Cabin Fever (or how I got a job in the sticks and had to live with it)

My first pay cheque made the 99 almost 100 hours worth it. As I sit here with a nebuliser mask on (old school compressor) writing this and thinking how I am going to escape this place for 48 solid hours tomorrow. Tthe only reason for that is that I have a hospital appointment back in Perth and can't be fobbed off with a local "doctor".

My iNeb has decided not to charge any more I can't get the fucking thing working for love nor money so that's when I got the idea to go back to Perth on my almost day off and well wouldn't you know it people seemed to be conspiring against me getting away for a few measly hours to sort this thing out and I am now using a compressor that is easily older than Justin Bieber and takes forever and a day to finish my TOBI but it's better than nowt.

Well this is the view from the social hub of Cataby pub well it's one of them there are 360 degrees of view but I doubt you want to see the toilets, wash room or a dusty carpark.

And now a view of the pub, it'd be a shame to not show you this and it's not a great snap I was quite far away but I'll get a new one and update ASAP soon.........ish.

Work is pretty much all there is to do around here so glad of the pub at the end of the site, I don't dirnk any more but they have pool and darts and I like socialising even if it with bladdered miners when they stop making sense I just come home which is no longer an open plan tin box but a real bricks and mortar building with a living room, bedroom and bathroom it feels almost civilised apart from the fact that it's attached to work so I'm, as one cook called it, "on call" unless I'm out for a walk or down the pub. People seem to do a 3month stint here to get their regional work done. That means you qualify for a second year working holiday visa which is nice to get it out of the way early and not be scrabbling around for anything and everything with our last three months to go. This means that my new 'family' consist of Cookie (she's the cook), Mark (he's a labourer on the farm most days), Dawn (front counter/ part time drama queen) so you'll probably read a bit about them over the next few months it's a pity the current bar maids are leaving as they are a great laugh. There has been a lot of chitter chatter surrounding the new bar staff, they arrived yesterday and I'm not sure how good their English is but they may struggle in a loud, busy bar environment. Apparently one has managed a bar and I'm not being funny but I don't think a bar on Facebook counts as "managing" a bar they were watching everything in awe even asking how to measure a shot of spirits from an optics bottle what the fuck. I mean there's working in a bar and not knowing how to change a barrel but to not know how that works after watching someone do it is dim in the Tim Nice But Dimmest of ways. We shall see how they fare over the next few days of supervision by the two that are already here, real bar maids I might add but they don't seem to think they'll last.

What else?....................... Oh yeah "skimpy" night I forget if I mentioned it's not a glamorous or highly entertaining night down the pub. It is basically a barmaid wearing very little who collects glasses and fucks up the takings cos she doesn't know how much anything costs. But it keeps the miners happy which is all the boss wants to do isn't it. Apparently the one on last week does do a "show" but I was far too knackered after a half five start to go watch any of that crap.

I'm quite sure there was more to report but.... Wait yep yep there was a few big spiders near the pub the other day (the first I've seen out here) I got a few photos then took a few of the surroundings I'll try n get an object near them next time don't think the photos show a good sense of scale.

It's one of two that seem pretty established until Mark (who insists on calling me 'Son' all the time) jumped or fell on to the webs. I wasn't there I just heard about it.

Anyway gonna try n enjoy what I hope is the rest of the day off.

See you after the break

Remember, Remember..... To Write this effing Thing

Yet again I have let my adoring public down. I am so very very sorry to do that to you (anyone who knows me who reads this, no I am NOT being sarcastic)

Well it looked like things were on the up when I got some casual work packing in a bakery. Heavy work but not a long shift and @ AU$20 an hour it was the best paid job I ever had but casual is casual out here and did hear about some work on Monday but after stating what I was looking for (which is full time work) I haven't heard a Dickey Bird the bastard he is well it turns out that it doesn't matter that I didn't find full-time employment, even after doing a trial shift as a "chugger"* well half a shift I really didn't like the restriction of the table I'm a free spirit don't chain me to a desk (well it was a table but it had chairs we could sit at, so kinda like a desk). Anyway where was I?........ That's right RahRah's ad on the gumtree attracted some responses but only one was of any interest (for the blog anyway) so without even having to interview for the positions. That's right positions for we are now both gainfully employed and gainful it will be although when I say we are paying more than we were doing and we are being payed less than we anticipated yes we will manage to gain here.


And here is where I'll tell you how, it's not rocket science really. We are paying more here but the job/accommodation includes food that's correct we don't have to buy any food at all well not meals but snacks/crisps/stuff like that we do but food is a massive expense we don't have here another expense we had budgeted for which will be saved is commuting. We live approximately 0 feet from work, we live in a house attached to the back of work along with another worker but that's no dange. So let the saving begin and this work can count towards our 2nd year visa you know what that means. That's right TWO birds ONE stone, earning, saving and becoming eligible to stay here and earn for another year.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM


HAHA! The work is not great but what do you expect in the arsehole of nowhere with bugger all apart from this roadhouse and wait for it another one a mile or two down the road. At least this one has a pub attached which every Wednesday has "Skimpy" night and for all of you who don't know what that is you'll have to stay tuned to find out what one is (I want to witness another before I tell just so I'm 100% sure what the deal is)

So all in all things are finally on the up it'll be hard going here for a while, we are peoples "replacements" I don't like being referred to as the replacement. I'm sure it'll wear off and if it doesn't then I'll have to do something outrageous to inspire a new nickname (suggestions on a comment please). No one seems to know what the recent departures did wrong but it all seems a little dodge and as with any and all small workforces there are squabbles, politics, and general bitching and snitching going on. Just keep me head down, have a laugh, do me job n BOOM it'll all be over soon like a wet weekend in skeggy.

So seeing as I have had nothing to occupy my time apart form #JobHunt I still have neglected my self appointed blogger duties but now I have a schedule of sorts I can plan ahead and put a few moments or 7 to write this thing a little more consistently.

You can find out what a "Skimpy" night down the bar on a Wednesday is next time and send in those suggestions and I'll hold a poll of the top ones if I am still known as the replacement in a week or so.

P.S

I hope all you guys in the UK had a good bank hols n all that. My oldest mate got married and I missed it, I did call them but everyone was a little bit pissed by then but still good to hear them all as I am pretty sure I won't hear many of them for a good long while. 

Lazy Blogging (or How I start posts and forget to post them)

I wrote that Mr Valentino post when I was in hospital. I was in for a few more days after that post was originally written but I managed to escape and since then I've had two more interviews. Neither of them have been successful although I did get through the initial stage of a group interview it's just me personally on a one to one basis that lets me down, the second interview was with two interviewers (not as daunting as I imagined) but again did not get the position. 

It really must just be me because in each of those interviews an English person conducted it one was even from Bury the black pudding munching waster so employers are not xenophobic they appear to be far from it with almost every interaction whilst in hospital and in retail places being with an expat I must just be one of the unemployable  unlucky ones which is a bit of a fucker really seeing as I can;t wait to start earning. I know I need to "sell" myself better and show this eagerness outwardly during that most vital of moments the interview! 

Will I ever be "the best man for the job"? I seriously bleeding hope so and soon as previously moaned about this place is kinda on the expensive side. I really want to start enjoying things a little bit more and by that I mean getting out and exploring this place, that for now, I'm calling home. This does need employment as public transport is incredibly expensive (another moan I think) and vehicle ownership is a definite non starter without an income. Even fully employed real adults are running back to mum for some spends I really do hope that isn't me when I'm in my 50's quite an embarrassment (well for me it would be) and I'm only guessing my landlord is in his 50's he might be younger but the sun has ravaged his skin and from the stories he tells he's had a full, illegal, not always fun life.

But seriously I can't let repeated failure to get a job get me down it's all those employers loss not mine, well I haven't lost but gained valuable interview experience and I'm seeing all these as "practice" jobs until I find The One Job, the Job to rule them all.

Luckily my phone is still hanging on in there and I'm able to post and search for jobs from the comfort of my own tin roofed shack.

Keep up with the joys of my mounting failures to gain employment on twitter #JobHunt

Mr. Valentino (or How I stopped hating and learned to love thy neighbour)

Right so after that little outburst the other day I have had a few more "normal" encounters with staff, a laid back self proclaimed "physio-terrorist" who doesn't like airway clearance who took me on a not just a wander but all they way down stairs to the gym far better than treadmilling it for 15 mins I'll tell ya that.

Well time here on what has been cheerfully #CellBlockG54 isn't as gruelling as I initially feared it was going to be. Much of the staff are pleasant enough but quite a few have either no social skills or it's just a terrible bedside manner/patient interaction, no conversation, no interest like I said it may just be the way most wards work but some of them are nice enough and have a little chitchat which makes the day a little more bearable.

In other news I did FINALLY get that car much to my utterly indescribable sense of being done over good n proper. Let's just leave it that we wasted 200 quid to drive less than 6 miles away and have the car blow up on us, the guy didn't actually live at the house we picked the car up from and neglected to pick the phone up again. It's just been left where it died on the highway motorway.

JOB HUNT update, after what I thought was a well executed interview at a famous fried chicken establishment they failed to call to inform me of my success on getting the position. Taking the initiative I called them everyday only to be fobbed off by some lackey that the managers were still "processing applications" this so called manager had intimated to RahRah that there wasn't many applicants anyway four days after we were told we would hear about our success or failure we got not a phone call but an email a bit cheeky I thought, they must've have had a slew of applicants far more suitable for the positions on offer. I've also been rejected by the home of the Big Mac, yes that's right a former crew member has not been welcomed back to the fold McFamily my arse.

Almost forgot the title of this post is the guy who is in the room next door Mr. Valentino lots of old guys keep visiting him and there's lots of loud and sometime aggressive Italian arguments conversations, I do hope no one comes to try and "whack" this old gent as it'd be terribly traumatising if something like that were to happen. I think film has many a thing to answer for when it comes to my thought processes. Anyway he's ill and so am I so can't really hold it against him if people are winding him up in Italian (I'm just guessing there as my understanding of Italian leave much to be desired) why else would there be the raised voices?

Back on to frantic application filling in and signing up to employment agencies, still no word on where my driving licence is my mate who sent it has been incommunicado since he said he'd sent it bit of a worry as that was over two weeks ago and there were some iNeb disks in there. People with iNebs will be aware that these disks are needed to use the device I'm not entirely sure as to why Phillips decided this regulating of doses was a requirement of the device but it is so there ya go.

So still immobile, unemployed and not 100% in the health department but still winding up staff and enjoying it the best I can.

Thought I'd be escaping this place today or tomorrow but some kidney functions have been elevated or some other shit so they want to repeat that and then with living pretty far away (only on public transport I might add) they'd prefer to keep me in but they're gonna test my iv making skills later today  just in case.

So that's me signing off for a little while far more regular updates can be seen on twitter by searching for #CellBlockG54 I'm quite confident that I am the only person using that particular hashtag and it will never be trending. 

Is it just me?

WARNING THIS IS A RANTY TO FUCK POST

Right so I am on #CellBlockG54 ward G54 in Perth and I'm finding things a little difficult. I knew things would be different but I would expect to be able to speak to staff and then them understand me.

This, it appears is far too much to ask for from an English speaking country. They are either acting or I have no idea how these people became nurses (the majority of them NOT all of them) there are several things that have wound me up the past few days of being here and I'm not sure if it is them or just me.

Three incidents leap to mind right now and I shall recount them here and you can decide for yourself if it's them or me.

Incident One.

Set the Scene:- It's around 9pm and the night nurse has come in to get my evening meds, she asks
"Do you need creon?"
"No, I have them when I eat" My reply
"So you want some food?"
"No"
"So your having some creon now then?"
"No I only have creon when I have something to eat"
"Oh so you want some food now?"

Seriously it felt like this went on forever but seeing as I am out of that particular time loop it didn't but it wasn't the last bout of weirdness.

Incident Two.

Setting the Scene:- Again in the evening (it might be a night nurse thing now I think about it) again around evening drug time.

"So your due a Hyper Tonic Saline (HTS) now?" I had just started this treatment that afternoon and told the physio due to it making my throat irritated I would work up to three times a day. So I answered
"No, I've had it today"
"It's written up for three times a day" I then went on to explain what I had agreed with the physio that afternoon.
"So are you having this HTS now or a little later?" It's the creon debacle all over again in a different guise.
"No I'm not I just told you what I have agreed with Jamie" Jamie is the physio in question in case you were wondering.
"Well I'll have to get the doctors to change that"
"Fine but they'll only have to change it back in a few days when I am doing it three times a day" This sentence was met with an odd look that made me think staff aren't used to patients refusing treatment or questioning "What is Written".
"Just write down that I've refused treatment" I said this and she did look ever so surprised like it was a secret code only a few select individuals know about.
"Yes I suppose I will" She smiled and left me too it.

Incident Three:-

The Scene, as if you couldn't guess the theme by now was again late in the evening. This evening I was to resume PEG feeding, I have a button and in the afternoon explained what adaptor I needed to connect the giving set to my button. Apart from the "feed" not being feed but a few bottles of supplements thrown in a bag and set up didn't bother me much. Again I had to explain what I needed and she toddled off came back and informed me that there were none in the entire hospital not a one. So she asked......

"Do you do this at home?"
"Sometimes..."
"Well tomorrow can maybe you go home and get some of them?"
"erm...... no I'm not from here and whilst travelling I haven't been feeding"
"Why don't you carry these things with you?" As she said this I really did think she was joking as she knew I'd been travelling, we'd spoke about it the night before, but as I turned to her the look on her face was deadpan serious.
"Well whilst I've been travelling round South East Asia I haven't really been feeding as I cant carry the pump, the giving sets, the feed, along with all my other medication" Just as seriously as I was getting rather vexed at this type of thing happening more often. So she left me alone for a while then when putting up my i.v's for the night she asked.
"Do you drink? Like drink water?" Deadly fucking serious, I kid you not do I drink water? What the fuck kind of question is that followed by
"Do you eat?" Twenty minutes before she asked me that she'd brought me a banana what did she think I was going to do with that?
"Yeah I drink water" and just held up the as yet uneaten banana shook it and nodded my head toward it knowingly, she didn't say anything else and left the room.

and that my dear friends is just three of the things, like I said to begin with talking to some of the nursing staff is just plain difficult. Don't ask me if I want something if it's actually something you want. This was a pillow to prop my arm on whilst she changed the dressing on my PICC line I'm capable of keeping my arm straight whilst you put a new dressing on, You want my arm on a pillow so just ask that.
As the title of the post suggest's I'm not all together sure if it's just me or it is them. I'll keep an eye on it and mention any other battle of words later on.

Time to rest up, get better and join the workforce.

Peace V 

(I'd do two fingers but a V will just have to do)

Job Hunt, Hospital trips & Mobility

Firstly I must apologise for not appearing to be as committed as I made out in my last post, the course of oral antibiotics hasn't worked according to plan and that coupled with the furious dash to secure employment has kept one rather tired of late but I am pleased to report that after one interview I feel I might be gainfully employed by next week.

The job in question is with a well  known fried chicken eatery, which I'll admit isn't what I was hoping for but "needs must" as the saying goes. I didn't tell them that I do have a planned admission but I didn't want to seem cocky by presuming that I have the job in the interview. So that's the other big thing this week I will be admitted to hospital no CF only ward but to the chest ward.

Wasn't overly bothered about this until the CF nurse John said over the phone that I'd be having a PICC line, now I've always associated these being used when people are really quite poorly indeed, with terrible access and seeing as I have had a port for some good few years now my veins are back to being the envy of any heavy intravenous drug user. My port was removed back in December after it became infected (awful feeling I must say but only for a few hours after it had been used for some treatment) so a PICC line will be just another experience. I must admit I really enjoyed watching having my port out, apart from the pressing of my neck as they were actually pulling the catheter out other than that it was all hunky-dory and did I mention terribly interesting.

So as far as I can tell and from the brief tour John gave us the ward environment is similar to home, own room, bathroom, TV, fridge all necessary (apart from the TV) to minimise cross infection one of my pet hates/issues but that's another story if they have the Wi-Fi then that'll be a god send as using ones phone isn't the best of solutions for surfing this vast cyberspace that seems to all be contained in a device that fits in my pocket, amazing really but not the best.

In other news the car I "won" on that internet auction site and was ever so infuriated when the seller failed to contact me has amazingly  been in contact! I can collect my vehicle on Tuesday. A bit of a piss take and I did get all excited as I read the message waiting for the doc at clinic but I'm reserving excitement until I have the keys and I'm driving away laughing maniacally into the night, it'll probably be afternoon but that doesn't sound as dramatic now does it. Diving away laughing maniacally as the car is worth a pretty penny, well it will be once the few things that are not broken but not working well are fixed. I met a mechanic the other day so I do hope he'll do me a favour n quote cheap for the work but who needs power steering anyway? I am ever so excited to be mobile again, the public transport round here is good-ish but so fucking expensive and I suppose petrol isn't that cheap but still cheaper than home and a weird thing they just whack an extra 10-15 cents on the price just for Easter weekend? seems mad to me but they do it all the time apparently. Just another local/national thing I'll have to get used to.

So I'll sign off with yet another apology that's what I seem to do a heck of a lot and hope you are all doing well and if your not then I trust you are heading in the right direction. 

Regular Posts

Suppose I should start with I got my Visa in time! ! ! less than 24 hours before we were due to fly the Australian immigration people kindly granted my application for a Working Holiday Visa so.......  Fan-fucking-tastic! *edited in after 1st posting* don't think I needed to tell you that but I had forgotten that I hadn't posted a congratulatory post for myself.

Ok so it has been over a week since I last got down to posting and I did say that I was going to take this blogging thing a little more seriously so I will be posting a regular update/post/whatever the fuck you call it every Friday (Australia time) not sure what time on a Friday as I do hope to be working soon.

Well as you may have gathered we made it to Perth (not the one in Scotland) and after finding a place to live, filed for tax numbers, applied for Medicare and settled in a little, the great Australian job hunt began. With me not having been particularly active in the job market for a number of years I do hope that I can find something. The applications and phone calls are fast and furious along side this finding some kind of transport is kind of essential as public transport is pricey. 

I will now have a mini rant about a car I successfully won on a popular auction site. Two whole days ago I won a suitable vehicle on said site and immediately contacted the seller with my details so we could arrange pick up of the car and............ nothing, not a sausage I feel the guy is ducking because the car has a book value of around AU$1700 and I won for the princely sum of AU$310. This I attest is the reason I have been  ignored by the seller who is no stranger to selling as the car has been reposted due to an out of state buyer. I am no out of state buyer I am very clearly instate (and told him so before I even won). Anyway that's not as heated as I might have been but there is nothing I can do about it so mini rant over.

Last week also saw me visiting a CF clinic out here. I was told a couple of doc's from the UK were there and were very interested in knowing where I was from (must be a bit slow round 'ere I think as I'm not that interesting) anyway I saw the usual odd n bods physio, dietitian, nurse, and a doc from the UK I did recognise her but not the name I'm crap with names I was given some extra antibiotics and after being kept waiting for a standard amount of time, for a clinic appointment I was told I didn't need any iv's just yet and so I toddled off all in all 5 fucking hours was spent getting to, from and attending clinic *I NEED A CAR* 

The dietitian was most surprising I guess as I have never really had a great weight, its low I know that but he was like "you are severely underweight and you cant afford to lose any more kgs" he saw the look on my face, I was not impressed as I had lost 2kg but I know that I am not dangerously under weight although he did have a couple of students in and might have been trying to emphasise a point or something for their benefit, cos it definitely wasn't for mine. I'll ask him next week as that is when I have to return to see if these antibiotics have made a difference in my LF.

So I'm still thinking about a little bio post with a little history my story if you will although I must make it clear that I am not my history it is just a series of events that has led me to be who I am now and often the story changes depending on what I may want to emphasise but that's the nature of stories all that matters is who I am now and while undoubtedly influenced by my past I am capable of change and able to shape who I am now in to the person I most want to be.

Right well seeing as my TFN (Tax File Number) arrived yesterday its time to go get a bank account so that when I do finally find employment I can be paid in cash not in buttons or bits of string.

Enjoy the weekend and coming week! 

The Travel Insurance Scam

What is about follow is a rant post I wrote for our previous blog and never posted. After a few months and another round of phoning several companies I am going to post what I thought then after I've written what I think now (not much has changed)


Ok so we all need travel insruance CF or not and after finding a company to cover my last trip, that should've been 6 months but was cut short (not through any health issues) I needed to find some more to cover this jaunt. So seeing as my policy hadn't ended with the company that took me on last time I called them up. I went through the questions and nothing much had changed apart from I was just out of hospital after getting an infected port so if anything even less could possibly go "wrong" if I went away again. Anyway I was told they could not cover me when I asked why I was given a non-commited answer (no answer at all really) and when I pointed out that if I hadn't returned to the UK then I'd still be covered under the policy I paid for. This seemed to baffle the person on the other end of the line so I gave up trying to get answers as I am now setting up shop in the "they make it the fuck up each and every time" camp.

"This post has been inspired by recent events on many CF forums that I contribute to every so often. I am quite sure that this issue litters many a forum that deal with medical conditions.

Now I am aware that most people can just “get insured” but for people who have pre-existing medical conditions it’s a little harder to get covered. Which is vital for peace of mind when you want to get away from it all and just relax or in my case travel around for a while not having that little worry niggling at the back of my brain, the “what if’s” that would eventually drive anyone absolutely bonkers.

I didn’t expect my search for pre-existing medical condition travel insurance to be easy, but it was (thanks to my laid back attitude) a long drawn out process of online form filling to be told at the end of which I’d have to call the company anyway. Then after calling several companies all of which asked the same barrage of questions (don’t get me wrong I know that they have to ask these questions in order to assess if I’m insurable or not) time and again to hear almost each and every time “yes we can insure you……… just not your CF” there was always a pause giving me a little glimpse of hope before the second part of the sentence which made me loathe insurance companies all the more that’s if it wasn’t a flat out refusal. So not none of them could or would cover my CF. What struck me is the way it was phrased “just not your CF” like it was an optional extra I had decided to take along with me. This didn’t really ‘click’ with me at the time but after thinking about it it’s quite insulting as my condition isn’t an optional extra it is part of me so saying that they can insure me but not my CF means that they cannot insure me as it is an integral part of who I am.

I tried many companies suggested by the CF Trust in the UK and on the forums. Which seemed to welcome people with pre-existing medical conditions as the forums suggested almost anyone could get cover from a week by the beach to a few months working in the US. When I asked the person on the end of the phone “why?” all I got was stonewalled and a similar spiel every time. So when I finally found cover the cost was irrelevant as they were the first company to accept me in from the cold of the uninsurable no-man’s land in which I found myself and others. As mentioned somewhere near the start of this post there is no price for piece of mind and sure the cover I finally got doesn’t insure me for some of the activities that I’d like to do but there will be other opportunities to paraglide or as I recently found parahawking. Maybe less chance to try the latter outside of Nepal but I may return just for one more chance"

So that's that. One massive scamola! and a pretty insulting one at that. 

 

Broken Heart..................

well a broken Powerball actually but thought that title might entice a few readers, having found out that I now have two followers of this (until recently neglected) blog. Back to the powerball it's just a ball which I use for lazy exercise (that's right my first oxymoron) well not just a ball but you've got the internet at your fingertips so if you wanna know more google it.

I am lamenting the death of my most enjoyed exercise device and whilst travelling my only one, it got wet a few days ago and after moving around I dug it out and decided to have a go....... I wound it up and started, well tried to it just stopped. After a few attempts and a little consoling from Rahrah (that's my long suffering partner(only suffering being with me)) I was not going to let this lie as I have no idea of when I'll be able to replace it so a quick search and I tentitively took it to pieces and cleaned it up inside, it was so grimey dunno how it's been spinning freely with all that muck in there. So now I was confident my exercise toy was resurrected I wound it up and............. same. "it's FUCKED!!!!!" I said (I swear..... a lot) and disassembled and reassembled it a few more times and it seems to now work when it feels like. Better that than not at all and hopefully will last until I can replace or really mend it.

Being motivated to exercise at home isn't always the easiest, I dropped off from going the gym last oct/nov after I had my inFLUenza jab just felt like rubbish crap for a few days then all my previous motivation had evaporated, so I was more determind to keep up some sort of activity whilst travelling and Powerball was it, along with hauling my backpack (a good 15-16kg depending on which airport you ask) hither and thither mostly full of copious amounts of drugs medication (all legal n above board) and hardly any clothes and we picked up a skipping rope but after trying that a few weeks ago I've opted to give that a miss for a while ( I do need some cardio though) anyway where was I....

Oh yeah motivation that was it so now finding that job seems even more important so I can settle for a few weeks and find a gym, get a routine (not that I ever had one before but I've heard good things about them) get stay well, well well enough to keep away from the UK. Don't get me wrong I love where I'm from but it gets a bit samey doent it? I found an insurnace company that said they'd cover me (including CF, I have a little trave linsurance rant I'll post in a few) for up to 18 months yeah you read that right EIGHTEEN FUCKING MONTHS a whole year and a half away, travelling, working, exploring, experiencing and living a life that I think one day might not be possible.

The last few days weeks lots of talk of the future has been bandied around between the two of us and I have to accept that one day I might not be able to get to these places, well not easily anyway, so 18 months is a massive chunk of time to see and do many things.

Thinking I may have to do a sort of bio/life story post sooner or later but I'll mull that over and if it appears then you'll know the decision I came to (that's anticipation for ya right there) but bear in mind that my history is just a story I tell to let you know how I got to where I am now

New Horizons

I think a central justification will be how I sausage roll from now on, makes me feel like what I'm writing is more important than it probably is.

Well it has been some time since I decided to start this travelblog and I haven't really committed have I, I have started many posts whilst on the move on my phone but then the moment passes before I have WiFi access and I delete it. Since I was last blogging I have had a few ups and downs but things are starting to move forward and I can see the new horizons ahead. Travelling through Borneo looking for work as the guy who said he'd employ us hasn't been in contact so as frustrating as it is we need to search for something, anything and have had a few ideas, offers and sent out a few emails. So fingers crossed one of those avenues bears fruit. 

A few weeks ago I was in a national park in Sarawak, the day before we had stopped on the walkway to the trails because we saw a bearded pig in the mangroves then we spotted fiddler crabs and being the amateur photographer I wanted to get a little closer for some good shots, this wasn't the time though as we had a trail to tackle and tackle we did. The "waterfall" was so not worth the hours trekking up and through forested tracks but the beach a few hundred meters further on (a few extremely steep meters further on I, not might add, I DO add) did make the whole sweaty experience worth it and also the bumpy to fuck, expensive and slightly scary boat ride back to park HQ this is what conspired against me getting the close ups of those crabs so I was determined to get there before we left the next day. 

Did the torrential, tropical storm stop me? No because while I might not be a professional I like to get a job done and whilst crouched low in the mangrove near the high walkway we wandered down the previous morning waiting for the little bleeders to exit their holes in the sand. I waited and waited and then waited some more until eventually they slowly came out to feed or fight or whatever else they wanted to do until........... yep I coughed an almighty cough and scared the gits right back where they'd emerged from, so I waited and waited and you get the picture but eventually I did manage to get a few good snaps before coughing again and just as I was thinking about leaving a park warden or ranger (whichever) who was leading a group along the walkway asked me in an accusatory or inquisitive manner depends on how you look at it if I was down there, in the mud, "conducting research" I mean really a skinhead with flowery shorts, a camera and flip-flops conducting research. I wish I was quicker off the mark and had brashly replied in the affirmative but I was not and I was told to leave the area as it was not for visitors to the park. Seems pretty silly to have a national park fenced in then tell people that whilst you have paid to get on to this side of the fence you still can't actually go everywhere within that fence, anyway at least they didn't ban me for life because I might want to go back one day and see their non-waterfall again or the nob-faced/proboscis monkeys (I didn't manage to get a pic of one of them yet)

It may have come to your attention (and if it hadn't I am bringing it to you now) that half way through I changed back to the more traditional left justification, central justification may, I think, look more important but when only one or two words are left hanging in the middle of the page it just looks rather silly so I'm sticking with tradition on this front from now on.

As I started this post looking for work I'll finish it by mentioning that I just checked and none of the avenues have fruit yet, let alone ripe enough to pick.

Happy trails to anyone who happens to read this.

Gotta start somewhere

I think the title says it all.

I've got to start this blog somewhere, I've chosen here and now. The here is Sala Dan, on the island of Ko Lanta, Thailand and now is... well now. As you may or may not have read I have Cystic Fibrosis which means while I can travel now one day this probably wont be possible. Whilst I can I will and hope other people who have to struggle with a chronic illness are inspired to do the things that they dream of doing.

Almost anything is possible if you really want it to.

I will post as often as I can from either my phone or a pc, the trials and tribulations will recorded and applauded, I hope anyway.

This latest trip started just before Christmas 2011 and as I managed to find a travel insurance company that will cover me for up to 18 months I don't intend on returning to the homeland before that. With half a year supply of essential nebulised treatment and a supply of tablets I am confident that my goal, while some may scoff, doubt, or just plain believe I will fail, is more than achievable. Optimism is a fault I hope to work on as many things don't always pan out as you hoped.

I'll get back to you after a few days as I think I'm going to help out on a rubber tree farm for a week or so, so I'll let you know how that works out.