Off we go!

So off I go to the ski hill. The flight leaves Liverpool at 1810 so I'll be heading off soon. I'm feeling fairly aprehensive about it but excited too. I can't wait to get there. I've got so many questions like insurance and all that sort of thing but I think I just need to go and get gone.

When there I'll try and find an internet cafe and post some more. Feel free to add comments any time!

Some fabby pictures

I haven't been posting as often as I'd hoped. But today I went to my grandparents' house in Ambleside during an elaborate cover up of my sister, Liz, who is coming back today (Tuesday) but my mother doesn't know yet.

In a complicated plan, Lizzie was due back a week today but decided a couple of weeks ago to come home a week early (which is today) before Beccy and I are due to leave on what we thought would be next Monday (19th). Thus formulating a plan to surprise / scare my mother. Then she decided to continue travelling in Brazil with someone she had met out there and come back on the original date planned (19th). Mel, my other sister, told my mum the what the surprise was going to be. Now Liz has decided to come back today so the surprise is back on with mum thinking the surprise is off. I think in the industry they call it a triple bluff i.e. to bluff three times thus confusing the hell out of everyone and leaving the family to run around after her. But it'll be nice to see her. Meanwhile I leave you with some photos as the published album is a bit non existant at the moment. Now I'm not sure if this is going to work but here goes.

This is Beccy and I on the day of my graduation in a very nice Cafe in Durham called Saddlers. Thankfully the weather was fantastic and bright and Mr Bill Bryson, in his capacity as the chancellor, said that it was the most perfect place to be graduated.

This is the man himself, Mr X and my mum and Stuart's daughter; Alexis during the recent holiday to St Kitts. The bar is the Shiggidy shack and Mr X is the owner. Find it down at south Frigate bay! The entrance to the Shiggidy Shack Bar. Beccy and I pose on the last night of our holiday. A holiday I'll never forget!

David, Stuart and I went scuba diving with Mr X and a couple of his mates. Here we learn the very basics in the shallows before heading off to the reef!

Morning Has Broken

As my young (6 month old) Nephew was staying in the room next to mine; it was an earlier start to the day than anticipated. Usually when I wake up that early on a Saturday I'm going on Holiday or something. Anyway I'm at Beccy's and so using the internet here. I still haven't got round to uploading my completed albums to the net because I've got to collate them all and write the witty comments and then upload them (which is going to take a week). So I had wanted to do it whilst there's wifi internet at Beccy's but I forgot to bring all the stuff. What I have been doing this week is completing San Andreas it is an absolutely fantastic game. I love it! Go and buy it now! It will honestly take you 100 hours to complete and there is not a single boring bit. If you get bored with the usual running around doing missions there are hundreds of side missions. Treasure hunting, exercising, shopping, dining, racing, flying, sailing, playing computer games, stealing military equipment and a whole load of challenges like bmx biking, dirt bike racing, the triathlon, hot ring racing, gambling and flirting with women. Fantastic! There are so many vehicles to play with, monster trucks, hovercrafts, cranes, diggers and I even figured out how to steal police cars without being caught. What you've got to do is get the tow truck and find a police car. Next reverse the thing up to the said car. Now attatch the hook and tow the car away with occupants to a nearby ramp into some water. Reverse in and the people inside will drown. Drive out and you've got an empty whatever to run people off the road with. There's even a jump jet with heat seeking missiles, once you've stolen it in a blaze of glory. Enough about the game. I'm off out for a curry tonight; it's been more than a week without one.

London!

So we were in london at the weekend. My dad got us a room in the Marriott near swiss cottage tube. It was pretty marvelous. On friday, after my medical, Beccy and I went shopping to Harrods where we were searching for an over priced pair of ski pants for me which were apparently only stocked there. So off we trotted. It took about six hours to get to the ski wear section and even longer to convince myself that they were worth the money, but I purchased them and I am very proud of them! We also went and bought some obligatory biscuits, xmas pudding and rulers etc for undisclosed members of my family who won't be checking this blog and if you are don't worry it's not you. After rushing back to the hotel we headed out (very late) to meet Tom at canary wharf but that's for a day when I've uploaded my piccies coz I took a few of the walk. So you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see the highlights of that!

Heathrow and my Medical

To get into NATS I am required to pass a medical and the Occupational Health Department is right in the middle of Heathrow airport. It is quite inconspicuous.

So on Thursday we paid our way and went off to Heathrow. It was a 2 hour drive and we added a stop at Swanwick which is where I would like to end up working. Swanwick is like the centre of the Air Traffic Control Universe and houses the largest and most technologically advanced Control Centre. It is, I think, military turf as there is a military presence for the Distress and Diversion department which is run by the RAF. It is huge and there is a rather conspicuous "Nature Reserve" just behind it.

So onwards to London with a brief stop to refill the windscreen washer fluid as I tend to have to wash the windscreen on average every 2 minutes.

The Sheraton was nice. Nicer than the Fircroft that's for sure. Beccy and I headed into London centre in search of Christmas shopping.

Later that evening we met my Dad for a curry and as unusually I remained sober the whole evening as I had a urine test the very next day and didn't want to upset.

So the medical was uneventful really. I had quite a lot to do. Sit here, stand there, listen to this, blow here, look at that, pee in that and so fourth. He gave me some very positive feedback and said that "it is just a case of a rubber stamp". So all being well we're away. Now I have to get a start date.

Bournemouth

So on Tuesday Beccy and I headed down to Bournemouth. We took Beccy's parents' car and the Sat Nav which was fab! So we were staying at a place called the Fircroft Hotel. It was ok. I don't think we were really the target customer base.

On arrival into Bournemouth the Sat Nav took us past a pedestrian street with all the usual shops along it. We assumed this must be town centre and so carried on to the Hotel to check in. This must have been about 2 ish. So we set off to look around, as you do, the centre. Initially it struck us just how few people were around. Granted it was the afternoon on a Tuesday but there were 3 people in the nearby area. In a stroke of sensibleness we bought a map. A bit dissapointed with the town already, we began to dread having to move here. People had said that it was full of old people and they seemed to be right. There were hundreds of retirement homes.

We set off towards the Sea and quickly got lost amongst the many granny flats. Checking the map we made a discovery! We weren't in Bournemouth. We were in a place 2 miles east called "Boscombe" which was rather dull and drab. So we hot footed it into town arriving at the lovely park which disects the centre of the City.

It was a nice centre and we had a drive out to the extremities and city edges where we were told it was quite easy to get flats. They were all rather nice. No complaints and I am looking forward to going down!

Out Of Time

Money ran out! What I was saying was it's good to see the "Fourth Years" upholding the tradition of being grumpy and a bit boring. Anyways I'm back home after a little adventure. See above.