Thursday, November 11, 2010

Back home again.

Hi all, had a nightmare of a time getting home.
Got a lift early to Calgary yard then almost immediately got a lift to the airport. All of this added up with me being 6hrs early for the flight taking off so sat around, drank some coffee and waited. Had a wander around to where the flight was checking in and found that it had been delayed for 4hrs so after being issued with a complimentary meal voucher from Thomas Cook I had something to eat and time to ponder on how I would occupy myself.
For some reason security seemed to dislike me and after being put through the new full body scanner I had my hand luggage put through the xray twice, then opened and swabbed for drugs. Naturally all was clear, but at the gate check in to board the flight my hands and clothing were once again swabbed. I have no objections to rigorous security measures so it wasnt a problem.
The flight eventually left about 20mins late (paperwork) and was pretty uneventful.
Due to the delays I had missed my train to Darlington but the railway company honored the ticket and I was free to travel on the next train which matched the ticket price which in turn meant a 2hr wait at the station.
I arrived at Darlington at 5.30pm, tired, irritable and ready for some sleep.
My plan was to return to Lethbridge asap, however the cheap flights are now finished for the winter so at the minute unless there is some cheap cancellations about it looks like it wont be until the new year before I return.
Since I have been back I have done very little, still I have Xmas to look forward to.
Bye for now.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Some more pics from my time at home.

I wished I had been a bit quicker with booking my flights to come over to Canada as at first I had the choice of flying home today which is Friday. I left it for a day or so before booking and sods law dictated that the flight would be fully booked...only Sunday available.
I have done everything I needed to do over here and sitting around is now a massive chore..I am so bored.
So here are some more pictures from my time at home
These pictures are from Ladies Day at Newcastle. Ladies Day is a big thing for the ladies, they really let there hair down and hats are the order of the day...the wilder the better.
My dad owns a racehorse and although it wasnt running that day we still had "owners and trainers" tickets for the day. I went along with Megan who is my girlfriends daughter and she very much looked the part. Needless to say that with my luck I didnt win any money but a good day was had by all.





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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Medical passed, licence issued, drug tests today.

Hi all.
As I have been out of the country for over 30 days apparently I need to undergo another drug test which involves peeing in a bottle. This is not a problem, as I have never taken any drugs and my aim is pretty good.
Its been pretty boring sat in the hotel room so I have been browsing through some pics I have taken whilst at home. Anyone who follows me on Flickr will have seen them already so I apologise for that.
More updates will come soon.

This pic is of High Force. Found only a short drive from where I live

Taken with my new 180mm Macro lens. This lens bring you super close to what you are photographing and picks up details often not visible to the human eye

Bridie, my girlfriends dog.

The Angel of the North. 30 mins drive from where I live

This Lily was grown by myself from bulb, I was very pleased with it

Clicking on any picture will supersize it. Its worth it !!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Back in Canada for a week

Hi all, yes I am still alive and fighting fit. Will be visiting Canada tomorrow (Sun 24th) for a week during which time I will hopefully pass my medical, catch up with a load of people and prepare myself for coming back full time.
Looking forward to seeing some old mates !!
Speak soon

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Met with the heart surgeon !!

Hi guys. Met with the surgeon at Newcastle Freeman hospital the other day and discussed my future.
In the end I followed the surgeons advice and have put off having any operations for at least 2 years due to the fact that the odds on the procedure being a success were slim to say the least. For the gamblers amongst you ...would you place a bet on this ? Not making it off the operating table alive - 2000/1. Suffering major after effects such as a stroke - 200/1 and only a 60% success rate on the operation itself which would mean a follow up procedure in 2-3yrs time.
I explained the importance of not being a burden on the Canadian health system and in his opinion I am good to return to work, the only problem being the atrial fibrillation but this is being kept under control by drugs. I have been in touch with H&R to see if I still have a position with them and if I do then its full steam ahead with my residency application and back to work in the near future.








In the mean time I have been getting out and about. The photos are of Easby Abbey which is near Richmond N.Yorkshire and one of Richmond itself. Its a fantastic place and I will be back there again soon for some shots of the castle. The boats and shoes are from Royal Quays Marina, the shoes are something to do with modern art, the story is the girl was waiting for her man to return and when he didn't she jumped into the sea and ended her life. I presume the man killed himself when he did return and find out what had happened.
The tall ship is from Stockton as we won a radio competition to have a Sunday lunch cruise down the River Tees. The food was good but the sights were a little bit dull.







I have more pictures to post but need to sort them out first. Hopefully I will have news of whether I have a job to be returning to in Canada by the time I next post on here.
Happy Easter everbody

Friday, March 5, 2010

Health update and a day out.

Hi all, despite my best efforts its been ages since my last post, so I apologise again.

My latest visit to the hospital brought with it good news following the MRI Cardiac scan that I had. When assessed in Canada I had a deformed heart due to an excess of muscle forming to compensate for the malfunctions, it also was only working at 38% efficiency which sounds horrific but a normal persons heart operates at round about 55%. I now have a normal size heart which is 60% efficient along with a blood pressure of 120/80 and a beating rate of 45 beats per minute..........woohoo !!
I still have the Atrial fibrillation which is when my heart occasionally goes off on a bit of a tangent and does what it wants for anywhere between a few seconds to the full day and will beat either slowly, fast, irregularly or all three. The best way this can be described is that the heart (which beats from electrical impulses) is short circuiting and it looks like I will have to undergo surgery to have my "wiring" fixed. I dont have a consultation with the surgeon yet but I hope this will be soon.

Meanwhile I have been having the odd day out. Sunderland Wintergardens held a celebration for the Chinese New Year so I popped along and had a pretty good day.
I hope you enjoy the pictures which are of the Chinese dance displays and of the gardens which house over 2000 plants, shrubs and trees.







Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Time flies by.

Hi everyone, firstly I must apologise for the lack on interest I have shown lately in the blog as it has been put well and truly on the back burner. I will endeavour to udate more regularly in the future.

I am still in the UK and having blood taken on a weekly basis along with regular hospital appointments. There has been no drastic change in my condition as my heart performs as it should for 95% of the time but occasionally likes to do its own thing and race away. The medication I am taking keeps this in check and its not a big issue. I have no idea when I will be declared fully fit although I have a Cardio MRI scan booked where the doctors will be able to have a detailed look at my heart.

My plan is still to return to Canada, complete my application for permanent residency and pretty much live happy ever after.

A short but sweet post this time, more effort will be made in the future.

Speak soon