Here’s some pics of Paddington roaming around the plane and of the transit lounge in Brunei which was my home for 10 hours or so… it was hot and muggy… the place where time stopped for me and the worst part of my long flight. On the plus side the toilets weren’t anywhere near as bad as I’d been told but I definitely had to watch my bags so when I did try to have a snooze I lay with my head on one bag and my feet on the other! Oh and there was no big screen telling you eta’s on anything etc so you always had to listen to every single voice call over the loudspeaker which was sooooo annoying cos there were a tonne of them!

Well it’s almost been a week since I left but it doesn’t feel like it at all!

I got into London, Heathrow at round 6am after a non-eventful flight (albeit LOOOOOOONG haha) I managed to escape my seat next to a huge dude to grab a 3-seater row allll to myself cos the flight wasn’t full and I managed to knock off a few of the 18 hours off by sleeping which I reckon helped me hugely once I arrived. Amelia met me at Heathrow and we took the 1 hour or so bus ride to Oxford where she lived… then the final leg was a 10 min walk to her flat which took me about 20 mins cos I was shattered (and lugging 1 x 20kg suitcase, 1 x 7kg backpack and a laptop bag!) so we finally arrived at her wee place and I crashed on the couch in a heap.  5 mins later Mum was ringing! I was not in the best way emotionally so I couldn’t really talk for fear of turning into a blubbering mess so I just limited my answers to yips and laughs. I think mum was fooled but maybe not haha. Amelia wasn’t but then again she was sitting next to me and could see the tears rolling down my face!

So then we had a wee break and went for a walk into the centre of Oxford which was nice! Then we headed back to hers and she started making tea while I lazed again.  Her new hubby Mike came home and we just had a night in and I managed to stay awake til 10pm! Amelia was super impressed haha.

Sat morning I was awake bright and early which was weird for me!  Then I ventured out for the first time by myself to the train station up the road to meet Glitter Girl! Was awesome to see the wee minx again after  so long!  We did a sight-seeing bus tour with this lovely tour guide telling us all about Oxfords history, with his own hint of humor which was brilliant! Then we meandered round the city and got myself sorted with a UK sim card (which still isn’t working and I will have to sort at some stage soonish!) and had some KFC for lunch haha yes yes yes all the new places we could’ve tried and we pick pokey old KFC! ah well… had to see what it was like here! Not impressed to be honest but ya don’t know til ya try and it filled a gap…

Well this post is getting kinda long… so i’ll sign off here and add a second installment later on… plus I’m going out with my Auntie Marcia to pick up the 3 kiddywinks to take them to Adventureland for lots of jumping round I imagine!!

Later gators…. xxx Manda

Just got back from my last drive out of the tunnel in my Rav and thought I’d best post something on my last day in NZ for a wee while!

Had to go to Eastgate to get a few minor things and then when I came back I took a run round Lyttelton… I found myself getting a bit sad so turned to Stevie Wonder and he got me bopping with his classic “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” masterpiece that never fails to lift my mood haha.  Old skool aye!? Hey it works for me so I use him quite often to lift my spirits

Had my last wee snuggle with Bails this morning and then got up and started working through my list of things to do and YAY it’s 2.41pm and I have completed them all!  I now have 3 packed bags sitting in my kitchen waiting for the big adventure haha.  Oh minus my laptop until I’ve finished this post

Went and had lunch with my dad at his work yesterday which was nice! Even though he did think it was meant to be today hahaha that’s what old age does to ya I spose!  While I was out I got a couple of books for the flight – the latest one by Patricia Cornwell (which I can’t remember the name of and can’t be arsed getting up to rummage through my bag to find out!) as well as a book of ‘gripes and groans’ penned by Joe Bennett who lives in Lyttelton and should be good for a laugh on the way! Also got a puzzle book so all that, combined with my deck of cards, entertainment on the plane & people-watching, should keep me occupied along my journey!

Our neighbours Vicky and Dianne just dropped by before for a cuppa and to say goodbye which was nice. Vicky’s so excited that it made me all excited too haha plus her and Steve got me this gorgeous matching jade bracelet and ring which I absolutely love! and it matches with my necklace from Dan so I’m all ‘Kiwi’d out’ haha.

Hmmmmm…. what else to say?… well Mum’s just come in wanting info on what to feed our Doves so I’ll leave it there methinks!  (The doves are yet to be named but I’m rooting for George and Mildred hahaha )

Well holy maloly…. the day is upon me! My last day at Haydn’s is tomorrow and then it’s all over rover… 1 week until I board the plane on my big adventure into the unknown!

Now I’ve got a plan to ease the pain tomorrow…. and it involves chocolate cake. Not just a wee little chocolate cake. Oh no. I’m talking a MASSIVE chocolate cake that is a dead ringer for the chocolate cake that bowled all the Haydon girls over at my farewell party a couple weeks ago. So you see I may be leaving the Haydon’s but at least I’m leaving them on a cake high! and I’ll forever be known as “That Random Chick Who Brought Fricken Awesome Chocolate Cake On Her Last Day – what was her name again?”

What the frig!? I mean SERIOUSLY! Ok so I’m sitting at my laptop Monday night after working all day and I get up to get a drink and feel that my right leg just doesn’t feel right. I look down…. holy shit my foot / ankle area is massively swollen and funny looking!  I think back to about a week and a half ago when I fell down twice…. yeah I know – unco much?! haha

Anyways, so I figured the swelling and general retardness of my leg had something to do with that so I put some ice on it for the rest of the night and kept it elevated and it eventually went down. Then this morning it was swelled up again and kinda sore round my knee so I told work I wouldn’t be in and went to the docs for my appointment at 11…. an hour later I got seen!!

The doc (snarky bitch doctor by the way – not my usual nice lady doc) took a look and some measurements and concluded that my right calf was bigger than my left calf by a couple of cms so she said I needed an urgent blood test to see if I had a blood clot – as she wouldn’t recommend me flying unless it was checked out.

So 20mins later (and 3 failed attempts at finding a vein) I gave blood and went on my merry way home to report to my parents.  I had something to eat and a shower then got out to mum yelling at me that I had a call haha it was the nurse from the doctors to say that whatever indicates you have a blood clot was at elevated levels so they had made an appointment for me at the After Hours clinic at 3pm for an ultrasound to find the dastardly thing!  At that stage it was 2.10pm and so I figured she meant 3pm tomorrow….. yeah NO it was today so I had to get mum and dad to haul ass to take me cos they said I shouldn’t drive?!

Anyways long story short I had the ultrasound and they couldn’t find the suspected blood clot but said I would probably need to come in next week again for another ultrasound or at least another blood test to see if the levels of whatnot were elevated again…

So yeah it’s been a long day and bedtime is calling haha! Work again tomorrow… more training of more new people

Haha classic Billy Connolly quote above – he is my absolute fav comedian and I seriously hope I get to see him live in my lifetime as no matter what show I watch he never fails to crack me up!

My mate Dan brought round the complete 8 Disc World Tour Collection the other night and we watched Scotland which was brilliant as I’ve been there before but want to spend more time there for sure…

I watched one of the England, Ireland & Wales discs last night (England) and saw Newcastle where I’m heading in 22 days! Now I’ve been there before many a time growing up but it was amazing to see it through his eyes and also seeing it as a more mature adult (yes Sarah I referred to myself as a mature adult – get over it!!! haha) as the last time I was there I was a green 22yr old with no clue about the world.

More Billy classics….

“The great thing about Glasgow is that if there’s a nuclear attack it’ll look exactly the same afterwards.”

“There are two seasons in Scotland: June and Winter.”

“I don’t know why I should have to learn Algebra… I’m never likely to go there.”

“The human race has been set up. Someone, somewhere, is playing a practical joke on us. Apparently, women need to feel loved to have sex. Men need to have sex to feel loved. How do we ever get started?”

“Never trust a man, who when left alone with a tea cosey… Doesn’t try it on.”

“What always staggers me is that when people blow their noses, they always look into their hankies to see what came out. What do they expect to find?”

“I think my securities far outweigh my insecurities. I am not nearly as afraid of myself and my imagination as I used to be.”

“Who discovered we could get milk from cows, and what did he think he was doing at the time?”

“Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I’m a schizophrenic,
and so am I.”

Right before I sign off here’s a wee vid of one of the shows on the DVD

Rightyho so if anybody’s interested in my movements between leaving sunny Christchurch and arriving in drizzly London please find below my schedule… (NZ times included!)

I’m taking a really big book and lots of UK reading material of things to do so I shouldn’t get too bored…..

Yippppppeeeeeeeee! GG and Rossco are to be reunited after months of apartedness haha. 

The lovely Sarah Mooreski is being her brilliant self and coming to see me in Oxford the day after I arrive at Heathrow for a good old reunion haha.  We have no clue really what we’re gonna do or where we’re gonna go but hell we’re in Oxford so I’m sure we won’t be bored! I have warned her that she may be meeting with Sleepy Rossco but then again Sleep Rossco is still adequately fabulous so there’s really no issue there is there?! 

Can’t wait!

Just updated my UK Countdown page on here and there’s only about 4 or 5 things that are left to do!!! EEEEEEEEEK~ scariness! haha Nah it’s so all good it’s not funny cos I have done about enough planning this past few months to last me a lifetime!

28 days until I leave NZ…

21 days until I leave Haydns… now that is gonna be hard!

Once again my plans have changed haha… ok well maybe not drastically but they’re different from “A day of sleep and a Train” haha.

I’m pretty sure I’m now going to arrive at Heathrow Friday 13th Feb (assuming my transit in Brunei is only 10hours as planned) then Amelia is meeting me at Heathrow and taking me back to her and Mike’s flat in Oxford where I can rest up and get over the flight…. We will be having Nandos on the Sunday haha I’m sure of it! and then I’m planning on getting the bus from Oxford to Gatwick Airport and high-tailing it up to Newcastle, where either my Grandad or Auntie will meet me.  Which one depends on how my Grandad’s visit to the hospital goes which isn’t until next week… So who I am going to stay with will remain up in the air til just before I leave I think but that’s no biggie!

Gutted that I’ll be in Newcastle for Mooreski’s birthday but can’t be helped I spose! Maybe I’ll just have to invite her up to Newcastle for the weekend or something hehe. 

YAY 33 days to go!!!!! WHHOOOOOP!

xxx