Anonymity

We have a customer at work who comes in for lunch most days. He sits by himself, and has his two course meal, and a couple of glasses of red wine. It's hard not to strike up conversations with people who become regulars, and this particular customer is amazing. He's so interesting, and always has time for which ever waitress it might be to talk to him. From what i can gather, he's had the most amazing life, and been all over the place. He has told me of this small village in Switzerland, which sounds like my ideal place. It's a real life fairy tale village apparently, especially at Christmas when all the lights come out. Sorry, I digress slightly. I guess my reason for posting this is because, although we see this man almost every day, and have incredible conversations with him, nobody knows his name. I've been quite tempted a few times to find out what he is called, but then I stop myself, because I quite like the anonymity of it all. I like the fact that we hardly know anything about this man, and yet at the same time, we know so much, and vice versa. We can have talks about anything, and it doesn't matter, because technically, we are still total strangers. I have had many an in depth conversation with people whilst on a bus or a train, where I've completely opened up and spilt my soul to a person who's name I don't know. I think those types of conversations are among the best you'll ever have.

Back Online...

Hey! It's been far too long since my last post, so i thought it was about time i post an update!

I've started my new job, and I absolutely love it! It's the first time in my life that I really enjoy what I'm doing, and i don't dread going into work every day. I'm working as a waitress in a French Restaurant here in Derby, and I know it's not a particularly relevant job considering my American Studies degree, but I'm happy! I love the shift wor, as supposed to the 9-5 Monday to Friday lifestyle i used to have. Office jobs just don't suit me, especially ones with little or no customer interaction. I love the fact now that i get to meet so many different people, from Derby locals to people visiting from all over the place. also, becuase the other people that work there are just amazing, it's like having a social life! I was called into work the other night, and i actually said to a colleague, "it beats sitting at home alone on my sofa!" that NEVER happens!!!!

In other news, Rich has moved out to move in with his girlfriend in Edinburgh. I drove him up there, and spent a couple of days in Bonny Scotland. it was so much fun. we went and explored the city a little bit, took some awesome pictures, that i'll hopefully manage to put up here some time. Edinburgh is such a gorgeous city, full of history and atmosphere. Daisy and i thought that we might struggle a little bit with the rent, but all is well...one of our neighbour's girlfriends has moved in. She's called Alice, and she's awesome! we have lots of fun! She is a vegan, so i'm learning all kinds of new recipes for vegan meals, it's been quite a learning curve, but an interesting one.

Anyway, that's my little update on Rach-Land. I hope everyone is well, and having a happy Halloween!!

New Paths To Take

This road is dark and never ending
No lights to follow, just forever bending
In directions I cannot control
Into places that I'll never know

I'm all alone with no one to guide
Not a hand to hold, no one by my side
But this is a road I have to take
I have to take for my sanity's sake

It will take me out to different places
Introduce me to brand new faces
Show me things I've yet to learn
This is happening to me, it's now my turn

This road is new and very scary
My days will be different and always varied
But I've never been this excited before
To do it alone and go out and explore

Although the way is new and dark
On the world I'll make my mark
I think at last I've found my place
Finally there's a smile upon my face

Part 3 - The Final Day!

Once more we were rudely awoken at 6.30am!! and this time we had to pack all our stuff up and take it back over the main building, because we weren't coming back again. And we had a breakfast of fried eggs and porridge again. Mmmmm. Then we were once again split into two groups, and we had a talk on security, and the kinds of security measures a member of the ERU should take, and what kind of risks there would be. We watched an amazing 70's video reconstructing some of the dangers and things, and then we had to plan a risk assessment and route from the 'city' that we were in Dan, to the nearest city, Patan, to pick up a first aid kit. As we were doing this there was the most almighty bang! It scared the carp out of us!!!! It was a guy dressed in a hoodie and a beanie type hat, waving a gun around demanding money! He went straight to our team leader Scott - who is in the army - who handled the situation very well, and calmly got up and stood against the wall. Then we realised that the dude with the gun was actually Jimmy - one of the other army dude, who was team leader to another group. This kinda ruined it a little bit, in as much as he went straight for the other army trained person in the room. Even though it scared the life out of us, it too quickly became a role play. We suggested that maybe for the next group, he wear a balaclava or something to disguise himself, and maybe go for Sue (who was the main organiser lady), because that way, you'll get a totally different reaction from everyone else, because a) he was going after a woman, and b) she's not army trained to deal with it. It would seem more realistic. And also maybe to get the rest of the group involved, make the whole thing last a little longer. So I would have liked to have been in the second group for that! Anyway, having planned out our route, and listed the kind of things we would have to look out for, our team (Team 4 incidentally!!!) piled into the big LandRover thing, to 'go to Patan'. Because I didn't want to do it, they MADE me sit in the front to be the spokesperson. *shudder*, so as I was expecting, we got to a 'border' and sure enough there was Scott and Jimmy being guards!!!! We had to talk our way through them, whilst turning down their offer of an armed escort, because the Red Cross runs on the principle that is Neutral and Impartial (among other things), if they were to accept an armed escort, it would seem like they were affiliating themselves with that group...so after many nasty questions, and being put on the spot by the EVIL EVIL jimmy, we managed to get through!!! Ooh, it was horrible! Didn't like it at all! I have a real issue with authority anyway, so it was not fun! But it was all done in good humour, and when we got back to the main base bit, we were all giggling about it. I can't imagine having to do that with ACTUAL people, stood there with guns and being totally serious! It gives me Goosebumps just thinking about it!

After that we did a kind of leadership, trust exercise. We were put into pairs, with someone that you've never worked with before, and one person was blindfolded. The guys had marked out a route through the trees by tying some rope to the trees and things. The non-blindfolded one had to lead their partner around the route, without touching them, or talking to them, and with out the blindfolded one holding on to the rope. HUH???/ I hear you say! We thought the same thing! Basically you had to clap to them, and they would follow the sound of your claps. It was really hard though, because there were things to step over, and branches and twigs in the way, so you had to work out some kind of signal within your clapping to mark that there was something to step over. We managed to do this (I was clapping first), but then about ¾ of the way round, there was about a 6" drop!!! Until then the signal we had worked out meant step OVER, so it was impossible to tell the other person to step down as supposed to over. But hey ho - it was really annoying though, when it came to swapping over, we did really well, as I think most people did on the second time round because you kinda knew the route by then. My partner and I were on for a really good time - it was a bit of a competition you see - but then she led me the wrong way round a tree, so we had to go back and round the other side of this tree!! But Alison - the lady leading me, didn't know the route, and as it was just marked out by a thin piece of rope, I don't blame her at all for going wrong, it was just sooo annoying. But hey ho - that's life I guess!!! But that was really good fun - it was really interesting because the sound of the other person clapping became such a comfort after a while - it was all you had. When the other person had to turn around to make sure they were going in the right direction, the clapping stopped for a while, and I know that I for one, started to panic a little bit! "Where did they go...what's going on...." It was scary!!!!

After that was the best bit of the whole weekend...in my opinion anyway. It was the first aid section. We were led further into the training camp, walking for about 15 mins or so, and then sat on the ground outside. It was a beautiful day, so sitting outside was lovely! We had a bit of a crash course in emergency first aid, and the kind of injuries we would encounter - fractures, cuts, etc.....then we were split into two groups again, all mixed up this time, which I don't think was a good idea, and we were taken to this upside down burnt out old helicopter. From there we were given a brief - we were an ERU team coming to relieve another ERU team who had been caught in an aftershock of the earthquake. 3 of the team had made it out ok, but one of them was left injured somewhere. We had to pick up a piece of kit along the way, which had been dropped from the helicopter, and radio in for more instructions. However, there were enemy forces marching this way, and friendly forces coming from the opposite direction, and they were going to meet each other right where we were, in about 15mins. Therefore, we had 15 mins to get the kit, and find the injured person and get him out. Ooh, the adrenaline started pumping then! We delegated a communications man (who turned out to be rubbish!!!), and went off in search of this piece of kit, with 2 hefty 6 foot poles and a loooong bit of sturdy rope. We found the kit; it was a first kit, in the middle of a 'mine field'. They had marked it out with stones, twigs, cans that kind of thing. But the first aid kit was about 8 feet into this minefield, and we had to somehow get it. We couldn't put any pressure on the minefield, in case we stepped on a mine, and we couldn't use the poles to hook it, in case we dropped on and it set off the mines....so we had to use the rope kinda like a cheese wire, and get the rope on the other side of the kit, and flick it towards us - if you get me... - so we eventually managed that, but it took us about 5 mins to work out how to do that, then Tom (our communications dude) radioed in for more instructions. There was a building near us, which is where our casualty was, and also in there was a satellite phone, so we left our radio behind, because it wouldn't' have worked in the building anyway, it was more like a bunker. And then the four of us headed down there - with the guys helping to run the weekend shouting, and generally causing major distractions allll the time. Once we got inside (it was totally pitch black down there, and we just had 1 torch, although I think the guys helping to run it had a couple too) we could hear a radio bleeping, and someone screaming. Our communications guy went straight to the casualty as supposed to the radio, so we had to delegate someone else to be radio guy! Then Tom told me to hold open the casualties airway - he had a big beam across his chest, one across his thigh and then a big rock at his shin, with a really nasty open fracture...and then a cut on his arm too. I stayed with jez - the casualty - all the time, and reassured him, told him what was going on, calmed him down, while tom and another lady bandaged his leg. We then somehow had to get him out - with about 3 minutes left to go...stress - people shouting, noise, dark, heart beating in my head - aagggghhhhh.....we figured we'd build a stretcher with our two man sized poles and sturdy rope - why else would we have been given them? However, we spectacularly ran out of time, and we would have either left Jez, as he was injured anyway, or we'd all have been shot!!!! No teams managed to get him out alive! How rubbish are we!! Haha, and in hindsight we would have done so many things differently. The dude running the first aid bit said if we'd just taken the time to look around, we would have found a big board on the floor, which could have used as a stretcher - so in the end we didn't need the poles at all! They were just another distraction! That bit was soo much fun, and even though we failed miserable, everyone was soo pumped afterwards!!! The adrenaline was going I can tell you!!!!!! Phew - it gives me butterflies just thinking about it. We all wanted to do it again, now that we knew what we had to do! Haha! Apparently we were the only team to keep someone with the casualty all the time - actually caring for him etc, which again in hindsight, I'm not sure I needed to do so much, I could have been useful somewhere else, but hey...what can we do now???? It was just soooo much fun!

Then we met up with the other team of 4 who had done it before us, and compared ideas and plans, and found out that their team was just utter chaos! Then we carried on chatting away as we headed back for lunch. Again lunch was make your own sandwiches, which were delicious! As we were eating, we were given our final situation report, and also we were handed a list of 4 questions. We were told we had to come up with a presentation answering these questions. We were basically handing over the camp to the next ERU, who needed to know the key people to talk to, what to do to relax, what status the city was in that kind of thing. I hate presentations, but it was ok I guess...it's all on camera too! Eeek. It's kinda cool though, because all the press interviews we did and all the presentations are all going to be put onto a DVD along with photos that the staff were taking all weekend too. I'm going to put some up on my blog when I get them! Yey! So having done our presentations, we had a brief talk from Sue, the organiser, who thanked all the staff etc, and then it was time to go. However, we were done by about 2.45ish, and I didn't end up leaving until 4.00, I didn't want to go! Coming back to reality after such an incredible weekend was hard! I met some awesome people who I will stay in touch with, hopefully! and just had one of the most amazing experiences ever!

Right…Part 2

For the First Part Read Below!

Then after that little exercise we then broke up into 2 groups, and we went out to build a tent. It was a family tent, that they give out to people in the camps that they set up to house the thousands of displaced people. They’re quite large tents, if you sat someone on someone elses shoulders, there would still be a bit of room at the top. They’re oblong shaped, with 3 large poles down the middle. So they’re fairly large, but then when you think that a family of around 8 people would be living in there for anything up to a year, they’re not so big!!! It was a real eye opener. Then after that, we had to put up a Basher! Basically, we were given a piece of tarpaulin, or a poncho in our case, and some string, and told make a shelter…this is the kind of thing that is initially given out, until the tents can be set up and/or handed out. It will probably save your life. It’ll keep you protected from the elements, and although not palatial, if it can sustain your life for a few extra days, it’s all good right? However, our group failed miserable, because our communication was awful, and we didn’t have a strong enough leader to just give out instructions. Then we were shown actually how to do it properly by one of the little Army dudes, who had had to live in a hole in Macedonia for 2 MONTHS!!! It was him and another guy, seriously living in a hole covered with the tarpaulin for 2 whole months, while they shot aeroplanes out of the sky! Nice huh???

After this we had our communications section. We were taken away from the main building, and sat down for a talk about the different kinds of communication equipment the ERU will take with them. They have VHF Radios (AKA Walkie Talkies), Satellite Phones, and GPS handsets, so that you know where you are, and can give co-ordinates. In our teams (we were Red Dan and the other team of 4 were Red Patan) we were given a couple of tasks to do using the equipment. We had to find our way to given co-ordinates, radio in to another base called Red James, requesting co-ordinates of the epicentre, go to those co-ordinates, and then radio the other team Red Patan with a situation report. It was sooo much fun! Then the other task was to set up the Satellite phone and call ‘Geneva’ and let them know that our comms were working. And them some other stuff with walkie talkies again. While all this was going on, we were also being hounded by the ‘press’!!! we had cameras in faces, and people asking us questions, all while we were trying to get on with our tasks. It was great fun!!!!!!!

Then we broke for lunch, which was just make your own sandwiches, ham, turkey, cheese salady stuff, mayo, mustard, pickle, crisps, fruit – they fed us well!!!! Then after lunch we had a talk about what kind of things the Logistics team actually do, and what the job entails etc. and also the kind of things you have to think about when setting up a camp. Then in our groups we had to design our own relief camp, and present it to the rest of the group. Ours was by far the best – obviously!! Tee hee!!!!! Then after that we had a bit of a break for a while, in which we got to have our phones back!! Yey! so I called the parents, and then daisy and rich to let them know what kind of disaster I was having…..then I managed to wash my hair! Boy did I feel better after that! It was amazing!!! Then we had dinner, which was pasta bolognaise, and very yummy it was too! Then we had some more talks about the stuff the ERU actually do, and we looked at slides and things from Richard’s time in Indonesia after the Tsunami and then in Afghanistan after 9/11. it was pretty harrowing stuff, but really interesting to see all the amazing stuff that these guys do. Then as a final thing before bed we had to nominate 1 person from each team to give a live feed to the ‘BBC’ plugging the Aid Campaign. We chose Nicola, who got up and did really well, with her 1 minute. It was really heartfelt and would have made me want to donate some money!!!! Then as a reward for that, each team got a bottle of wine. Mmmm we were allowed to take them over to our accommodation. So loads of people came to hang out in our room, and we did this thing were instead of going around the room and saying something about yourself, you had to introduce someone else and say what you knew about them. And them if anyone else had anything to pitch in they could. It meant that we all got to know on another a lot better! It was great! It was sooo funny – the more wine people drank the more relaxed we all were, and so the more chatty people got. But because it was only a bottle per team, no one got really drunk, so there were no nasty hangovers in the morning!! It was just great fun.

Part 3 (which is the final part) is on it's way...Also, i'm hoping to get some photos up here soon too. When i get them through the post! Watch This Space!!

Disaster Management Weekend Part 1

Right – where do I start!

I’ll start with the journey down, that was going really well until the M1 where I was stuck in traffic for ages, and having left later than planned, I was panicking a little bit!! Eek! But it all cleared up and after a while I was back on track. I stopped off briefly at Chievely Service station to check in with the Parents and them know I was safe, and then headed back onto the M4 – but succeeded in going the wrong way down the M4!!! 20mins later, I had managed to find and exit, turn around and head back the right way. Then I managed to find my way to Bramley – where the weekend was taking place, and eventually made it to the training area.

Before I had left, I opened my secret memo which told me that I was part of an Emergency Response Team being deployed to Bukastan, to a city called Dan, where there had been an Earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter Scale. We were part of the logistics team, so would see relatively little of the actual crisis zone. We were in charge of organising who needed what, and getting it out to the right people. Things like tents, medical kits, sanitation kits etc….So when I arrived at the Training Area, I was greeted at the gate by a guy asking if I was there for an earthquake!!! I drove up the road to the base, and unloaded my gear. Then I had a meeting with Claire who had been organising the fundraising side of things. I handed over the £545 that people had very kindly donated. I also had to hand over my mobile phone at this stage – my lifeline!!!! I didn’t actually miss it as much as I thought I would!

After all the admin type stuff was out of the way, I was given an information pack, which gave us information about the city of Dan, and the surrounding areas, the population, and climate, and political status etc, and then also some info about the Red Cross and Red Crescent…it was all a bit much to take, and everyone just ended up chatting to each other, and getting to know one another. Then when everyone had arrived, we sat down and had some brief talks about the situation, and the red cross etc, and were introduced the various staff members. We were still not told what to expect from the weekend…then we were split into 4 teams of either 4 or 5, and introduced to our Team Leaders, who would be looking out for us over the weekend, and helping us if we were a bit stuck. We introduced ourselves to our little group, and said a bit about what we do now, and where we’ve been, and where we found about the weekend. Then we were given our first update on the situation in Dan, before our deployment later on, and we then had to write a report back to Geneva as to what the current situation was, and what supplies we would be needing, and things like that. We then had a quick talk from a guy called Richard who is a REAL LIFE member of the ERU Team. He showed us some slides and things of when he was deployed to Bam, the city in Iran that was flattened by a horrendous Earthquake on Boxing Day of 2004. You might remember the photos of their ancient citadel that had been standing for about 3000 years, that was totally ruined in about 15minutes….it was so interesting to hear about what he did, and the help he, and other ERU teams provided. Then, after that we were shown to our accommodation – hhhmmmmm. It was totally dark as it was about 10.30pm at this stage, and so all we had were our little torches. Following our Team leader Scott, we were taken to this huge empty warehouse type building. There was a large empty room, with smaller (better sized) rooms off the side. We were given air beds and pump, which is more than I was expecting. So once we had found our little room, we worked out where we would all sleep, got into our Jim Jams and sat around talking about our first update, and the kinds of things we might be doing the next day. I think we all eventually stopped talking and fell asleep around midnight ish. I managed to have a fairly decent night sleep – I think that’s where all the camping came in handy. I’m used to noisy sleeping bags, and rustling air beds. But also, because we were based on a military training ground there were apparently all kinds of strange noises all night. As I say – I didn’t hear a thing! I was shattered, having been working on Thursday night at the restaurant, and then on Friday morning too.

However, we were RUDELY awoken at 6.30 on Saturday morning. We dressed and made our way over to the main camp, where we offered delicious fried eggs to make sandwiches with, or really really good porridge. So we ate that, and then sat down in our groups to go over our second update from Dan. We then had to write another report back to Geneva with all the updated figures, and requests for more supplies and things. Then we had a talk about the ideals of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and what they mean, and what the delegates who work for them have to do to uphold the fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. That bit was really interesting, as we learnt about the various sections of the organisation and what each one does. We also played a bit of a game type thing. The guy giving the talk stuck two bits of paper on opposite walls of the room. One said Totally Acceptable and the other said Totally Unacceptable. We had to put ourselves into the mindset of a soldier, and then give our opinions on various statements that he read out. Things like: ~ Shooting a 12 year old boy in the rebel militia coming towards you with the rest of his group holding a gun. IE…is it acceptable to shoot a 12 year old? And then: ~ Making a Prisoner of War clear a minefield that he and his Army had laid? Knowing that he could blow himself up…..it was interesting to see how people differed in their views.

It's Finally Here....

Tomorrow is the day! It’s time for my British Red Cross Fundraising Disaster Management weekend. I can’t believe that it’s here already. The time has just flown by so fast. It’s incredible. I’m pretty much all set and ready to do. I just need to go into town tomorrow before I set off to pick up a few last minute bits and pieces, and than at about 2.00pm tomorrow afternoon, I’ll be hitting the road to get down to a place called Bramley. I’m so excited! I just can’t wait. I have absolutely no idea what to expect, or even what is expected of me. But I think that can be the best way sometimes. I have a Top Secret memo at home that was sent to me a couple of days ago – I’m not allowed to open it until 4.00 tomorrow afternoon. I think I’ve done very well not to have opened it before hand!!!!

I’ve blasted through my £500 target with some extra money too! I’d like to say a MASSIVE thank you to all those who have sponsored me along the way, and helped me reach my target – I would not be going on this amazing weekend without all of you. Don’t worry, you can guarantee that I’ll be updating my blog with every single last detail of my weekend! You wont’ be getting away that lightly either…if I’m able to I hope to take some pictures, so you’ll all be able to see what it was like too.

So thank you again everyone, have a good weekend, and I’ll let you all know how I got on next week…

Joan as Passion Flower

My friend Sally, had a passion flower but when she moved house, it needed a new home, (the passion flower, not sally! - well she needed a new home too!!!) Anyway, sally's new home didn't have a garden suitable for Joan, (now there's another story as to why she's called Joan as Passion Flower), so I took her in, and put at the end of my patio. A few weeks ago, one of her many buds opened up, during a really hot sunny spell here in Derby. Passion Flowers are my favourite flowers of all time, I am fascinated by them...there is just so much to them, so many layers. I was so excited when she flowered, that I just had to go and take some pictures...so here you go!

Lucious

I was walking home from work a little while ago, when the weather was still beautiful, and the sun was out. In order to get home, I have to walk through a park , which is always much nicer than I think it should be, due to the surrounding area. I just happened to have my camera with me on this sunshiney day, so I snapped a few pictures to share with you...


I love the way the trees make little tunnels to walk through...lining up on either side, like regiments. But then taken from another angle - they're in no order whatsoever, just a mess of wood and leaves....








With little pathways that just disappear into yet more trees and parkland. Doesn't it just make you want to follow the path, and find out where it goes???


We spend a lot of time in our park, as it's literally across the road from my house...I love green, especially when you're in a city. It's a little pocket of nature right there...

Take Me Away

The past few days have been some that I would rather forget forever – too much to go into really, but you know how life gets sometimes. All I’ve wanted to do for a while now is read a really good book, or watch a really good movie. Just do anything to take me out of my life, and for a short time let me live in someone else’s. Whenever I’m sat at work, I just want to be in an amazing book and have a totally different life to this one. If only it was that easy to escape all our problems eh! I’ll just have to make do with the suspended animation of watching a film, or being sucked into a book – at least until I’ve worked out a way to transport myself into another world! As I’ve said, thank goodness for my imagination.

On a side note, today is my last day in my current job (also thank goodness), and on Monday I start a new one. I will be working for the Derby Evening Telegraph – a local paper – in the advertising department, proofreading property adverts and taking calls from clients and what not. I’m terrified about starting, as I always am with new jobs, but relieved to be leaving here. I am bored of office jobs now – and I said in a post a little while ago – I will not be giving up on my dreams! The past few days have given me the drive to get on it and do something! Stuck in a rut – I WILL NO LONGER BE!

Scotland on a Shoestring Part 2 (without photos again for now...)

We spent the rest of the day sitting in beer gardens, watching the world and the river go by. There was a bizarre mixture of people around Callendar. There were the locals going about their daily business, groups of people from out of town, but who obviously knew the area, and then there were the tourists – like us – milling about, and taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the small town. One of the smells drifting over to us was that of the Chippy! By the time we had sat in the sunshine for a few hours, we were hungry…so we ventured over the Fish and Chip shop where we were going to indulge ourselves with another deep fried pizza. But then I read on the menu that they had deep fried Haggis instead! Mmmm, ooh, it was delicious. It has such a rich taste and texture, but with the fairly tasteless chips, it was heavenly. That set us up for the afternoon, so we ventured back to the campsite, via a supermarket on the way to pick up provisions. We were feeling very continental that night, we had Brie, with French Bread and a bottle of red wine – only we had to buy screw top wine, as we had not brought a cork-screw with us – this meant that the wine was hideous! But it’s all fun and games when you’re camping right? We sat in our chairs outside the tent enjoying what was now a beautiful day, with the sky virtually clear of any of the black clouds that had been bothering us earlier on in the day. We cracked out the wine and sat watching the world go by. It was a wonderful evening spent listening to music, and the sounds of the outdoors. We ate the bread and cheese, and felt like queens in our canvas thrones with our plastic cups of wine. We were so warm in the sunshine, but then, because it had been so clear, the evening was absolutely frozen! Sarah and I ended up sitting there with our waterproof trousers over our jeans, long sleeve t-shirts, hoodies and waterproof jackets too, just to try and keep warm. It didn’t really work too well, so we headed into the tent where it was slightly warmer. To compensate for the cold we slept in most of the clothing we had taken with us, only to wake up in the morning to the bright sunshine – I was cooking in all my layers!

It was a beautiful Thursday morning, which was going to be spent lazing around the tent, but as we were up and about, we figured we might as well ship out and initiate the penultimate stage of the trip. We shipped out and headed up north to the Trossachs. The hills, lakes and rivers that make up the Trossachs are stunning. As the road meandered through the sloping countryside, we were faced with a different picturesque view around every corner. Dotted along the road were various parking points, and so we pulled in to get snap happy with the cameras. It was breathtaking. We found our way up to the tiny village where Rob Roy is buried. I couldn’t tell you the name of village, even if I could remember it, as it was thoroughly un-pronounceable!!! But it was so pretty. There were three graves all together, for Rob Roy, his wife and his two sons. There was a small plaque at the foot of each grave, and at the head it said, “McGregor through it all”??? Having taken a few pictures and taken in the history and atmosphere of the place, we headed back South towards Dunfermline, our last port of call before heading home.

We finally made it to the city via Perth, where we had some lunch. We got totally and horrendously lost trying to find the street on which Sarah’s Aunt lives. We have this thing, where we just assume we know where we’re going because we know the name of the street! It doesn’t work like that! Haha!! Anyway, we arrived eventually and were greeted at the door with a smile, a hug and a bottle of cider! The rest of that day, and into the evening was spent chatting away in the back garden, and then the kitchen when it got too cold. Sarah’s Aunt got out all the old photographs so that Sarah could see her family, many of them for the first time. It was good for Sarah to see her roots, and find out why she is the way she is. We slept really well that night, in the most comfortable beds; it made a change from the floor again! Then early the next day, we got up, and left Dunfermline over the Forth Bridge, and headed back for England.

The week was fantastic, and holidaying on a shoestring is the way forward! It was great! We didn’t do the usual touristy things, (although I would like to go back and do that) but we ventured out and did other things instead. I love Scotland – the cold, the wind, and the flies – and I can’t wait for my next trip out!

Thank you Shane

I have just come across this post from a link from Shane Nickerson's site. I don't think he'll ever quite know just how much his answer meant to me. He is explaining the importance of a letter he wrote at the age of 23 to Kenneth Brannagh about how to play the role Hamlet.

I'm stuck in a rut at the minute, working in a job that is not my life's career - without any real reason to leave. What I need is some hope that my dream could come true if I actually put the effort in to change it. Reading Shane's post earlier on gave me that little glimmer of hope that whatever I want to do is possible and I'm going to go out and get it!

I was watching The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring yesterday, with the cast commentary over the top. It was so interesting to find out how they made certain sections, and what the actors were trying to convey at certain points - but more than that, it made me want to be a part of something like that. The connection that all the actors have with each other and other members of the crew - especially when undertaking such a mammoth project like LOTR. Those three films will go down in history along side Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the Godfather as some of the best Trilogies ever!

One day - one day my name will be on the credits of a movie - JUST YOU WAIT!

Scotland Trip Part 1 (without photos for the time being!)

I awoke on Sunday morning with a jolt of excitement…today was the day we were leaving for the camping trip! I had managed to pack most things before falling into bed the night before, so all I had to do was shower, dress and put the last minute things in my rucksack. I was prepared for anything. I had my waterproof jacket and trousers, my Wellington boots, t-shirts, a pair of shorts, jeans…you name it, and I had it. My friend Sarah came over at about 8.00am, and we packed up the car. We were on the road for no later that 8.30!

The excitement in the car was incredible. Neither of us had been to Scotland before, (unless you’re counting the two weeks I was there after I was born!) so we were ripe with anticipation. Also, Sarah had the added excitement/nerves of meeting her family for the first time. She had found out a couple of years before that her grandfather had separated from her grandmother, and had settled down with a whole new family. It was a bit of a bombshell when Sarah found, but she was eager to meet them nonetheless. As we got further and further up the M1 Motorway, we could almost smell Scotland – or at least the whiskey! About 2 hours after we had set off the hunger started to strike, so we pulled over to a service station named Scotch Corner – we never did find out why it was called that, but we had been seeing the signs for it for miles and miles so felt we had to pull in to it. Also on the way up we passed the famous/notorious sculpture The Angel of the North. I personally do not like it one bit. I think its wings are too wide, and it looks out of proportion. It’s just a hunk of rusty metal in my eyes, but there are many many people who would disagree with me.

Also on the way up, we pulled off the main road to visit Bamburgh Castle, in Northumberland. It’s about 3 miles up the road from where my Mom grew up, and my Great – Granddad helped to rebuild one of the walls. I remember going as a child, when we were there on a family holiday. My parents told my sister and I that we were going to this castle, and it was a guided tour. Now when you’re about 6 years old, the last thing you want on your vacation is a guided tour of some old building. However, when we got there, it was not a guided tour as such, there were just roped off paths and areas and you made your own way round. My Mom let my sister and I go off alone and explore. To this day it is one my most cherished childhood memories. I also think that it was this that sparked my love of castles and old houses. It was incredible to go back – the structure is awesome (in the literal sense of the word). Unfortunately we didn’t have the time or the money to go around the Castle again, but one I day I will do it. I want to live there! The history of the place seeps through the walls into the atmosphere. Even stood outside the Castle walls, looking out over the North Sea you can feel it. To give you an idea as to the age of the building, historians and archaeologists can date parts of it back to the times of the Saxons – 700’s – 800’s.

We left there in awe and amazement, and headed back for the main road. Eventually we passed the Scotland Welcomes You signpost and we knew we were nearly there! We both gave a little cheer as we left England for Scotland. Even though we managed to get ourselves lost along the way to the campsite, we were still in good spirits shouting out the strange names of the towns in our worst Scottish accents! We managed to find the Seaton Sands Caravan Park, and find somewhere to park in order for Sarah to call her Aunt and let her know we had arrived. Sarah was incredibly nervous and a little excited, as she wasn’t sure what to expect when meeting her newly found family. We found the caravan pitch and pulled up alongside. As a woman was walking towards, it was unmistakably Sarah’s Aunt…their eyes are exactly the same – it was spooky! We spent that evening getting to know one another and having a general chat. I sat back a bit at this point and watched as Sarah finally found the family she had been searching for her entire life. Much alcohol was drunk, and a great deal of talking was done. It was a wonderful evening.

Sarah and I slept in the little tent that night, and we fell asleep to the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach, and the wind whipping through the canvas. We were a bit concerned at some points during the night that the tent would actually blow away, but as it was we were safe! We woke up bright early in the morning with the sun beating down on the tent and almost baking us alive! It was a welcome change the freezer we had fallen asleep in. I thought my nose was going to fall off at one point! That Monday was spent playing on the beach with the children, collecting crabs and shells and drawing in the sand. In the afternoon Sarah and I left the family and went exploring the nearest little town, Port Seaton and Cockenzie. We found a friendly little pub, so sat outside and soaked up the local atmosphere. We met a couple of the regulars of the pub, who proceeded to talk to us with the thickest Scottish accents, that all we could do in return was smile and nod! Once we were feeling a little bit merry, we headed back to the campsite to meet up with the family once again. Things were a little easier that day, because Sarah was over the worst of her nerves, so she had calmed down a little and was more like her usual self. I can’t imagine what must have been going through her head. She found out about her Granddad, who she hardly knew – if at all – and more about her Aunt’s family. They all have the same eyes – even down to the new 12-week-old baby.
On that Monday night I experienced one of the tastiest foods…ever! Deep Fried Battered Pizza! It sounds hideous, but trust me, it’s a taste sensation! It’s full of grease, and could be considered a Heart Attack in a polystyrene box…but my goodness it tasted good. It was just the cheapest plainest cheese pizza dipped in batter and then deep-fried…a taste of Scotland right there! Everyone was worn out with all the excitement of the previous days, so we had a fairly calm even just sitting, freezing and talking! It was another incredibly windy night, but it was warmer than the night before…either that, or we just had more clothes on!

We packed everything up in super quick time in the sun-shiny morning, and hit the open road once again, aiming for Edinburgh. We have some friends who live in a suburb of the city, and we were staying with them over night. Eventually, having managed to get ourselves a little bit lost, we found their house. We were promptly fed toast and tea to set us up for the day ahead. We caught the bus into Edinburgh itself, and nothing could have prepared us for what we were about to see. We got off the bus at the Prince’s Street Stop, and had our breath completely removed from our body! The only way to describe Edinburgh is EPIC. The buildings are huge and so imposing, but not necessarily in a bad way. Again, you can feel the history and timelessness of the buildings as you wander around them. Sarah and I weren’t quite sure what to do with ourselves. The sights were in the literal sense of the word, awesome. Also at the minute scattered all around Edinburgh are decorated cows. They’re all over the place, each one as unique as a snowflake. Some designed by school children, some by office workers, some by students, some by individuals, but they are all equally as beautiful.

Edinburgh Castle is also a thing of great beauty. It is nestled on a hilltop over looking the city, with its high castle walls and towers. The strength of building is visible from almost anywhere on Prince’s Street and beyond. We didn’t go up to the Castle because unfortunately we did not have time, but the views from where we were sat in the Prince’s Street Gardens was still amazing. Having rested our minds, which were due to explode with the excitement and awe of being in such a city, we met up with Lisa, who we were staying with that night. She took us down a street called the Royal Mile, which has lots of little cool shops, and a Museum of Childhood, which had us in stitches over the style of some of the old dolls! We wandered around World’s End – so named because way back when the city had walls, that particular point was the perimeter. Out of the city walls were the beggars, the thieves and the general outcasts of society. It was considered to be the end of your world if you ventured out beyond on the safety of the city – hence World’s End. We found a tiny little street of steps called Fleshmarket Close – we never found out why it was so named, but I’d be intrigued to know – on which we found Scotland’s Smallest and Friendliest Pub. Now I can say that it was tiny, containing only about 4 tables inside and 3 outside, but as for the Friendliest…I’m not so sure. The bar tender wasn’t even going to acknowledge us on our way out, if we hadn’t have said goodbye to her. But even so, it was a cute little pub where sat, drank, chatted and soaked up that Edinburgh vibe.

We woke up fairly late the next morning, having slept in a bed for the first time in a while, and boy was it comfy! So just sauntered around for a while, getting everything packed up and ready to go once again. Then once more the road was ahead of us and we were aiming for Callendar. It’s a small little town nestled in the Trossachs – the hills of mid-Scotland – and is most famous for being in Rob Roy country. It also became favourite spot of the trip so far because it’s where we came across A HIGHLAND COW!!! He came out of nowhere, and was suddenly there, in a field right next to the road! His name was Hamish and his horns were enormous! It was the aim of my trip to see at least one Highland Cow! He was as docile as a bunny rabbit, although it must be quite hot underneath all that hair. He was just stood munching on the grass, although his huge horns restrained him from getting to the nice big pile of juicy grass just in front of the fence. He had the biggest brownest eyes – when you could see them under his floppy ginger fringe. I was so pleased to have been able to get that close to such a creature.

Faery World

I don't normally fill my blog with things like this, but I have 2 things to say about this...
1) I love the faery world, and all things connected to it. I am 23 years old and I truly belive in faeries - without shame!
2) This is actually quite true!!!!




What type of Fae are you?

www.justgiving.com/rach8183

Please donate

Hi Everyone...I'm still working on that Scotland update. It'll be old news by the time it makes it up here! But I promise it's on its way!

In the mean time - I have signed up for a Disaster Management weekend to help raise money for the British Red Cross especially the Emergency Response Unit. I have until September 14th to raise £500, so I really really need your help. Visit www.justgiving.com/rach8183 It would mean sooo much to me, and a whole lot more to the British Red Cross.

Thank you so very very much...

It's coming

Just a quick note to anyone who’s wondering – I got back from Scotland last week, having had an incredible time. I am in the process of writing it up at the minute, and I’ll be putting some photos in there too. Because of this it’s taking longer than expected, but there will be a detailed description of my highland tour on a shoestring!

Watch this Space….

Vacation Time!

I'm taking next week off work and heading North! I'm going to Scotland!! A friend and I are camping from Sunday night, until Friday! I'm so excited I can't wait! Neither of us have a great deal of money, so it's going to be a holiday on a shoestring! (ooh, if anyone knows where that saying came from, please tell me!!) I'll definately be putting some photos up when I get back! There won't be any chance for blogging, but I'll tell you all about it when I get back...Roll On Sunday!!

Happy Independence Day!

Hey to all those across the pond!! Happy 4th July! Hope you all have a good day!

Plus - for a real geeky side note - Happy Wedding Day to Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes!!!

Matt the Cat (Update 2)

So, hopefully this will be the last update about Matt cat. We took him to the vets who told us we should call the Cat Protection League, as they sometimes help out with fees. So Daisy phoned them up, and they agreed to pay for all treatment that he might need now. So luckily for us, and for him hopefully, he gets to stay with us!!! YEY! All the vets told us what a happy cat he is. We hope it has something to do with us! We've all gone totally smooshy over him!

As I say, hopefully there won't need to be any more updates, as he'll be a happy healthy cat with a loving family! As I write this he is lying on the back of my chair!!!!

Matt the Cat (Update)

Well, Matt the Cat is doing so much better than we thought he would. When I got home from work yesterday, he was awake and purring like a lawn-mower! He came straight over to me, and wound his way through my legs until I picked him up, then he was headbutting my chin, just wanting cuddles! His eyes (yes both of them!!!) look a lot better now too, one is still slightly more bloodshot than the other one, but they're nowhere near the red they were when we found him. He's an adventurous little thing. We put him outside in our back garden for a bit of explore, and he was not afraid of anything. In fact, he was giving those dried leaves what for! Then he wore himself out a little bit, so fell asleep on my knee still purring away! All night he was like that, awake and exploring the new sights and smells of our house and garden, and then falling asleep again. My housemate Rich has become all soft and gooey over Matt the Cat! They fell asleep together on the sofa. It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen!

We did take him down to the vets, just so that they could give him a check up and make sure that it is just a cold that he's got. he keeps sneezing a lot, bless him! But because it was out of hours, they were going to charge us £85 just to have a look at him! Luckily Daisy and Rich have today off work, so they are going to take him down later on this afternoon. However, if the cost of the treatment is going to be too much, we may have to give him up as we won't be able to afford it. I'm really hoping that he's not too poorly, because we've all fallen so in love with the little thing! He's such a little character!

When I came down for breakfast this morning, he was curled up asleep on one of our dining chairs. Then when he woke up, he managed to jump over the little barriers we had made for him, and he just sat on my feet while i was making my sandwiches for lunch today. He played with my toes, and again, wound himself around my legs. It was as if he just wanted that contact all the time! I really didn't want to leave him this morning...he kept miowing at me!!! Bless!

I just hope we get to keep him for a little bit longer! I'll keep you posted though!