Solihull begins...

Hello again!

I got up at 07h00, showered, dressed had breakfast and caught the
number two bus to the train station at 08h10. I boarded my train at
08h44 to Birmingham New Street. At 11h30 it arrived and I changed
stations to Birmingham Moor Street (which was horrible because I had
to walk between stations with two REALLY HEAVY bags). But, I managed
it (it was that or leave my bags behind...) I then boarded another
train to Solihull, where I was to find myself at exactly 12h11. I
phoned Hilary to come and collect me from the station (when she
arrived, the previous PA handed over and left to catch her train!)

I got back to the house and was filled in on all the problems that
Tony is facing.

Unfortunately, Tony is back in hospital. He had an ulcer just outside
his stomach, on entry to his intestines (where there were loads of
blood vessels). This meant that there were a lot of complications to
the surgery. Tony will most likely be in hospital for the next few
weeks (unless he makes a really quick recovery, which is highly
unlikely...) I am reminded of the awful time when my grandfather went
into hospital (although I was unable to be there, I could feel the
pain of everyone around me, I could see the effect it had on everyone
and I knew how hard it was for everyone)

So, my job is a little more simple (and thus a little more boring!).
I get up at 07h00, catch a taxi to the hospital (to make sure that the
hospital staff do all the right things - as treating people with
spinal injuries is a specialised field and so the staff are not
trained on how to deal with it). I then sit around until about 14h00
(after the second rounds are conducted so that I can turn Tony before
I leave). I then phone the taxi to come and collect me and drop me
off at home. I then keep myself entertained for the rest of the day.
This might sound really easy, but let me tell you, it is rather dull
and for this reason makes me rather tired. It is a constant battle to
try and entertain myself (as anyone who knows me will tell you!)
Around 17h00, Hilary gets home from work exhausted, stressed,
emotional and just shattered. We have tea together and she talks.

It is so sad to see something so terrible happen to someone so nice.
I always amazes me just how much she cares for everyone else. She has
phoned me everyday to find out how I am coping and if I have had
lunch, she has made me dinner every night (even though I try to stop
her). She has made sure that I am quite comfortable (even taking
towels out for me and placing them on the radiator so they will heat
up before I shower) and she has told me that I will have the weekend
off to relax (as apparently I have been working too hard). I know
that everything happens for a reason, so I hope that this one will
pass quickly for her. I try to offer her emotional support, so we sit
and chat most nights, Hilary tells me that her husband is tetraplegic,
her sister has multiple sclerosis and her father is 97 with recurring
bowel cancer... She says: 'I must have done something really bad in
my last life...'

I listen...

What is wrong with me????

Hello to you all!

No doubt you remember me ending me last blog saying I was going to be
going out to the local pub and listening to a local band? Followed in
quick succession by: 'what can go wrong???'

You would think that by now I would know to keep my hand plastered to
my wooden head when I tempt fate (yes, Shaun, she visited!) turns out
that when you tempt fate she tends to take you up on it... I got
wrapped up and ready I go out, headed downstairs and out the front
door where I noticed that it was snowing, yes, you read correcty,
SNOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I turned around and headed for the comfort and
warmth of the hostel!

Saturday night was this spent indoors, wrapped up, watching the x-
factor (not such a bad thing!!)

I woke up on Sunday morning giddy and excited and chuffed and eager
and cold! I hurried downstairs, scoffed my breakfast and headed out to
go and play in the snow (well, I say snow, but it was a rather
pathetic layer of icey slush that's only goal was to penetrate the
warmth of my shoes and soak my socks!) BUT never mind, it was
technically still snow!!!!!!

I headed for town where I wondered about, in and out of shops (looking
at all the local collectables). Once I was bored of that, I went for
a walk along the river, stopping once for tea and then heading for the
city walls (again) where I walked on the outskirts of York city
centre. By that stage, it was dark (and I had forgotten to go shopping
for dinner - all the shops were closed [Sunday sees all grocery stores
close at four] which meant I had to head back into the city for a meal
out!) I was looking for a place to grab some grub when I saw marks and
spencers was still open (so I treated myself to soup and baguette!)
I headed back to the hostel as I figured that my nose would look a
whole lot better once it had defrosted!

Once defrosted I went to my room to get my stuff for a shower. I was
collecting my stuff, and chatting to a new girl in the room (Anna, who
was starting her new job on Monday morning at the university). Halfway
through our conversation, another girl came in (Karen), I greeted
her. Turns out she is from Alberton!!! We got on like a house on
fire. I decided to skip the shower and head down to the bar for drinks
with her (yes, the hostel had a bar- but it was dead ALL THE TIME!!)

We were sat talking (and writing postcards) when we were joined by
another girl (Kat) from Norway. Before long, another guy came into the
bar, ordered a drink and sat studying (that will give you a good idea
of the atmosphere in the bar!) It was at this point that we decided
that we would do a bit of touring together the next day (all the bits
I had not yet done). Around 23h00 Karen went to shower. I was sat
finishing my parcel when the guy (the one sat studying) came over and
asked if he could join me (Kat stood up and went to bed). I smiled
and accepted. For the next few hours we sat talking. We were joined
by one of the hostel staff, once reception had closed.

It was early Monday morning when I fell into bed. I had to be up a few
hours later (but as you know, I am quite used to surviving on a few
hours sleep!). Around 07h00 I got up, showered, dressed and headed
down for breakfast. I met up with Karen and Chris (the guy in the
bar) and together we headed for town.

I posted my parcel and then went to the Minster (the cathedral). I
paid for my torture (otherwise known as the climb up the tower). The
tower is only open for five minutes every hour (because there are 275
steep steps to the top and because it is VERY narrow). Luckily Chris
and I were right at the back of the queue, so we did not have any
pressure to hike to the top). On entry to the tower we were asked if
we suffered from claustrophobia, asthma, or any heart problems and
then reminded that it was going to be very tough going (great!!! What
words of encouragement!!!). We reached the halfway point where we had
to cross over a narrow bridge to the other set of steps. As chris
crossed, he looked as though he had some magnetic attraction to the
railing (turns out he is scared of heights - as he suffers from
vertigo). He rushed to the other side whereas I took my time so I
could recover! The second half of the climb was by far the worst, as
the space to climb was cut in half and the steps were much steeper. I
found myself climbing up the tower sideways (wondering why I had done
this to myself!) when finally I heard chris tell that he was at the
top (now, you must remember that it is a spiral staircase, so I had no
idea how many turns he had taken ahead if me... I just kept hoping it
was around the corner!)
Finally, I reached the top, it was beautiful. We spent a good few
minutes taking photos and enjoying the scenery. But, before long it
was time to climb back down (isn't it funny how the climb down is so
much quicker and easier???)

We met Karen at the bottom and headed out for a tour of the city
Walls. We got on the wall and walked until we reached the other side
of York (where the wall comes to an abrupt end). We got off the wall
and headed for Betty's tea shop (quite a famous tea shop - where they
serve high tea!). We stood in the queue for about 20 minutes, eagerly
waching the people in the window (secretly hoping that our droole
would make them eat faster!) We eventually got a table (and as luck
would have it, it was in the window next to the queue outside!) and
browsed the menu. We ordered tea (as you do) and cake. They brought
the cake trolley around for us to choose from. It was ever so elegant.
We drank our tea and had our samples (teensy tiny cakes), took a
number of photos and then left!

After that experience, Karen wanted to do Jorvik (which Chris and I
had already done) so we walked her there and told her to call when she
was done. Whilst she was busy we went for a stroll along the river and
chatted. It was rather nice.

Before long, she was done, so we went and collected her and headed for
a pub. We had a round of pints (Yorkshire terriers) then another
(black sheep). We then decided that we should try another pub and so
headed toward the lamb and lion. We got inside, had another local brew
(ghost something or other) in front of the fire. Before we knew it,
chris had to leave for Sheffield and we had a ghost tour to catch.

Karen and I headed for the Minster (where the tour starts) at 19h30.
We met Kat outside and enjoyed a freezing cold night of ghost tales.
By the time the tour was done, we headed back to the hostel as we were
in desperate need of some dinner. We finally ate around 23h00. I had
had to change rooms in the hostel, so was now in the same room
(coincidentally) as Kat.

Tuesday morning arrived, I headed for my old room (where I had left
all my bags - as my new room was on the other side of the hostel
amongst a myriad of staircases). I got dressed, and took all my bags
to the B&B (Astley house) where I was staying last night. I then
headed back to the hostel to collect Karen for our day out!

We went into town to do some shopping, followed by some tea drinking!
She then went to the castle museum and the dungeon with Peta (an
Australian girl in the hostel), whilst I wondered the streets/
bookstores of York and went to buy my train ticket to Solihull for
tomorrow. Around 16h00, we met up outside the dungeon and went for
drinks. By this stage, there was another member (Darren) who met Karen
and Peta in the museum. We all went to a pub for dinner and drinks. I
managed to tick off the last thing on my list of things I wanted to do
in york (eat Yorkshire pudding!)

We all headed back towards the hostel. I said my goods byes and headed
for the comfort of Astley House.

I got inside, made some coffee, climbed into bed and watched telly. It
was really nice. I fell asleep and was dead to the world dreaming of
my next adventure...

Holiday in York

Hi,

Let me start by saying: York is an AMAZING place!

My holiday began the moment I put my suitcase in my room and made my bed. I zooted out of the hostel at a speed near to that of sound and into town. The walk into town is quite long (about 15-20 minutes), but once you are in the town, the world (well, york) is your oyster! Tuesday afternoon was spent in York Art gallery (where there was a special exhibit by Tracy Chevalier on 'A Thousand Words' - which was pretty cool. They allowed you to write comments on a wall by the pictures on what you think the painting depict/what the portraits are thinking etc. There was another special exhibit on, entitled 'Out of the Shadows' which showed the use of light and dark in pictures). After the museum, I walked around York a little and then headed back to the hostel for some dinner. I had just gotten dinner when Shaun phoned, so we spent a good part of the evening talking.

Wednesday arrived. I got up around 07h30, got dressed and went down to breakfast (which is included in the price). I was absolutely astounded by the buffet selection on offer. I had the choice between juice, stewed fruits, cheeses, meats, scrambled egg, sausages, baked beans, hash browns, toast, chocolate croissants, buns and cereal. This is all followed by a selection of tea, coffee and hot chocolate... it was a really nice start to a busy day. I went back upstairs to collect my belongings and headed out on the town. I started the day walking to the Minster for some photos, then to the cat gallery (which, as you may have guessed is a shop dedicated to cats!!!!!!!) I then went and waited for the two hour guided tour of York. The guide was a gentleman who was born and raised in York, who gave a very in depth, personal view of York and its changes. It was a VERY good tour. After the tour had ended, I went to the railway museum. The railway museum is the largest in the world (but it seemed surprisingly small). It was worth a visit, but I would suggest that anyone visiting gets the audio commentary to accompany it (otherwise it does not make as much of an impact as it would/should). By the time I had finished these two outings, it was dark (granted it gets dark around 16h00 here at the moment). I headed back for the warmth and comfort of the hostel. I got back to the hostel, hired a towel and went for a LONG hot shower.


Thursday arrived, I got out of bed around 08h00 and went for breakfast. After breakfast, I gathered my stuff and headed out for some more sight seeing.
I walked into town along the river Ouse. I got into town and did some general site-seeing. I started with the 10 acres of museum gardens (botanic gardens in the middle of York). It contains the remains of St Mary's Abbey (as well as its associated chapel and undercroft), the west corner of the roman fort, the multangular tower and parts of the roman walls. There is also the Anglian tower (which is not all that impressive). The garden now houses the Yorkshire Museum and its octagonal obseravtory. What I found most interesting was that Dame Judi Dench filmed her first movie in front of St Mary's Abbey (typically, I would find that interesting!!!!) After touring the museum gardens (and messing with the squirrels - of which there are thousands (well, you catch my drift!)) I went to the middle of the town, to the Shambles.

Apparently, the Shambles is Europes most visited street. I'm not 100% sure why, but I do know that for some strange reason I tend to end up in the street every time I take a wrong turn (so that's how they get it to be the most visited street in Europe!!!!) Well, the Shambles was once home to as many as 26 butchers. They would hang up their meat on hooks outside their shops and then get rid of all the innards (which they would only wash down the street twice a week) - which is why the street has pavements. The shambles is also well known because of the tilt of the buildings (which make the roof tops nearly touch each other) as well as the shrine to Margaret Clitherow (not her real home though - typically, the council bought the house and converted it into a shrine to her... her home was thought to be number 10 shambles (but no-one really knows)). Turns out she was found guilty of housing catholics and so was sentenced to be pressed between two slabs, and starved... (who needs hanging or fire when you have rocks???)

After visiting this 'lovely' place, I turned off the shambles and headed into newgate market. The market boasts 110 stalls within Europe's largest single pedestrianised area (the market is apparently the heart and soul of the city and offers a wide variety of dried goods, fruit, vegetables and well as meat and fish). So, york offers yet another large place (makes me wonder if they are compensating for something!!) At the market, I purchased a hat, some gloves and some socks (I just could not resist the socks.... um... I think I'm going to have to join the Socks Anonymous club!)

All the walking around had made me hungry, so I popped into pizza hut for some lunch (not very healthy, but it was warm and comforting!)

After lunch, I went to the shortest street in York, called Whip-ma-whop-ma-gate, which is 35 metres long (I think the name is longer than the street!). In Anglo-Saxan times, it was referred to as Whitnourwhatnourgate ('neither one thing, nor the other')... After that exhausting walk along the street I went for a walk along the city walls. I went to each of the enterances (Bootham bar, Monk Bar, Walmgate Bar and Mickelgate Bar) which was very interesting. After all this site-seeing, I went back to the hostel, stopping at the shops on the way to get something for dinner!

I made some tea and then went upstairs to watch some television. Once I was sufficiently tired, I went to the room to get ready for bed. It was there that I met Tracy. Tracy is a nurse from Hong Kong, who is visiting England for 13 days and is staying with her friend in London. Needless to say, we were both here alone and so decided to do the big sites together the following day.


I went down to reception and bought a York Pass (a card that allows you access to all the sites for free [you pay £23 for the card]). The guy at reception said jokingly that we were going to have a long day. I laughed and said that I planned to fit in most of the sites. He laughed and said that he did not think it was possible... I said I learned tourism from a pro and that we would speak again after the days' outing.... Then I went back upstairs and readied myself for bed. After lengthy discussions with Tracy, and many plans made, we went to bed.

Friday morning saw me up at 07h00, and eating breakfast around 08h00. Tracy and I left the hostel at 08h30 for our long day out. On the way out the door, the guy who sold us the passes wished us good luck, laughing...

Well, the first order of business was to walk along the river Ouse on the Dame Judi Dench walk to the York Boats (to see what time they depart), then up to the Minster. We got to the Minster just before it opened so that we could take some photos. After our photo session, we went into the minster. It is a gothic cathedral, and is the second largest in Northern England (Of course, Cologne cathedral is the biggest - so York was outdone there). It is the seat of the Archbishop of York (which is apparently the second highest office of the church of England - again outdone there). BUT, never fear, the cathedral has something that is the BIGGEST and BESTEST and BRIGHTEST and........ (I know that bestest is not a word...) Well, the Great East Window of the cathedral is the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. The cathedral also has the five sisters window (each lancet is 16 metres high!!!!!!!!) and the famous rose window! So the cathedral was well worth a visit!
After the cathedral, we went to the museum gardens (yes, I had done them the previous day, but Tracy hadn't, so I took her on the very brief tour through there on our way to the york boats).

We got onto the York boat which took us upstream and then back downstream and dropped us off where we began. Along the way, we had the tour of the river and all the buildings along the rivers edge. It was rather fascinating. Apparently, in April 2000 the river flooded due to excessive rainfalls. The river rose a scary 5.4 metres (but the riverside houses were saved because York had had a flood earlier and had learned their lesson, so installed a flood wall along the front of each of the properties). However, a local pub (which has been flooded out no less than three times was not spared - turns out they didn't learn their lesson!) We sailed up to the millennium bridge (which is a walking/cycling bridge which joins each side of the river and promotes the healthy way instead of car travel!) The only downside to the boat was that it was FREEZING (that will teach me - a water cruise in winter time....) I turned to Tracy, who said she was also cold. She then handed me a sachet marked with tons of Chinese writing. She said that I must just rub the bag and it would start heating up. It did. It was fantastic. I warmed up a little bit (well, as much as a tiny little pouch can warm one up!) After the 45 minute cruise we went to the other side of York, to Cliffords Tower (Also known as York Castle).

We climbed up the several steps to get into the tower. It is apparently a 'quatrefoil plan' (which is like a four leafed clover - sounds rather impressive though, don't you think), and is rather unusual (they say that it is a copy of a french equivalent)... it has two levels (which means it has a spiral staircase - which i hate!) Now for the encyclopedic part: The tower was an experiment in improving flanking fire by reducing dead ground visible from the summit of the keep.

Enough of that... from the tower you could see most of York, it was really impressive and rather pretty. At the foot of the tower, they had set up an outdoor ice rink (I should have know then that summer was over!) We climbed back down the stairs (both spiral and the ones leading up to the tower) and headed across the way to the castle museum.

The castle museum is one of Britain's leading museums depicting everyday life. It has loads of rooms showing how people used to live, from household objects (like vacuum cleaners, irons, washing machines) to actual environments (kitchens, prisons, streets, shops, rooms). The museum is best known for its recreation of Kirkgate. The street has all the old fittings, lights, and atmosphere. It even has a REAL policeman patrolling the streets. Whilst we were there the street turned from day into night, it was really awesome. I peeped through a keyhole in one of the doors and got to spy on people in a shop (projected images from the Victorian era!) The museum has a special display on the sixties at the moment, which shows the fashion, the music and the everyday life (including listening in on phone calls between people!!!) this meant that i got to see a meccano set (I bet you are smiling now... ah, the memories!!!!!!! (and if you are my age, you are smiling and nodding!!))

After the castle museum, we went to Jorvik (what??!! I hear you ask). JORVIK.....It is a world famous viking centre (naturally!). Jorvik was Yorks' prior name. It is one of the most popular visitor attractions in the UK (outside London). It has had over 14 million visitors over the last 21 years. The centre reconstructs the viking-age streets as they would have been in AD975. It is rather cool. You hop into a time capsule that takes you back to the viking era. You are met by a viking (who speaks English - go figure!) who helps you onto a pod that takes you back to 2008. The pod moves around real environments. When the chocolate factory was knocked down, archaeologists found evidence of the vikings, and so dug up evidence and have since reconstructed their villages, their work, their clothes, their faces... By the end of the pod ride, you are in a museum that shows you the DNA collection and how they reconstructed the scenes.

After touring Jorvik we went to the dungeons. You enter the dungeons and are taken into the world of torture, deathly tales, court proceedings and scary realms. It was such good fun! We were there with another two groups (one was Chinese - and would jump at anything, the other were English and enjoyed it as much as I did!) I really had fun (Tracy was clinging to me like there was no tomorrow!) I was asked to volunteer in the butchers room (where he opened up a person, then took me into the back room to open me up), I was sentenced to be hanged for being a witch who was heard chanting to the devil and conjuring up one of the other guys in the room (but not before I was tortured - with thumb presses and he was tortured by having his tongue pulled out). It was really good fun!!!!!

No day would be complete without a trip to the local brewery. We got to the brewery for the 15h30 tour. It was moderately interesting. We were shown around the place told how they make the beer and had some general chit-chat. It made me think though, about the ingredients that most brewers use. By the time we left the tour, we had touched every ingredient in their beer. It made me wonder if beer really is good for you!!??

After the brewery, we went to the Yorkshire museum. The museum houses the archaeology, biology, astronomy and geology collections of York. The collection was interesting, but after the days events, I found it a surprising let-down. Perhaps this was because we had been overwhelmed by such awesome stuff, that in comparison, this was just not as good as it may have been a day earlier.

Alas, all the attractions had now closed... which meant that I could take Tracy to all the tourist spots that were not indoors (shambles, shortest street, cat gallery etc). She appeared to enjoy them as much as I had yesterday! We walked back through the city, stopping to gather some dinner and headed for the warmth of the hostel.

We arrived back at the hostel, made some dinner and said our goodbyes. Tracy left to catch a train to London at 20h00. I finished my supper and gloated to the receptionist about the fact that I had managed to see eight paying sites and several non-paying sites.... he could only blush....

Like I said, I learned from a pro!!!!

I hired a towel, went up to my room, gathered my stuff for my shower and had the most enjoyable hot shower! After my shower, i went and sat on my bed with my book. The bedroom door opened and that was the last I saw of my book. A lady had walked in (she was in her mid 60's) and began a discussion with me. Tried as I might to shut her up, she kept on talking about her life, her children, her adventures, her work.... I gave up, lying back on my bed whilst she spoke. I thought she was just about talked-out when another elderly lady entered the room... OH BOY... they began telling me about all the places i should visit, all the places they had been... I could not help but think: 'why me?'

I woke up this morning after a night close from hell (all the ladies in the rooms had a night-time quirk: one snored, one tossed and turned and the other spoke in her sleep) hoping it had all been a bad dream. Alas, it was far too close to reality. I got up and dressed and went downstairs for breakfast as quickly as I could. I got my food and sat down. I tucked in. The joy of eating food at my own pace, alone, was short-lived. The old ladies sought me out of the crowd and joined me. Great.

Turns out one was here to pray in the cathedral (a life-long dream), the other was here for some Palestinian society meeting (great, of all the people in the YHA I have to get the two nutballs eating breakfast with me).

I have spent the entire day indoors today, as it is a whopping 3 degrees outside (and there is a threat of snow/rain for the next few days). This is not going to stop me though (I laugh in the face of adverse weather conditions). I will be going out tonight to a local pub to have a local brew and listen to a local band...

what could go wrong????

Exminster and beyond...

Hello everyone!

It has been a while since I last updated this blog, and sadly, not much has changed.

I went back to Exminster on the 25th for two weeks. The first week was REALLY REALLY boring, as my client stayed in bed for most of it (it was midterm at college). I sat around the house in a sort of daze where one day fell into the next and smudged over the previous. The stay had been much like the last one... sleeping late, sitting around the house, messing about online and just generally doing nothing! As such, I managed to get some paperwork in order, walk the dog several times and do LOADS of household stuff... I arrived in Exminster on Saturday and by the following Saturday, my client had only gone out once... (to a carvery with his mother - I was only invited because he cannot transfer into and out of the car with one person - how special did I feel!!???). The second week improved greatly (well, as great as could be expected in comparison to the first week).

Monday morning arrived bright and early. I was up at 06h00 to get my client ready for his six-monthly check-up in Salisbury at midday (sometimes the job really does suck!). My clients father drove us to the hospital, which took two hours each way, so by the time we got back home it was cold, wet and dark and we were all tired.

Tuesday saw my client in bed recovering from the long journey to the hospital, conveniently, 'staying off his pressure sores'.

Wednesday morning began bright and early, having to get up around 07h00 to get my client dressed and ready for college (I remember those days... up at 5am, dressed and out the house for 6am to get to Observatory in time for the staff meeting - but NEVER in my life did I think it could take close on 120 minutes to get out of bed, showered and dressed). We got in the car and drove to college, where I sat (bored out of my mind) in the class with my client. I found it rather surprising how the learners are still spoon-fed at such a high level. The level of immaturity really made me wonder if it is a good idea that they start school so early and finish it around age 16. This pondering lasted a whole four minutes of the long school day...

I must admit though, that when I put my iPod on and listened to some music followed by watching some TV in the class I felt a little naughty (as though I was supposed to be listening and learning!) It was actually good fun to look around the room at all the bored faces and know that I was not at school anymore!

Thursday and Friday were filled with more college (early mornings and late nights), so by the time Saturday arrived, I was glad to be able to sleep in a little (only a little though, as I had to hand over to the next PA).

The PA arrived whilst I was baking. She looked at me rather strangely (almost accusingly 'why are you not packed and ready to go'). I had to explain to her that my clients father had allowed me to stay there a few extra nights before my next client. I got to know her a little, and discovered that she had flown over from South Africa with Jo (this meant that I had now met both girls, who flew over from the Cape, who trained with Jo... but sadly, still no Jo...)

Once I had handed over, Saturday afternoon was spent lazing around the house, followed by some television viewing (not too different from work really) and an early night in bed (which is really different from work with this client!!!). The really weird part was when my client called for something, I had to resist the urge to get up and get it for him (it's amazing how guilty that can make you feel)...

I was up EARLY on Sunday morning for some much needed retail therapy... I got showered, dressed and onto the first bus into Exeter. I spent the ENTIRE day there shopping (and surprisingly, only spent £60)... Let me tell you what I bought (daddy, this is the part where you scroll down because it is most likely not terribly interesting to you!)

I bought: 5 white blouses, 5 Jerseys, 1 pair of black trousers (yes, "trousers". I had to learn that the hard way - pants are apparently underwear and are not vaguely similar to trousers... go figure!), a thick jacket, 5 pairs of underwear, a scarf and 2 hoodies... followed by lupper (yes, LUPPER!) - which was a really yummy burger, chips and pudding from the giraffe (a restaurant that was bombed a few years ago)

Once I was all shopped-out, I headed back to the bus station. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, I missed the bus by three minutes (this meant that I would have to spend the next hour waiting in the cold for another bus). I got back to Exminster around 18h30, watched some television, chatted and then hit the sack.

Monday morning saw a bright and early start to the day, as I had to catch the train to York... YES.... YORK... I left Exminster at 08h00 and got to York around 15h00 (it was a VERY long journey). I stayed in the youth hostel that night and then travelled to my client the following morning.

I arrived at my clients home around 12h30 for my weeks' stay. The week was rather drawn out. My client was on complete bed rest (don't I just have all the luck??) This meant that the highlights of the week were going out to get groceries, medicines, groceries and more medicines... Needless to say, I was very glad it was only one week there. I did not find very much appealing - my client could drink anyone/thing under the table, he smoked until there were no cigarettes left (I had to hold the cigarettes, light them, flick their ash and put them out.... YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!), he slept during the day and then was awake all night long (which meant that I basically never slept). He had a few visitors (but nobody I would like to see in a dark alley)...

So, to spare you the boring details, just know that it was a week of my life wasted.

After the assignment had come to an end, I went back to the youth hostel (the YHA) for a holiday!