a cold, chill through my bones sort of cold. We didn't want to waste a day in Scotland so we sucked it up and out we went. First we went to the Edinburgh Castle. Again- a risky decision without travel insurance. It's another long climb to the top on the ice covered sidewalks. We rolled in just in time for a free tour to begin so we really got to learn all about the castle. The dude doing the tour (in a kilt) was possibly the funniest person I've ever seen. Most would find his jokes more than corny, but I thought it was just the funniest! Edinburgh Castle is old, some of the buildings have been there since the 12th century. The Castle is full of cool stuff. There is a church called St. Margret's Church that is the oldest building built in the 12th century. People still get married there and it can only fit 25 people. There is also a war memorial building where all the soldiers from Scotland who have died in any war is written in a book. There is also a prisoner's corridors which they had a real life reenactment of what it would have been like to be a prisoner. Let's face it, it would have sucked the big one! eeesh! Also, in another building is where the Jewel's of Scotland are. I have nicer jewelery in my jewelery box then these crown jewel's but whatever I guess.
After the castle we had some eats and set out for a Ghost Walking Tour throughout the city. We saw some of the "supernatural" and "unexplainable" events that happen in Edinburgh. We saw a freaky bridge, a cemetery with creepy stuff then we climbed King Arthur's seat a place where there are apparently some freaky fairies. It was really good!
We then made our way back to the hostel to defrost. Holy cats, I don't think we unfroze until the wee hours of the night.
Things I learned...
1. Edinburgh is pronounced "Edinbrraaaaa" I find if you say is if you are a gangsta and wave your hands as if you were rapping you can truly get the correct feel for the word. I find myself doing it quite often.
I love that everyone JUST tried it!
2. Sheep - Everyone has sheep. Mom you would really be in heaven in Scotland AND you would be helpful in sheep population control.
We had to get up at 7AM again to make it to our train on time. We had a bit of a hard start due to the previous nights rendezvous. We climbed onto the train and it temperature felt as though we were in the Arctic Tundra rather than a train in Scotland. We bundled up and tried to get a few moments of shut eye on our way to Edinburgh.
We stepped off Edinburgh to the coldest weather yet. We bundled up sporting three pairs of pants and three shirts- EACH. Still, we were chilled. I'm not sure the temperature but it was indeed cold. It's not the cold Saskatchewan winter that I have experienced in my life- this is a cold, chill through my bones sort of cold. We didn't want to waste a day in Scotland so we sucked it up and out we went. First we went to the Edinburgh Castle. Again- a risky decision without travel insurance. It's another long climb to the top on the ice covered sidewalks. We rolled in just in time for a free tour to begin so we really got to learn all about the castle. The dude doing the tour (in a kilt) was possibly the funniest person I've ever seen. Most would find his jokes more than corny, but I thought it was just the funniest! Edinburgh Castle is old, some of the buildings have been there since the 12th century. The Castle is full of cool stuff. There is a church called St. Margret's Church that is the oldest building built in the 12th century. People still get married there and it can only fit 25 people. There is also a war memorial building where all the soldiers from Scotland who have died in any war is written in a book. There is also a prisoner's corridors which they had a real life reenactment of what it would have been like to be a prisoner. Let's face it, it would have sucked the big one! eeesh! Also, in another building is where the Jewel's of Scotland are. I have nicer jewelery in my jewelery box then these crown jewel's but whatever I guess.
After the castle we had some eats and set out for a Ghost Walking Tour throughout the city. We saw some of the "supernatural" and "unexplainable" events that happen in Edinburgh. We saw a freaky bridge, a cemetery with creepy stuff then we climbed King Arthur's seat a place where there are apparently some freaky fairies. It was really good!
We then made our way back to the hostel to defrost. Holy cats, I don't think we unfroze until the wee hours of the night.
Things I learned...
1. Edinburgh is pronounced "Edinbrraaaaa" I find if you say is if you are a gangsta and wave your hands as if you were rapping you can truly get the correct feel for the word. I find myself doing it quite often.
I love that everyone JUST tried it!
2. Sheep - Everyone has sheep. Mom you would really be in heaven in Scotland AND you would be helpful in sheep population control.
Day numero two.
We woke up all nice and rested up, threw on some clothes and out the door we went to get some yummy continental breakfast. The Hostel put on a very nice breaky with cereal and toast and coffee. The night before we had made this excellent time schedule so that we wouldn't miss our train. HOWEVER, we pulled into the station at the last second only to find out that we were at the wrong station! With exactly 7 minutes we had to run to the other station which is about 15 minute walk on a good day. Could we do it? Would we make it? The pressure was on! I felt like we were on the Amazing Race running through the city centre trying to make it to the destination in time. After this run however I realized that the Amazing Race is NOT for this duck. We ran to the station making it at exactly 8:07. We ran through the terminal, ran to the train, ran to a seat and FINALLY remembered to breathe. We were SO proud of ourselves that we failed to notice the calmness of other people boarding the train. The train didn't leave until 8:28! All along we had in fact had acres of time! After this run we were definitely ready for the day and our hearts didn't slow down until an hour or so into the journey. None the less, we settled into the train to play some cards, checked out the million sheep, and again had some great sandwiches. We decided to save money we would just pick some items to make sandwiches, so for the low cost of 4 pounds we all were treated to delicious sandwiches. Sandwiches are beautiful, sandwiches are fun, i like sandwiches i eat them all the time......... whoopss..sorry that I jumped into song right there.
We got into the small town Oban around 11:30. We stepped off the train and were amazed at it's beauty and the warm weather they were having. I bought a book about Scotland and this is what it says about Oban: "Translating from Scottish Gaelic as "little bay", Oban is now a very busy port, ferrying thousands of visitors annually to Mull, Colonsay, Coll, Linsmore and other small islands. It's no coincidence that it is regarded as the "gateway to the Highlands." Oban is much more than just a stopover when travelling further afield. it has been a popular holiday destination since Victorian times".. Needless to say, it is B-E-A-U-TIFUL! The instructions to get to our hostel from the train were as follows: "Keeping the sea on your left side, walk around the bay for 12-15 minutes from town centre. Hostel is on the seafront." How great is that? Yup- it's great! It was the first time I'd ever seen the ocean so I was pretty much memorized. We checked into our perfect little hostel and all had showers and were ready to go exploring in 45 minutes. First we decided to check out the Atlantic Ocean and take some pictures. We had fun collecting some sea shells and what not and so forth. We then made our way along the bay and Kirstin came up with the brilliant idea that we should partake in boat ride. We found a sign that said there was a boat trip for one hour. Kristin called up the number to inquire only to find out that someone had painted that on the sign as a joke. We moved along the bay and found another sign, this one didn't run this time of year. After about an hour of trying we gave up the dream of riding on a boat on the Atlantic Ocean. Next stop: Oban Distillery. Doing some research before we went to Oban it was our "must see." It is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland and apparently the whiskey is something special. We made our way over to the distillery which is situated in the town centre. We went in totally excited for our tour to find out that the distillery was NOT doing tours that day due to maintenance! UGH! We tried to sweet talk them, but no such luck. So by this time Oban was becoming a bit of a let down.
We decided to make the best of our day in this beautiful town. We then made the trek up to McCaig's Tower. McCaigs tower was built by John Stewart McCaig. McCaig's intention was to provide a lasting monument to his family, and provide work for the local stonemasons during the winter months. McCaig was an admirer of Roman and Greek architecture, and had planned for an elaborate structure, based on the Colosseum in Rome. His plans allowed for a museum and art gallery with a central tower to be incorporated. Inside the central tower he planned to commission statues of himself, his siblings and their parents. His death brought an end to construction with only the outer walls completed. (yes- I just got that from Wikipedia) It is really nice, we had to be extremely careful climbing the winding road because of ice and the fact that we had no travelers insurance. The view from the top is pretty remarkable.
After this year long climb up we decided to then check out a castle near the town. The castle which was called Dunollie Castle is just a short walk out of the town. In order to get to the castle however you need to put your life at risk. Even though we didn't have travel insurance, we still played with fate. To get there you have to walk along this highway that is very narrow. On one side you can take an emergency plunge into the rocks and ocean on the other side you can choose to get hit by a car. We made it to the castle unharmed and climbed the cow path up to the castle. It was very nice inside even though it is in rough shape. It was built in the 13th century so it's pretty darn old!
After the castle we hit up some supper at a local establishment that overlooked the sea. We then went on the search for some locals to drink with. We went to a quaint pub called "Tartan Tavern" only to find drunk old men locals who were very interested in the fact that there were females in the building. It was pretty funny at first, but got old very fast. We had a beer there then decided to book it to another place. After a survey of the next pub we decided that this would be a better fit for us. We enjoyed a few beverages before meeting some people. The three guys we met turned out to work on a ferry that ran in Oban. We later learned that one of them was the CAPTAIN and one was the co-captain. We didn't pay for another drink all night, and we got a complimentary visit to their ferry! The charm of Kristin struck again. :)
Since our party lasted until the wee hours of the night we were sleepy for the next days early train ride. Overall, Oban was probably one of the most beautiful places I've been to in my life. The people were all friendly, the sights were sights to see and I think we truly got to experience true Scottish life.
Things I learned today...
1. Real Scottish people are hard to understand. This one old man we were talking to I couldn't understand a word he said. I told him to talk slower...he told me to listen faster.
2. There is the Scottish pound and the British Pound. They are worth the same amount just look different- I'm unsure about the reasoning of this.
stay tuned for day 3.......
We woke up all nice and rested up, threw on some clothes and out the door we went to get some yummy continental breakfast. The Hostel put on a very nice breaky with cereal and toast and coffee. The night before we had made this excellent time schedule so that we wouldn't miss our train. HOWEVER, we pulled into the station at the last second only to find out that we were at the wrong station! With exactly 7 minutes we had to run to the other station which is about 15 minute walk on a good day. Could we do it? Would we make it? The pressure was on! I felt like we were on the Amazing Race running through the city centre trying to make it to the destination in time. After this run however I realized that the Amazing Race is NOT for this duck. We ran to the station making it at exactly 8:07. We ran through the terminal, ran to the train, ran to a seat and FINALLY remembered to breathe. We were SO proud of ourselves that we failed to notice the calmness of other people boarding the train. The train didn't leave until 8:28! All along we had in fact had acres of time! After this run we were definitely ready for the day and our hearts didn't slow down until an hour or so into the journey. None the less, we settled into the train to play some cards, checked out the million sheep, and again had some great sandwiches. We decided to save money we would just pick some items to make sandwiches, so for the low cost of 4 pounds we all were treated to delicious sandwiches. Sandwiches are beautiful, sandwiches are fun, i like sandwiches i eat them all the time......... whoopss..sorry that I jumped into song right there.
We got into the small town Oban around 11:30. We stepped off the train and were amazed at it's beauty and the warm weather they were having. I bought a book about Scotland and this is what it says about Oban: "Translating from Scottish Gaelic as "little bay", Oban is now a very busy port, ferrying thousands of visitors annually to Mull, Colonsay, Coll, Linsmore and other small islands. It's no coincidence that it is regarded as the "gateway to the Highlands." Oban is much more than just a stopover when travelling further afield. it has been a popular holiday destination since Victorian times".. Needless to say, it is B-E-A-U-TIFUL! The instructions to get to our hostel from the train were as follows: "Keeping the sea on your left side, walk around the bay for 12-15 minutes from town centre. Hostel is on the seafront." How great is that? Yup- it's great! It was the first time I'd ever seen the ocean so I was pretty much memorized. We checked into our perfect little hostel and all had showers and were ready to go exploring in 45 minutes. First we decided to check out the Atlantic Ocean and take some pictures. We had fun collecting some sea shells and what not and so forth. We then made our way along the bay and Kirstin came up with the brilliant idea that we should partake in boat ride. We found a sign that said there was a boat trip for one hour. Kristin called up the number to inquire only to find out that someone had painted that on the sign as a joke. We moved along the bay and found another sign, this one didn't run this time of year. After about an hour of trying we gave up the dream of riding on a boat on the Atlantic Ocean. Next stop: Oban Distillery. Doing some research before we went to Oban it was our "must see." It is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland and apparently the whiskey is something special. We made our way over to the distillery which is situated in the town centre. We went in totally excited for our tour to find out that the distillery was NOT doing tours that day due to maintenance! UGH! We tried to sweet talk them, but no such luck. So by this time Oban was becoming a bit of a let down.
We decided to make the best of our day in this beautiful town. We then made the trek up to McCaig's Tower. McCaigs tower was built by John Stewart McCaig. McCaig's intention was to provide a lasting monument to his family, and provide work for the local stonemasons during the winter months. McCaig was an admirer of Roman and Greek architecture, and had planned for an elaborate structure, based on the Colosseum in Rome. His plans allowed for a museum and art gallery with a central tower to be incorporated. Inside the central tower he planned to commission statues of himself, his siblings and their parents. His death brought an end to construction with only the outer walls completed. (yes- I just got that from Wikipedia) It is really nice, we had to be extremely careful climbing the winding road because of ice and the fact that we had no travelers insurance. The view from the top is pretty remarkable.
After this year long climb up we decided to then check out a castle near the town. The castle which was called Dunollie Castle is just a short walk out of the town. In order to get to the castle however you need to put your life at risk. Even though we didn't have travel insurance, we still played with fate. To get there you have to walk along this highway that is very narrow. On one side you can take an emergency plunge into the rocks and ocean on the other side you can choose to get hit by a car. We made it to the castle unharmed and climbed the cow path up to the castle. It was very nice inside even though it is in rough shape. It was built in the 13th century so it's pretty darn old!
After the castle we hit up some supper at a local establishment that overlooked the sea. We then went on the search for some locals to drink with. We went to a quaint pub called "Tartan Tavern" only to find drunk old men locals who were very interested in the fact that there were females in the building. It was pretty funny at first, but got old very fast. We had a beer there then decided to book it to another place. After a survey of the next pub we decided that this would be a better fit for us. We enjoyed a few beverages before meeting some people. The three guys we met turned out to work on a ferry that ran in Oban. We later learned that one of them was the CAPTAIN and one was the co-captain. We didn't pay for another drink all night, and we got a complimentary visit to their ferry! The charm of Kristin struck again. :)
Since our party lasted until the wee hours of the night we were sleepy for the next days early train ride. Overall, Oban was probably one of the most beautiful places I've been to in my life. The people were all friendly, the sights were sights to see and I think we truly got to experience true Scottish life.
Things I learned today...
1. Real Scottish people are hard to understand. This one old man we were talking to I couldn't understand a word he said. I told him to talk slower...he told me to listen faster.
2. There is the Scottish pound and the British Pound. They are worth the same amount just look different- I'm unsure about the reasoning of this.
stay tuned for day 3.......
Hey everyone! I decided that it would be best if I broke down EACH and every day of our Scotland trip per blog so sit back and relax for the chapter book that is about to unfold!
Day 1
We headed off to Kings Cross St. Pancras (NOT pronounced pancreas like the body part) for a 10:30 departure to Glasgow, Scotland!
We loaded up our backpacks which weighed wayyy to much- but you never know what you will need. I used the old boy scout trick that dad taught me and rolled up all my clothes to put into my backpack. I did fail to use the rest of his knowledge that you CAN wear the same clothes for a couple days. BUT--be prepared right? None the less, we were off to a great start for phase 1. We made it to the train station and got onto the train with no problems. The train ride was nice and smooth, we played some cards, looked at the sights and had a debate about a group of sheep. I made a comment that my mom hit a flock of sheep once and then it turned into a debate! We didn't know what the heck it was called- an hour later we decided we should just wait until we had a computer to google it. YUP- it's a flock! On the train we also enjoyed some home made sandwiches- something that became a tradition on every train ride then on.
We rolled into Glasgow around 3:30 and settled into our hostel for the evening. By this time it was already dark, so we ventured around our area and checked out a few things, but overall Glasgow was pretty darn boring. There was no one really out pubs, I mean it WAS Sunday night but people must have missed the memo that the three Canadians were rolling into town.
Since Glasgow forgot to roll out the red carpet for us we settled into bed preparing for our early 7AM start for day two.....
Things I learned in Scotland
1. Flock of sheep - not a gaggle or a heard or a school or a murder like other familiar animals we all know and love.
2. In the UK they think that the perfect time to have a carnival is in the dead of winter. We always see randoms parking lots with big carnivals set up. Yes- I'm talking ferris wheels, massive slides, merry-go-rounds, cotton candy and hot dogs. WHY in god's name would you think it's a good idea to have one of these in the winter time. Who in Canada would hit one of these up?? I wonder how often they have to pry a tongue off a frozen piece of metal at these events...
Day 1
We headed off to Kings Cross St. Pancras (NOT pronounced pancreas like the body part) for a 10:30 departure to Glasgow, Scotland!
We loaded up our backpacks which weighed wayyy to much- but you never know what you will need. I used the old boy scout trick that dad taught me and rolled up all my clothes to put into my backpack. I did fail to use the rest of his knowledge that you CAN wear the same clothes for a couple days. BUT--be prepared right? None the less, we were off to a great start for phase 1. We made it to the train station and got onto the train with no problems. The train ride was nice and smooth, we played some cards, looked at the sights and had a debate about a group of sheep. I made a comment that my mom hit a flock of sheep once and then it turned into a debate! We didn't know what the heck it was called- an hour later we decided we should just wait until we had a computer to google it. YUP- it's a flock! On the train we also enjoyed some home made sandwiches- something that became a tradition on every train ride then on.
We rolled into Glasgow around 3:30 and settled into our hostel for the evening. By this time it was already dark, so we ventured around our area and checked out a few things, but overall Glasgow was pretty darn boring. There was no one really out pubs, I mean it WAS Sunday night but people must have missed the memo that the three Canadians were rolling into town.
Since Glasgow forgot to roll out the red carpet for us we settled into bed preparing for our early 7AM start for day two.....
Things I learned in Scotland
1. Flock of sheep - not a gaggle or a heard or a school or a murder like other familiar animals we all know and love.
2. In the UK they think that the perfect time to have a carnival is in the dead of winter. We always see randoms parking lots with big carnivals set up. Yes- I'm talking ferris wheels, massive slides, merry-go-rounds, cotton candy and hot dogs. WHY in god's name would you think it's a good idea to have one of these in the winter time. Who in Canada would hit one of these up?? I wonder how often they have to pry a tongue off a frozen piece of metal at these events...
Saturday, December 19, 2009
I tricked you! I bet you are onto this thing where you can expect to find a blog on a Sunday evening. Well- It's only Saturday!
This past week was full of relaxing, researching and reading. Because it was the last week of school before the big holiday, most teachers must have decided to suck it up and go. I only worked one day this week! whew! Marlee only worked one day as well. It was sort of nice to relax and not be up at 6:30 and ready by 7 to leave for work. We were very busy researching this week planning our trip to Scotland.
The one day of work that I worked today was by far the most horrendous experience of my life! Has anyone ever seen the movie "Daddy Day Care" OR the movie "High School High?" You watch these films and see children acting like a breed of wild ape's and you think to yourself "how the hell is this EVEN possible" well folks...it IS possible! I could not even try and control the class, I gave up. I sat back and watched the craziness. There was a kid walking on the tables, there was a kid calling me names, there was a kid swearing at the teacher aide and flipping her off, there were two kids chucking pencils across the room at eachother, there were two kids physically fighting eachother. Yeah, it was insane. Finally this male teacher came into the room and raised hell. After school a teacher came into the classroom and congratulated me on lasting until 2:30. She said that most supply teachers only last until noon. WHEW! I could not believe it! I vowed to myself that I would rather survive living in London on the streets eating pizza crusts. These children were only 9 years old, I'd hate to see them in high school. never. again.
Onto more work news, I have been looking for a more permanent gig for January. I've had a few promising propositions but nothing seemed to pan out. I had given up on Thursday and decided that I could just supply teach again. I really do like supply teaching (with the exception of Tuesday). Anyways, my agency called on Thursday and told me I had a phone interview. So I did the phone interview and I wasn't to stoked about the job because it is around 1 1/2 hours from home. Marlee talked me into going to the school to see it and stuff. I went there and they offered me a job, so I took it! I will be a Reception teacher (kindergarten teacher) There is 20 children in my class, three which have autism and have a full time support worker. The school looks very lovely and the staff all seemed very nice, so I am looking forward to it! I will have to take some pictures of the school and of my classroom to share. The school is called Gainsborough, it always makes me chuckle! For those of you who don't know, the town next to Carnduff (where i did my internship) is Gainsborough. It will be nice to know where I am going every day!
After weeks and weeks of being indecisive we finally decided to buckle down and book some sort of holiday for Christmas. We were originally going to head to Ireland, but that didnt' pan out. Then we were going to go to Scotland but we couldn't find a trip that we fancied. Finally, Kristin decided that we should make up our OWN trip. That's when the researching started. Kristin got the ball rolling with booking train tickets etc and I joined her planning on where we would stay each night as well as train tickets. Marlee then was in charge of coming up with an agenda of things to do at each place. We came up with a pretty stellar trip for cheap. The hostel's are around 12 pounds a night for each of us and the train tickets are about the same. We are going to Glasgow Sunday morning at 10am, then we go to a small town called Oban and then finally end up in Scotland's capital, Edinburgh. We decided that we wanted to go to a smaller town in Scotland where we could have the chance to really see the Scottish culture. I came across Oban somewhere, so we are going to check it out! Some of the highlights of our trip are going to include, seeing the ocean :), trying to spot the Lochness monster, a famous castle, a scotch distillery and many other attractions! I am very excited to explore another part of Europe. I'm sure I will have a TON of pictures as well as some interesting stories. May even have a new section of "things I've learned today.." Keep posted! If we have the world wide web at one of the hostel's I will try to write a blog!
We get back from our trip late Christmas Eve. For Christmas day we decided it would be nice to cook a nice dinner. We invited some friends who also did not go home for Christmas. We bought a chicken so we will make chicken, potatoes and the whole works. Marlee's mom sent some Stove Top in the mail so we are going to enjoy that as well! (thanks Kelly) I know it won't be the same, but it will be nice to have some sort of traditional Christmas. We are going to hopefully play some card games and maybe a board game or two! We'll see!
The 27th is also another very exciting day! My friend Carrie is coming to visit! She booked a last minute trip and I couldn't be more thrilled! I'm so looking forward to spending a week with her. She is coming bright and early (7am) on the 27th, so me and Marlee will be at the airport ready to greet her with a beautiful sign! We are going to do some sight seeing things and do some shopping.
THEN it gets better yet! My friend Jerid flies in! He is on his way to South Africa to do a practicum for school. He will be here until the 5th as well! While we have all this company we are going to be the best of hosts and act as London Vetrans (we'll see how we do) We are going to go on a day trip to Stonehenge and bath (which is something we haven't done or seen yet), hopefully hit up a show AND find the party of the parties for New Years.
Interesting Fact of the week:
It SNOWED here! Who can believe it! Me and Marlee were sitting on the couch and I was on the phone with my agency. I looked out the window and interupted my consultant yelling that it was snowing! After I finished the phone conversation we went outside and snapped some photo's! Whew! It hardly snowed but it was still very exciting!
Ok..that's just the lead up to the story..HERE is the story
It didn't even snow enough for the ground to be covered and hardly enough for it to cause a disruption in peoples lives. HOWEVER, London is clearly ready for anything. They LOVE salt. They love gravel. They mostly love salt and gravel mixed. They love it so much that they feel it is necessary to cover the sidewalks. safety first. There is more gravel/salt in a ten foot stretch that you can find on the highway between Preeceville and Yorkton. It's crazy, we got home and had to throw our pants in the wash because they were so salted up!
Alright! Well if I don't manage to get another blog before Christmas I hope that everyone truly has an amazing Christmas full of laughter and love. I will be thinking of everyone back home that day! I feel so loved with all the cards I have been receiving in the mail, it means a lot to me!
love you all!
This past week was full of relaxing, researching and reading. Because it was the last week of school before the big holiday, most teachers must have decided to suck it up and go. I only worked one day this week! whew! Marlee only worked one day as well. It was sort of nice to relax and not be up at 6:30 and ready by 7 to leave for work. We were very busy researching this week planning our trip to Scotland.
The one day of work that I worked today was by far the most horrendous experience of my life! Has anyone ever seen the movie "Daddy Day Care" OR the movie "High School High?" You watch these films and see children acting like a breed of wild ape's and you think to yourself "how the hell is this EVEN possible" well folks...it IS possible! I could not even try and control the class, I gave up. I sat back and watched the craziness. There was a kid walking on the tables, there was a kid calling me names, there was a kid swearing at the teacher aide and flipping her off, there were two kids chucking pencils across the room at eachother, there were two kids physically fighting eachother. Yeah, it was insane. Finally this male teacher came into the room and raised hell. After school a teacher came into the classroom and congratulated me on lasting until 2:30. She said that most supply teachers only last until noon. WHEW! I could not believe it! I vowed to myself that I would rather survive living in London on the streets eating pizza crusts. These children were only 9 years old, I'd hate to see them in high school. never. again.
Onto more work news, I have been looking for a more permanent gig for January. I've had a few promising propositions but nothing seemed to pan out. I had given up on Thursday and decided that I could just supply teach again. I really do like supply teaching (with the exception of Tuesday). Anyways, my agency called on Thursday and told me I had a phone interview. So I did the phone interview and I wasn't to stoked about the job because it is around 1 1/2 hours from home. Marlee talked me into going to the school to see it and stuff. I went there and they offered me a job, so I took it! I will be a Reception teacher (kindergarten teacher) There is 20 children in my class, three which have autism and have a full time support worker. The school looks very lovely and the staff all seemed very nice, so I am looking forward to it! I will have to take some pictures of the school and of my classroom to share. The school is called Gainsborough, it always makes me chuckle! For those of you who don't know, the town next to Carnduff (where i did my internship) is Gainsborough. It will be nice to know where I am going every day!
After weeks and weeks of being indecisive we finally decided to buckle down and book some sort of holiday for Christmas. We were originally going to head to Ireland, but that didnt' pan out. Then we were going to go to Scotland but we couldn't find a trip that we fancied. Finally, Kristin decided that we should make up our OWN trip. That's when the researching started. Kristin got the ball rolling with booking train tickets etc and I joined her planning on where we would stay each night as well as train tickets. Marlee then was in charge of coming up with an agenda of things to do at each place. We came up with a pretty stellar trip for cheap. The hostel's are around 12 pounds a night for each of us and the train tickets are about the same. We are going to Glasgow Sunday morning at 10am, then we go to a small town called Oban and then finally end up in Scotland's capital, Edinburgh. We decided that we wanted to go to a smaller town in Scotland where we could have the chance to really see the Scottish culture. I came across Oban somewhere, so we are going to check it out! Some of the highlights of our trip are going to include, seeing the ocean :), trying to spot the Lochness monster, a famous castle, a scotch distillery and many other attractions! I am very excited to explore another part of Europe. I'm sure I will have a TON of pictures as well as some interesting stories. May even have a new section of "things I've learned today.." Keep posted! If we have the world wide web at one of the hostel's I will try to write a blog!
We get back from our trip late Christmas Eve. For Christmas day we decided it would be nice to cook a nice dinner. We invited some friends who also did not go home for Christmas. We bought a chicken so we will make chicken, potatoes and the whole works. Marlee's mom sent some Stove Top in the mail so we are going to enjoy that as well! (thanks Kelly) I know it won't be the same, but it will be nice to have some sort of traditional Christmas. We are going to hopefully play some card games and maybe a board game or two! We'll see!
The 27th is also another very exciting day! My friend Carrie is coming to visit! She booked a last minute trip and I couldn't be more thrilled! I'm so looking forward to spending a week with her. She is coming bright and early (7am) on the 27th, so me and Marlee will be at the airport ready to greet her with a beautiful sign! We are going to do some sight seeing things and do some shopping.
THEN it gets better yet! My friend Jerid flies in! He is on his way to South Africa to do a practicum for school. He will be here until the 5th as well! While we have all this company we are going to be the best of hosts and act as London Vetrans (we'll see how we do) We are going to go on a day trip to Stonehenge and bath (which is something we haven't done or seen yet), hopefully hit up a show AND find the party of the parties for New Years.
Interesting Fact of the week:
It SNOWED here! Who can believe it! Me and Marlee were sitting on the couch and I was on the phone with my agency. I looked out the window and interupted my consultant yelling that it was snowing! After I finished the phone conversation we went outside and snapped some photo's! Whew! It hardly snowed but it was still very exciting!
Ok..that's just the lead up to the story..HERE is the story
It didn't even snow enough for the ground to be covered and hardly enough for it to cause a disruption in peoples lives. HOWEVER, London is clearly ready for anything. They LOVE salt. They love gravel. They mostly love salt and gravel mixed. They love it so much that they feel it is necessary to cover the sidewalks. safety first. There is more gravel/salt in a ten foot stretch that you can find on the highway between Preeceville and Yorkton. It's crazy, we got home and had to throw our pants in the wash because they were so salted up!
Alright! Well if I don't manage to get another blog before Christmas I hope that everyone truly has an amazing Christmas full of laughter and love. I will be thinking of everyone back home that day! I feel so loved with all the cards I have been receiving in the mail, it means a lot to me!
love you all!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Hey Everyone!
It's getting so very close to Christmas! I just downloaded the Boney M Christmas Cd. Every year I just HAVE to download it. Its pure enjoyment in one CD. Nothing beats it, not even Kenny and Dolly (JANNNEEELLLE)
Again, I slacked and didn't write a blog, the week just zooms by so quick that before I know it its 11:30 PM on a Sunday evening and I have the feeling like I just HAVE to do it! So here it is!
This week has been all good I worked everyday in different schools. I had a trial day (which is basically a day long interview to see you in action) It went really well and I got to go back on Friday for another day. I just don't think there will be a job there so I'm not getting my hopes up. I'm not really sure even why I had a trial day there even...ANYWAYS, we'll see what comes out of it. I'm pretty happy just supply teaching right now but on the other hand it would be nice to know where you are going everyday. For January I do have the option of signing a Guaranteed work Scheme with my other agency which basically as the name says, guarantee's work. We'll see by the end of the week what I choose to do! I'm really holding out for a job at my favourite school but I guess they can't announce the job yet..sucky! Marlee's last day was Friday at her nursery so now we are once again in the same boat waiting for work every morning! I was thinking today about my experiences as a supply teacher and they have overall been fairly good. The really hard days seems to disappear in my mind so that's good! I haven't had to clean up poop or vomit so I think I'm doing ok. (This will probably jynx myself and tomorrow I will have to clean up a kid who puked and crapped his pants at the same time)
This weekend we decided to go on a Santa Pubcrawl. It started at 2 pm at a Australian Pub and for five pounds you got a Santa hat and a free "snakebite." A snake bite is made out of: Half Beer, Half Cider, and a shot of blackcurrent. It's delicious but potent. We didn't know that you had to prebook the whole outfit deal so we missed out. Starting at 2pm always means it's going to be an early night! We were home and sleeping by shortly after one and 5 o'clock last night felt like 5 AM. Eeesh, we did have tons of fun and met a lot of really cool and fun people. I learned a new game that they play in Australia. It involves clinking bottles together. I basically rocked it. See Youtube for a video of the night. There are pictures on Facebook too!
Weather. Let's talk about it. Why so damn cold at home. Jeeez. I'm not going to lie to you guys. I'm not. So, I have to admit I get a chuckle in the morning when I see my perfect little desktop weathernetwork thingy mabobby and I see that it says -34 but feels like -45. Then I notice the London one that says +11. It was +6 the other day and all the teachers were just complaining how cold it was and how they shouldn't have to go out to do supervision in such weather. I then chuckle at them. I'm really laughing about the weather. I need it to snow here to watch these fools in it.
We are currently hunting for a fun Christmas Vacation dealio. We (Me, Marlee and Kristin) want to head to Scotland for a few days before Carrie and Jerid come for a visit! We also plan on taking a day trip to see Stonehenge and Bath while they are here. Slowly our bucket list is dwindling even though we'll never see everything!
Funny story of the week:
I was subbing one day and I was on my lunch break at this school with all ridiculously good looking teachers. I was sitting in the staff room eating my lunch minding my business enjoying some Nicholas Sparks and these two men started talking about school projects from when they were in school. This guy said that they did projects all afternoon and he did this project on Canada and now Canada has a special place in his heart. Let's face it, when I hear Canada my ears perk up and I start to listen. This guys continues on to say "I really need to visit there I just HAVE to go to Saskatchewan." SASKATCHEWAN..as in your no.1 place to visit in Canada. I then opened my mouth and said....I am from Canada, and I am from Saskatchewan. This guy then thought I was sent down from the Heavens got up and shook my hand. He then went on to tell me everything about Saskatchewan and how he loved the shape of it and blah blah blah. So hilarious! I never thought I'd see the day where that would happen. I had a good chuckle over it then I got to thinking, this dude IS right, Saskatchewan is pretty kick ass :)
Alright, talk to you soon!
Send me some lefsa wouldja?
It's getting so very close to Christmas! I just downloaded the Boney M Christmas Cd. Every year I just HAVE to download it. Its pure enjoyment in one CD. Nothing beats it, not even Kenny and Dolly (JANNNEEELLLE)
Again, I slacked and didn't write a blog, the week just zooms by so quick that before I know it its 11:30 PM on a Sunday evening and I have the feeling like I just HAVE to do it! So here it is!
This week has been all good I worked everyday in different schools. I had a trial day (which is basically a day long interview to see you in action) It went really well and I got to go back on Friday for another day. I just don't think there will be a job there so I'm not getting my hopes up. I'm not really sure even why I had a trial day there even...ANYWAYS, we'll see what comes out of it. I'm pretty happy just supply teaching right now but on the other hand it would be nice to know where you are going everyday. For January I do have the option of signing a Guaranteed work Scheme with my other agency which basically as the name says, guarantee's work. We'll see by the end of the week what I choose to do! I'm really holding out for a job at my favourite school but I guess they can't announce the job yet..sucky! Marlee's last day was Friday at her nursery so now we are once again in the same boat waiting for work every morning! I was thinking today about my experiences as a supply teacher and they have overall been fairly good. The really hard days seems to disappear in my mind so that's good! I haven't had to clean up poop or vomit so I think I'm doing ok. (This will probably jynx myself and tomorrow I will have to clean up a kid who puked and crapped his pants at the same time)
This weekend we decided to go on a Santa Pubcrawl. It started at 2 pm at a Australian Pub and for five pounds you got a Santa hat and a free "snakebite." A snake bite is made out of: Half Beer, Half Cider, and a shot of blackcurrent. It's delicious but potent. We didn't know that you had to prebook the whole outfit deal so we missed out. Starting at 2pm always means it's going to be an early night! We were home and sleeping by shortly after one and 5 o'clock last night felt like 5 AM. Eeesh, we did have tons of fun and met a lot of really cool and fun people. I learned a new game that they play in Australia. It involves clinking bottles together. I basically rocked it. See Youtube for a video of the night. There are pictures on Facebook too!
Weather. Let's talk about it. Why so damn cold at home. Jeeez. I'm not going to lie to you guys. I'm not. So, I have to admit I get a chuckle in the morning when I see my perfect little desktop weathernetwork thingy mabobby and I see that it says -34 but feels like -45. Then I notice the London one that says +11. It was +6 the other day and all the teachers were just complaining how cold it was and how they shouldn't have to go out to do supervision in such weather. I then chuckle at them. I'm really laughing about the weather. I need it to snow here to watch these fools in it.
We are currently hunting for a fun Christmas Vacation dealio. We (Me, Marlee and Kristin) want to head to Scotland for a few days before Carrie and Jerid come for a visit! We also plan on taking a day trip to see Stonehenge and Bath while they are here. Slowly our bucket list is dwindling even though we'll never see everything!
Funny story of the week:
I was subbing one day and I was on my lunch break at this school with all ridiculously good looking teachers. I was sitting in the staff room eating my lunch minding my business enjoying some Nicholas Sparks and these two men started talking about school projects from when they were in school. This guy said that they did projects all afternoon and he did this project on Canada and now Canada has a special place in his heart. Let's face it, when I hear Canada my ears perk up and I start to listen. This guys continues on to say "I really need to visit there I just HAVE to go to Saskatchewan." SASKATCHEWAN..as in your no.1 place to visit in Canada. I then opened my mouth and said....I am from Canada, and I am from Saskatchewan. This guy then thought I was sent down from the Heavens got up and shook my hand. He then went on to tell me everything about Saskatchewan and how he loved the shape of it and blah blah blah. So hilarious! I never thought I'd see the day where that would happen. I had a good chuckle over it then I got to thinking, this dude IS right, Saskatchewan is pretty kick ass :)
Alright, talk to you soon!
Send me some lefsa wouldja?
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Whooppsiiiesss..It's been a week! Shame Shame on me!
I think I have not wrote because I have been sulking about the Rider loss on Sunday! I started watching it on this live Internet feed and only had intentions to watch the first quarter...however..I found myself at 3 in the morning mourning a loss. Can you believe that last play? I just can't. I think it was no one's fault, just too much excitement! The Riders are so lucky to have such a loyal fan base, they could have lost every game this season and I'm sure the stands still would have been full!
I worked everyday this week again! All the teachers are getting sick everywhere! Some have a cold and some have a nasty stomach flu. eeewwyy. Those can surely stay away from ME! I have been managing to kill off any sickness SO far. Marlee has got me hooked on Echinacea so I'm thinking its been helping! I taught all week in different places again. Mostly the nursery and reception jobs that I love. I am almost tempted to tell my agency that that is ALL I want! BUT, I'm worried if I am too picky I will find myself eating pizza crust off the streets of London. I had to teach in a year 3 last week and if you ask Marlee, you'd know just how much I was hating it before I even got there. BUT, maybe because I had such low hopes, it turned out to be an alright day! I always pick the kid that looks like they'd be the best student and resort to them for any question I may have. Works Magic. I also get one child to read the register so I don't make a total ass out of myself trying to pronounce names. I love when I say a name and they look at me with blank eyes thinking there is no such student! whoooppss. I say we should all name our kids John, Joe, Bob, Sue, Kate, HELL even Margaret would be better than a name like adirmhaman. eesh! The week just flies by when you are teaching because you get home around 5, eat supper and wash dishes by 7 then get ready for the next day and its 8, then do some odd jobs and before you know it it's time for bed! Me and Marlee have a system set up, whoever gets home first cooks supper, who ever gets home lasts is in charge of dishes and making lunches! Works well....this team work!
Friday night I got home and me and Marlee lounged around for what seemed like days. We then sort of convinced eachother that we should go out for a beer at a local establishment to check it out. SO, we googled a place, found one, and set of to find a Carling. We dressed like nun's because we just had plans of going to a sit down sort of place. HOWEVER, we got there and it was BOOMING! It was lots of fun! There was a live band and they were playing popular American songs so we were just singing to them all. I'm sure people thought we were crazy because we knew them all. The pub sort of has the feel of like the Pump or a small town bar. Loved it! Definitely have to go back!
Saturday I babysat all day and had such a lovely time once again with Giaan. He is adorable. This time I made some of "Shelly's Famous Playdough" and we played for hours! I guess in other words....THE PLAYDOUGH QUEEN IS BACK. I remember when Mrs. Klebeck used to call me that! There is somethign about playdough that I JUST love! We also did some Peppa Pig paintings. Peppa Pig is this huge kids cartoon here for toddlers. It's pretty sweet. Also, on the table of "first time's" I tried curry! Preet had made "Raj Maj" I think it was called.. It was delicious! I am very glad I got to try an authentic version first. I'm really glad I picked up this babysitting job because it's so nice to spend some time with young kids!
Today, Me and Marlee ventured to a store called Asda. I knew it was a sort of version of Wal*Mart so I was pretty darn excited. We walked in and got a cart and Marlee noticed that it said "always saving you money" JUST like Wal*Mart! It is very similar and has rollback and the signs look the same and they use walmart telzons. (telzon are the machines used for ordering and checking stock and price checks, etc..)
Before today I did NOT feel in the Christmas spirit one bit. Maybe it's because there is no snow and it is the weather of fall or maybe it's because I'm so far away from my fambam and friends. Not sure. However, Me and Marlee came across a movie called "A Christmas Card" It was delightful! It got me into the spirit and when we went to Asda we found a small 3 foot Christmas tree for 3 pounds! yay! We decorated it and everything, so pictures will follow! I have so much to be thankful this Christmas. Me and Marlee are going to try make some perogies..think we can do it????
Things I've Learned...
Shopping carts are equipped with all turning wheels. In Canada only the front wheels turn 360 degrees to turn. HERE all four wheels turn meaning you can pull your cart any direction any time. It's crazy if you ask me.
Swans are massive. I know what you are thinking..."Crystal you didn't have to go half way across the world to figure this one out" BUT holy cow are they huge! Me and Giaan were feeding the ducks and this swan came out of the water and I almost ran. I thought to myself that this bird could kill me if it wanted to. I picked up Giaan and got the heck outa there! Stay away from the swans...consider yourself warned.
Alright! Talk to everyone soon!
Missing you all!
I think I have not wrote because I have been sulking about the Rider loss on Sunday! I started watching it on this live Internet feed and only had intentions to watch the first quarter...however..I found myself at 3 in the morning mourning a loss. Can you believe that last play? I just can't. I think it was no one's fault, just too much excitement! The Riders are so lucky to have such a loyal fan base, they could have lost every game this season and I'm sure the stands still would have been full!
I worked everyday this week again! All the teachers are getting sick everywhere! Some have a cold and some have a nasty stomach flu. eeewwyy. Those can surely stay away from ME! I have been managing to kill off any sickness SO far. Marlee has got me hooked on Echinacea so I'm thinking its been helping! I taught all week in different places again. Mostly the nursery and reception jobs that I love. I am almost tempted to tell my agency that that is ALL I want! BUT, I'm worried if I am too picky I will find myself eating pizza crust off the streets of London. I had to teach in a year 3 last week and if you ask Marlee, you'd know just how much I was hating it before I even got there. BUT, maybe because I had such low hopes, it turned out to be an alright day! I always pick the kid that looks like they'd be the best student and resort to them for any question I may have. Works Magic. I also get one child to read the register so I don't make a total ass out of myself trying to pronounce names. I love when I say a name and they look at me with blank eyes thinking there is no such student! whoooppss. I say we should all name our kids John, Joe, Bob, Sue, Kate, HELL even Margaret would be better than a name like adirmhaman. eesh! The week just flies by when you are teaching because you get home around 5, eat supper and wash dishes by 7 then get ready for the next day and its 8, then do some odd jobs and before you know it it's time for bed! Me and Marlee have a system set up, whoever gets home first cooks supper, who ever gets home lasts is in charge of dishes and making lunches! Works well....this team work!
Friday night I got home and me and Marlee lounged around for what seemed like days. We then sort of convinced eachother that we should go out for a beer at a local establishment to check it out. SO, we googled a place, found one, and set of to find a Carling. We dressed like nun's because we just had plans of going to a sit down sort of place. HOWEVER, we got there and it was BOOMING! It was lots of fun! There was a live band and they were playing popular American songs so we were just singing to them all. I'm sure people thought we were crazy because we knew them all. The pub sort of has the feel of like the Pump or a small town bar. Loved it! Definitely have to go back!
Saturday I babysat all day and had such a lovely time once again with Giaan. He is adorable. This time I made some of "Shelly's Famous Playdough" and we played for hours! I guess in other words....THE PLAYDOUGH QUEEN IS BACK. I remember when Mrs. Klebeck used to call me that! There is somethign about playdough that I JUST love! We also did some Peppa Pig paintings. Peppa Pig is this huge kids cartoon here for toddlers. It's pretty sweet. Also, on the table of "first time's" I tried curry! Preet had made "Raj Maj" I think it was called.. It was delicious! I am very glad I got to try an authentic version first. I'm really glad I picked up this babysitting job because it's so nice to spend some time with young kids!
Today, Me and Marlee ventured to a store called Asda. I knew it was a sort of version of Wal*Mart so I was pretty darn excited. We walked in and got a cart and Marlee noticed that it said "always saving you money" JUST like Wal*Mart! It is very similar and has rollback and the signs look the same and they use walmart telzons. (telzon are the machines used for ordering and checking stock and price checks, etc..)
Before today I did NOT feel in the Christmas spirit one bit. Maybe it's because there is no snow and it is the weather of fall or maybe it's because I'm so far away from my fambam and friends. Not sure. However, Me and Marlee came across a movie called "A Christmas Card" It was delightful! It got me into the spirit and when we went to Asda we found a small 3 foot Christmas tree for 3 pounds! yay! We decorated it and everything, so pictures will follow! I have so much to be thankful this Christmas. Me and Marlee are going to try make some perogies..think we can do it????
Things I've Learned...
Shopping carts are equipped with all turning wheels. In Canada only the front wheels turn 360 degrees to turn. HERE all four wheels turn meaning you can pull your cart any direction any time. It's crazy if you ask me.
Swans are massive. I know what you are thinking..."Crystal you didn't have to go half way across the world to figure this one out" BUT holy cow are they huge! Me and Giaan were feeding the ducks and this swan came out of the water and I almost ran. I thought to myself that this bird could kill me if it wanted to. I picked up Giaan and got the heck outa there! Stay away from the swans...consider yourself warned.
Alright! Talk to everyone soon!
Missing you all!
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