Steve n Jen's UK adventures

UK and European adventures. Read on my pretties, and discover what two stray Aussies can get up to on their travels.......

30 June 2006

June 2006 b

Wed 21 June 2006
Jen travelled 5 hours each way, on a bus, to Leamington Spa, for an interview with a design recruitment agency. Jen tired. Steve studies.

Thurs 22 June 2006
Jen gets confirmation to work freelance, short-term, in Bristol. Thankfully, there are some lovely SCA people who live in the area who are able to put us up for a week or so.

Fri 23 June 2006
Jen spends the day working on a test design (7 page mock magazine layout) to get an interview, for a job in Peterborough. Jen gets confirmation on a different job interview, in Birmingham, but its in 3 weeks' time!
Steve studies some more.

Sat 24 June 2006
Hop in car to stay overnight in Hemel Hempstead. But first, on the way, we stopped and saw the north-easterly end of the ridgeway pathway (which Steve plans to walk later this year - about 128kms), at the Ivinghoe Beacon.

Above: a chalk lion (a very modern one) carved into the distant mountainside (from Ivinghoe Beacon) heralds the end of the Ridgeway Pathway.

Above: Here's an English version of Macca's, near our evening's lodgings.

Sun 25 June 2006
Drive... on the way, Jen stops to phone home. "Ohmigod, my sister (Vicky) is pregnant!" Jen gets homesick thinking of the important times she'll be missing. We drive on - and stop to look at the Uffington White Horse, Uffington Castle, and Dragon Hill where St George apparently slew the dragon, spilling its blood and hence no grass grows on the hilltop.... but actually its a chalk outcrop. Here's the White Horse...


Above: Dragon's Hill, centre, the White Horse (the chalk thing), right.
We drive on, through Avebury - just as spectacular as ever.... which is near the south westerly end of the aforementioned Ridgeway Pathway. A little further down the road is....

Above: the Avenue of Kings. Below: The Avenue ends at the Sanctuary, a wood and stone circle now completely demolished.


Above: Silbury Hill is a pre-historic man made hill. Upon it are wildflowers that have not been found anywhere else (in the UK at least). Hey, Cthulu calling for you gaming types.

Mon 26 June 2006
Jen starts work freelancing in Bristol. Stayed with the Senechal of ID (U.K.) and her husband in Wickwar, about 10 miles north of Bristol. Jen gets homesick because this couple reminds her so much of her sister Kathy and husband: the modern home, dragon statues, same embroidery on wall, star trek posters, extensive sci-fi and fantasy library, husband is a black belt, etc etc etc. Scary similarities.

Tues 27 June 2006
Day two of freelancing. Jen not happy with complete lack of work to do - five hours straight of twiddling thumbs, not fun. Glad to have the opportunity to see "what sort of a company they are" which was the point of turning up to freelance.
Meanwhile, Steve rode on a mountain bike about 10miles this morning up hill and over dale (Steve has not been getting enough regular exercise and is losing fitness). He says "I will have no trouble sleeping tonight, oh my aching quads!"

Wed 28 June 2006
Jen rings-up recruitment company to tell them she's not interested in doing nothing, and besides really really wants to keep herself available for interviews across the UK, for real, permanent work. We both go touristing instead, through south Wales.

Above: The bridge into Wales across the Severn River.
....then we came across Tintern Abbey (below).




Thurs 29 June 2006
This morning packed up our stuff and drove back to Leeds, via touristy stuff.
Made our way north through Birmingham, up to Whitchurch and 'Bangor is-y-Coed'... the original Bangor.




Above: Bangor. From left, the bridge over the River Dee, the pub, and lovely 14th century church made of red sandstone.

Arrived back in Leeds and put the laundry on. Made the bed and slept in it. Glad we're not sleeping on the airbed tonight!

Fri 30 June 2006
Today, had our interview for National Insurance numbers (NI) - which is just like Aussie tax file numbers. Turns out it will be a further 4 - 6 weeks before we get the numbers. We're OK to work in the UK - just need to let employers know we've applied for the NI. Steve contacted by recruitment agency for an interview on Tuesday.

Sat 1 July 2006
Get up early and drive to Gloucester (about 20miles north of Bristol) for the Cooks and Bards SCA event this weekend........

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home