Blog Entries for ern18

Surviving the sticks of Cymru

ehmorden@gmail.com — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Well, maybe not quite the sticks of Wales, but it came pretty close.

I was in the Vale of Glamorgan in the South of Wales.

Pretty.

But I didn't really get to see near as much of Wales as I would have like to.

Reason: transport!

I was working during the week when transport was fairly regular; Saturdays - taking a lie in into consideration - got the 50min bus ride into Cardiff and saw the city in parts, Sundays - well, Sundays the bus only comes every two hours! Not conducive to doi [...]

Dear Diary

ehmorden@gmail.com — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Today was a day like any other

Work. Cold. Rain. A typical day between travels.

I had to call on the words of the Serenity Prayer today.

You know how it goes:
God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And Wisdom to know the difference.

You may wonder where this comes from...well, I've made peace that I cannot change other people. I can't expect common decency or courtesy, because this is apparently too much to ask.

I ca [...]

Right now...

ehmorden@gmail.com — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Right now...

I'm sitting here and wondering what to do.

What happens next?

I don't know.

Although it's still a few months it's time to come up with a plan of some sort. And I don't have one. It's not really panic inducing...yet...but it's not something I really want to think about either.

Right now...

I'm wondering about happiness.

Are we ever truly ever happy? Or perhaps contentment is better term.

Happiness is possibly a fluid concept - what may make me happy won't make [...]

Where am I???

ehmorden@gmail.com — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0100

So, I'd organised work after my Ireland tour - needing money and all, thought it would be a good idea.

Had a list, opted for Wales, since I've not been and I'd like to get to see the place. I was told job was in Cardiff. Checked out the hospital site - didn't tell me much of anything and google maps told me it was about a 30min drive from Cardiff... I thought it shouldn't be too bad. And then dismissed all thoughts of work (more or less, mini freak out when I received timetable whilst on tour [...]

Eire

ehmorden@gmail.com — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0100

So after my whirlwind Europe tour I'd hit a bit of a slump...back and no real idea what do - conversations with fellow travellers I decided to do Ireland...10 day all Ireland tour - booked and everything just over a week before due to start. Add sorting out a job for when I got back - you know the whole wanna travel but need money to do it thing - and the time was more or less filled.

Fly to Ireland with Ryanair...had to pay for luggage! Honestly...may be a cheap airline but they get you on f [...]

8 countries, 16 days part IV

ehmorden@gmail.com — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0100

V: The Netherlands & a drive through Belgium

So we finally leave Germany, and head for our last stop on the tour - Amsterdam.

Seeing as we're behind schedule - once again, brief lunch stop somewhere along the way before continuing on our journey and picking up folks who'd booked an Amsterdam weekend.

Now, those of us who'd been on the 16 day tour - especially those who'd had two seats to themselves, including yours truly, weren't all to happy with this as it meant having to share seats. [...]

8 countries, 16 days part III

ehmorden@gmail.com — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Right, so now we've left Italy and entered Switzerland.

But before I get there - I really do have to rave about our breakfast in Venice! Can't believe this slipped my mind. By the time we were at camp outside of Rome - we had all had enough of bread and were craving a no frills breakfast of cereal and milk!

I never thought I'd crave cereal. ever.

continues:

http://gudgirl18.blogspot.com/2008/09/8-countries-16-days-part-iii.html

8 countries, 16 days part II

ehmorden@gmail.com — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0100

II: Italy

Day six saw us leaving Nice, saying au revoir to France and buongiorno to Italy!

Earlyish breakfast, load the bus and then all aboard and onward to Pisa.

Pisa really was a bit of a disappointment - all there is to the town is well the leaning tower. A few tour group members knew to expect from friends who'd already been. It was typically tourist - African crafts (roll eyes!), to tacky plastic Pisa tower replicas, to boxer shorts with the tower in all sorts of 'compromising' po [...]

8 countries, 16 days part I

ehmorden@gmail.com — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0100

I've recently come back from a 16 day whirlwind tour of Europe encompassing 8 countries - I had tons of fun and it was just awesome being around fellow travellers, antipodeans, and my countrymen and few from elsewhere in the world.

I: France

Day one: trip from London to Dover, Dover to Calais and then Calais to Paris. We became intimately acquainted with the bus - it was aptly described as our second home and as you can imagine by the end of the tour we'd had enough of the bus, and halfway [...]

A painful experience

ehmorden@gmail.com — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0100

So, today I decide it's finally time I make my way to the hairdresser here. Haven't done it mostly 'cos the rand/pound exchange scares me. But, I decided - lemme suck up and deal.

Off I go...and TWO and a HALF HOURS later I walk out!

Now, we're all accustomed to waiting to get our hair done...but never ever have I waited that long while blowdrying etc etc.

It was TWO HOURS from the time they started blowdrying my hair until the last snip of the scissors, paying and then making a hasty r [...]

To wait or not to wait...

ehmorden@gmail.com — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0100

link (seeing as my blog editor still messed up):

http://gudgirl18.blogspot.com/2008/08/to-wait-or-not-to-wait.html

Brum!

ehmorden@gmail.com — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0100

New job, new city...and more new experiences!

Fabulous.

Current city: Birmingham aka Brum
Current job: mad busy, learning lots & loving it. (of course a pay rise makes it doubly great:D )

the rest:
http://gudgirl18.blogspot.com/

Bravery by any other name

ehmorden@gmail.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Bravery by any other name = stupidity.

End of story.
No two ways about it!

So - I've set aside a year or so to work and travel

the rest:
http://gudgirl18.blogspot.com/

The one thing...

ehmorden@gmail.com — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100

The one thing I loathe most is packing!

I cannot pack!

There is always always something else that needs to be put in! And you would think with all the moving I've done I'd be a packing champ.... but alas. :( I just end up looking like a pack horse!

the rest:

http://gudgirl18.blogspot.com/2008/06/one-thing.html

Change

ehmorden@gmail.com — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100

can confidently state that the one thing that has been constant to date has been change.

In some form, it's always there and seems to be the one thread sewing together the moments in my life.

I prefer to have things stay the same (doesn't everyone); I like the familiar; but I've also found...

the rest here:

http://gudgirl18.blogspot.com/2008/06/change.html

sowi...can't make it into hyperlink...can't get it to work:(

Decisions Decisions...

ehmorden@gmail.com — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100

So, it's decision making time again.

woohoo!

or not.

I have just come to the realisation that I have 2 weeks left of my 4 month contract and I DO NOT know where to from here.

This is so unlike me

continued here:

http://gudgirl18.blogspot.com/2008/06/decisions-decisions.html

randomness

ehmorden@gmail.com — Sat, 31 May 2008 00:00:00 +0100

aka boredom

resulting in stumbling and coming across things like this:

http://www.exactcenteroftheinternet.com/

not worthy of being placed in a thread...but 'funny' nonetless

Round and round

ehmorden@gmail.com — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 +0100

on bruin-ou...

threads seem to be cyclical...or maybe i just remember some things too well.

seems the same kinda posts keep being started every couple months/weeks - depending...

and good grief...that why coloured can't be terrorists and whatever coloured joke thing that's out there...wonder how many times the same things have been posted!

aah well...just an observation.

The English Countryside

ehmorden@gmail.com — Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 +0100

or 'Good Fences Make Good Neighbours'

that particular line of the poem by Frost (I had to check...just remember I did it at high school) kept running through my head all weekend.

That, and 'The hills are alive with the sound of music...' then 'how do you solve a problem like Maria'

Very random I know. Might help if I backtracked a little bit!

the rest here: http://gudgirl18.blogspot.com/

Weddings, Sunshine & the tedium of work

ehmorden@gmail.com — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 +0100

So i went home a week and a bit ago for my best friend's wedding...and it was great!

Always great seeing family and catching up with friends! Couldn't have come at a more opportune time too. The apparent spring - or lack there of - was starting to get to me.

My BFF looked stunning...as bride's tend to...and the bridesmaids were gorgeous too! Not your usual nobody liking the bridesmaid's dresses at all...

the rest here: http://gudg [...]