Well, after a chat with a neighbour who is selling his apartment, I've decided that I'll be offering mine back to the government first-time buyer's scheme department this weekend - just have to write the letter and decide when I want to move.
At least I'll be going back to the UK with more money than I arrived on the island with, which will hopefully help me get started in the new chapter of my life. Lots of things have been nudging me along since last autumn, so now is the time to set things in motion. At the moment, I'm thinking end of July as the move date, but I'll think over it some more over the next few days.
In some ways I don't want to go, as I've made a couple of good friends on the island, but I also feel like I'm stagnating in my life and job, so I need a kick start and there are more opportunities in the UK, and cheaper housing too!
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Sunday, 26 April 2009
April nearly over
Well, another month nearly done, getting somewhat caught up on the outstanding stuff at work, helped by the boss being off for a week and not thinking of new stuff to do! Not helped by him and another guy being off at the same time, so I had to deal with a lot of the customers queries and whinges :-(
Took a ride around the course on the bike yesterday in my leathers to keep breaking them in - just over 2 weeks to race school at Donington now!
Life changes are coming in the next few months, hopefully I can re-start my life successfully - new job, new house, new everything (well, who knows!) I just need something, but I don't know fully what.....
Took a ride around the course on the bike yesterday in my leathers to keep breaking them in - just over 2 weeks to race school at Donington now!
Life changes are coming in the next few months, hopefully I can re-start my life successfully - new job, new house, new everything (well, who knows!) I just need something, but I don't know fully what.....
Saturday, 11 April 2009
A long day
Thursday was a very long day - didn't sleep well, as normal for me before travelling, waking up every hour or so, even though I wasn't getting up any earlier than a normal day, really. Got up at 7 eventually, abluted, took my beta-blocker, travel pill and diclofenac pill to prepare myself for the journey.
Wrapped up with plenty of layers and was on the bike heading for the ferry by 7.30. As soon as all the artic trailers were loaded I was waved on board, getting the only motorcycle on this crossing stowed before letting the cars on. I wandered upstairs and asked if there were any spare cabins but all were booked, so I went on the list in case someone didn't show.
The boat set sail a few minutes early and I started to feel a little queazy as soon as we rounded the breakwater - great, I thought, over 3 hours of seasickness ahead! Then, saints be praised, I heard my name over the tannoy - I got a cabin! £42 well spent, and I collected my bike gear and headed up to the cabin. Got myself settled, turned out the lights and lay on the bunk, and lo and behold, even though I was now on a higher deck, I felt a lot better, and even managed to doze off and on for the entire crossing!
We docked in Heysham about 10 minutes early at 12.05pm, and I was one of the first off - rode through the Heysham and Lancaster lunchtime traffic with a bit of filtering, then onto the M6 and southward bound. The lack of sleep was catching up with me so I stopped at Charnock Richard services for a bite to eat (first food of the day!) and a can of Red Bull to try and wake up.
20 minutes or so there, then off again, pausing at Sandbach services to fill up, but only after hitting the first lot of heavy traffic, for 10 miles, filtering off and on - something I don't do on a regular basis as I live on the IOM!
Once I had a full tank in the bike, I set off south again, hitting more heavy traffic on various stages of the M6, and then hitting the Bristol section of the M5 just after 5pm - on the day before the Easter weekend, so not the best plan! More miles of filtering through stationary traffic, until finally clear and really homeward bound!
I walked in the door at my parent's at 7.15, 7 hours after leaving Heysham, and boy did my arse ache from sitting on the bike for that long! Luckily, no bright red monkey butt though!
Food, sleep, wake, spend all of Good Friday re-installing Mum and Dad's computer - today a rest day, bought some new t-shirts in Street Factory Village reduced down, and now falling aslee..............
Wrapped up with plenty of layers and was on the bike heading for the ferry by 7.30. As soon as all the artic trailers were loaded I was waved on board, getting the only motorcycle on this crossing stowed before letting the cars on. I wandered upstairs and asked if there were any spare cabins but all were booked, so I went on the list in case someone didn't show.
The boat set sail a few minutes early and I started to feel a little queazy as soon as we rounded the breakwater - great, I thought, over 3 hours of seasickness ahead! Then, saints be praised, I heard my name over the tannoy - I got a cabin! £42 well spent, and I collected my bike gear and headed up to the cabin. Got myself settled, turned out the lights and lay on the bunk, and lo and behold, even though I was now on a higher deck, I felt a lot better, and even managed to doze off and on for the entire crossing!
We docked in Heysham about 10 minutes early at 12.05pm, and I was one of the first off - rode through the Heysham and Lancaster lunchtime traffic with a bit of filtering, then onto the M6 and southward bound. The lack of sleep was catching up with me so I stopped at Charnock Richard services for a bite to eat (first food of the day!) and a can of Red Bull to try and wake up.
20 minutes or so there, then off again, pausing at Sandbach services to fill up, but only after hitting the first lot of heavy traffic, for 10 miles, filtering off and on - something I don't do on a regular basis as I live on the IOM!
Once I had a full tank in the bike, I set off south again, hitting more heavy traffic on various stages of the M6, and then hitting the Bristol section of the M5 just after 5pm - on the day before the Easter weekend, so not the best plan! More miles of filtering through stationary traffic, until finally clear and really homeward bound!
I walked in the door at my parent's at 7.15, 7 hours after leaving Heysham, and boy did my arse ache from sitting on the bike for that long! Luckily, no bright red monkey butt though!
Food, sleep, wake, spend all of Good Friday re-installing Mum and Dad's computer - today a rest day, bought some new t-shirts in Street Factory Village reduced down, and now falling aslee..............
Sunday, 5 April 2009
April showers?
Woe, woe, and thrice woe! After a couple weeks of pretty much decent weather, why does the forecast change to rain and wind just when I'm getting close to a ferry crossing and 240-mile ride on my motorbike down to my parents in Yeovil for Easter??
Seven hours overtime yesterday at a client's site - OK, I was there for 7 hours, but probably only did about 30 minutes work lol Tired today though - couldn't get to sleep last night until about 1 am, so nearly fell asleep watching the second World Superbike race from Valencia on Eurosport up at Harry's! I'm now lying in bed just chilling.
Found a few Victorian terrace houses in Yeovil at decent prices online, all needing refurbs naturally, so interesting thoughts running through my head. No, not those sort of thoughts - I don't think of houses in that way, but those sort of interesting thoughts do run through my head about certain females of the species :-D
Three days of work this week and counselling on Wednesday, then ferry at 8.45am on Thursday, docking in Heysham around 12.15, so hopefully get to Yeovil around 5-ish. Back to the island late Tuesday night, and back into work for three days, then jury selection on Monday 20th! Do I want to be picked or not, I don't know really!
Hopefully my leathers will arrive before I leave, so that I can at least try them on, but I bet I'll need some chopped off the legs to fit me properly!
Right, best think about food for tonight - chicken breast and baked beans, I think. I'm a real 2-star Michelin chef, me :-D
Seven hours overtime yesterday at a client's site - OK, I was there for 7 hours, but probably only did about 30 minutes work lol Tired today though - couldn't get to sleep last night until about 1 am, so nearly fell asleep watching the second World Superbike race from Valencia on Eurosport up at Harry's! I'm now lying in bed just chilling.
Found a few Victorian terrace houses in Yeovil at decent prices online, all needing refurbs naturally, so interesting thoughts running through my head. No, not those sort of thoughts - I don't think of houses in that way, but those sort of interesting thoughts do run through my head about certain females of the species :-D
Three days of work this week and counselling on Wednesday, then ferry at 8.45am on Thursday, docking in Heysham around 12.15, so hopefully get to Yeovil around 5-ish. Back to the island late Tuesday night, and back into work for three days, then jury selection on Monday 20th! Do I want to be picked or not, I don't know really!
Hopefully my leathers will arrive before I leave, so that I can at least try them on, but I bet I'll need some chopped off the legs to fit me properly!
Right, best think about food for tonight - chicken breast and baked beans, I think. I'm a real 2-star Michelin chef, me :-D
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