Avenue Q. A very hilarious and worthwhile show. Basically think sesame st but with rude characters in their 20s. Although next time I will go for a seat that is not in the balconies. Also finding somewhere to stay before arriving in London is also a good idea. Would have saved me an hour of walking around London at midnight looking for accommodation. My weekend in London was pretty fun though. Saw the Imperial War Museum (took 3 hours) then walked along the Thames seeing the sights, as my photos will attest. Saturday night I went to a comedy night at a pub which was great fun, some very good talent.
My week so far has been pretty standard. The boys are hard work and my planning for lessons is limited, but I am managing. Also have moved into my new apartment. Its a real bachelor pad tastefully decorated in grey, black and cream with a huge tv, couch, and not much else. When I moved in the fridge was full with beer and nothing else. My flatmate is pretty cool too. He is Scottish and works in London so I don't see too much of him. As for me, tonight I am watching said huge tv and having a few drinks to brace me against the cold for when I venture out into St Albans town tonight.Should be fun, wish me luck.
Saturday, 31 January 2009
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Updating------------ update complete
I could not put it off any longer. After all these casual years, I have finally suited up. The school is starting a process of change and I decided it would be a good time for me to do the same. New country, new job, new Pete. Pete V3.0 has been effective these last 6 years or so, lets see how Pete V4.0 deals with the new challenges and adventures to be found over here.
The second week of school was grueling to say the least. I discovered at the moment I have 16 classes containing around 400 students. I do not know how the boys expect me to learn their names when they keep forgetting mine. So far I have had sir, mr sir, mr cahill, mr cardle and mr guns. A problem I am noticing is that the boys like me, probably due to being in the army. However the boys liking me does not mean they are any easier to control. They are a little scared of me as they think I can kill them with one hit, and rightly so. This can be funny, one boy accidentally hit me with a bit of paper and basically ran for his life, he could not have been more apologetic. Hopefully the new school policies and the new me will make it easier to control and teach the lads.
I have very nearly got myself a flat, a very nice apartment a quarter mile from the school. Huge tv, cable, wireless broadband and a cleaner, all for 150 pound a week. A bit more than I wanted to spend but I the pad is worth it. Supposed to be moving in next weekend, it will be good to have a place I can call my own finally. Hopefully my pay goes through on monday so I can afford it.
I still have not been out on the town here on a friday or saturday night, not really something you can do when living at someone else's place with small children. I have however been visiting a Irish pub every week or so and discovered I quite enjoy Magners Irish cider. Really do need to broaden my beer palette though, something to work on. Thinking of maybe going to London next weekend or the one after. maybe actually see the sights and take photos this time. Hoping to see the show, Avenue Q. If you have not heard of this it is basically Sesame Street with adult themes, sounds like a lot of fun.
The second week of school was grueling to say the least. I discovered at the moment I have 16 classes containing around 400 students. I do not know how the boys expect me to learn their names when they keep forgetting mine. So far I have had sir, mr sir, mr cahill, mr cardle and mr guns. A problem I am noticing is that the boys like me, probably due to being in the army. However the boys liking me does not mean they are any easier to control. They are a little scared of me as they think I can kill them with one hit, and rightly so. This can be funny, one boy accidentally hit me with a bit of paper and basically ran for his life, he could not have been more apologetic. Hopefully the new school policies and the new me will make it easier to control and teach the lads.
I have very nearly got myself a flat, a very nice apartment a quarter mile from the school. Huge tv, cable, wireless broadband and a cleaner, all for 150 pound a week. A bit more than I wanted to spend but I the pad is worth it. Supposed to be moving in next weekend, it will be good to have a place I can call my own finally. Hopefully my pay goes through on monday so I can afford it.
I still have not been out on the town here on a friday or saturday night, not really something you can do when living at someone else's place with small children. I have however been visiting a Irish pub every week or so and discovered I quite enjoy Magners Irish cider. Really do need to broaden my beer palette though, something to work on. Thinking of maybe going to London next weekend or the one after. maybe actually see the sights and take photos this time. Hoping to see the show, Avenue Q. If you have not heard of this it is basically Sesame Street with adult themes, sounds like a lot of fun.
Saturday, 10 January 2009
I arrived in december and London was cold,
I stayed in the bars along Charing Cross Rd. Well, Borough High Street actually. But I am getting ahead of myself. My leaving party did not really go off so Steve, Richie and myself got a hotel room in New Plymouth and dealt to a good amount of beer. We got some strange looks bringing a chilly bin into the flash hotel we were at. Had a great night which was a good send off from NZ.
My journey to London began with a day spent in Auckland, a day in Sydney catching up with Bob and seeing the sights, a night in Bangkok worrying about the shuttle, then a two hour transfer in Bahrain. Of the airlines I flew with, British airways came out on top. When I asked what they had to drink the response was -Everything-. Before we left Bahrain Gulf air had two air hostesses walk through the plane with fumigators. Always a good start. I arrived in London half an hour early so had extra time to get through customs. I arrived at the hostel at 2300 New Years eve and was at the bar by 2330. Double shots and red bull helped me get into the spirit of the season. I ended up watching the London Eye fireworks on the tv in the bar, much better then standing in the cold by the river. Had a great night, even though I do not remember much, ended up lost in London and did not get back to the hostel until noon.
New Years day I woke up to darkness. This put me in a spin until I realised it was only 4 in the afternoon and it gets dark early here. I met some Finns and ended up going to Ministry of Sound with them to see David Guetta. Cost 30 pounds to get in but the music was great and the girls pretty. I ended up taking the train to St Albans on the sunday and stayed in a hotel near the school I now work at.
I woke up on the monday to a frigid day with snow on the ground. Snow! I arrived at school early and waited around until someone figured out what to do with me. Turned out the heating in the science labs had been turned off so the whole department was frozen. Verulam school is much different to Waitara. I not only have twelve classes that are made up of 300 odd students, they behave worse than the kids at Waitara. But, I have survived a week and the longer I am there the easier it should get, in theory anyway.
Differences I have noticed so far between NZ and Britain? The cold to start with. Better music, Larger loaves on bread, the chocolate milk tastes weird, burgers seem to be bigger, servos do not have pis or pie warmers, they still have 1, 2 and 5 cent coins, paper money and no option for pin on credit card. Broadband runs at 50mb, and supermarkets have huge selections of ready to go food. All in all it is similar to home but with enough differences to make it interesting. Now I am going to go and enjoy my weekend before I have to go back to work.
My journey to London began with a day spent in Auckland, a day in Sydney catching up with Bob and seeing the sights, a night in Bangkok worrying about the shuttle, then a two hour transfer in Bahrain. Of the airlines I flew with, British airways came out on top. When I asked what they had to drink the response was -Everything-. Before we left Bahrain Gulf air had two air hostesses walk through the plane with fumigators. Always a good start. I arrived in London half an hour early so had extra time to get through customs. I arrived at the hostel at 2300 New Years eve and was at the bar by 2330. Double shots and red bull helped me get into the spirit of the season. I ended up watching the London Eye fireworks on the tv in the bar, much better then standing in the cold by the river. Had a great night, even though I do not remember much, ended up lost in London and did not get back to the hostel until noon.
New Years day I woke up to darkness. This put me in a spin until I realised it was only 4 in the afternoon and it gets dark early here. I met some Finns and ended up going to Ministry of Sound with them to see David Guetta. Cost 30 pounds to get in but the music was great and the girls pretty. I ended up taking the train to St Albans on the sunday and stayed in a hotel near the school I now work at.
I woke up on the monday to a frigid day with snow on the ground. Snow! I arrived at school early and waited around until someone figured out what to do with me. Turned out the heating in the science labs had been turned off so the whole department was frozen. Verulam school is much different to Waitara. I not only have twelve classes that are made up of 300 odd students, they behave worse than the kids at Waitara. But, I have survived a week and the longer I am there the easier it should get, in theory anyway.
Differences I have noticed so far between NZ and Britain? The cold to start with. Better music, Larger loaves on bread, the chocolate milk tastes weird, burgers seem to be bigger, servos do not have pis or pie warmers, they still have 1, 2 and 5 cent coins, paper money and no option for pin on credit card. Broadband runs at 50mb, and supermarkets have huge selections of ready to go food. All in all it is similar to home but with enough differences to make it interesting. Now I am going to go and enjoy my weekend before I have to go back to work.
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Week 19 – How it ends
What a boring week, all we did was continue to clean and pack our gear in preparation for going home. Oh, and welcome the new guys. They certainly are a mixed bag this lot, come from all over the place. Good luck to them I say, they have a hard reputation to live up to. The week concluded with the end of tour function which started at the high commissioners place. The lone thought in all our minds was ‘Oh my god, beer! This is awesome!’ That was until we tasted the local beer know as Solbrew or as we quickly came to call it, cat’s piss. The canned stuff tasted slightly better than the bottled, I can’t remember, either way, it was still pretty shit. After an hour of two drinking here we were taken back to base by a very grumpy bus driver (Aussie, what a surprise) were we had an hour of drying off before we were allowed back at the bar. The bar involved me and Pinnie somehow defeated some Aussies in pool even though we were rather toasted and continued drinking. However I was disappointed in the lads as I had smuggled booze to the room to continue drinking after curfew but they all piked. Ending up being me and one other drinking in the dark, not so much fun. So all the remaining booze I gave to Solly, our good friend from the Solomon’s police force.
Sunday saw a few hangovers for our final goodbyes and the plane ride home. Got a ride in a jet this time, and with ample room, 3 seats between 2 troopies, lovely. I got a bit of sleep and before you knew it (bout 4 hours) we were coming in to land at Ohakea. First thing I did? McDonalds of course. Nowhere near as good as I had built it up to be. That and an hour later I was regretting it as my stomach was no longer used to processed food. After a decent sleep and my first real sleep-in in a long time I was feeling much more human. In summary, it was a great trip. I become close friends with some great people, I saved a heap of coin, I got some great experiences and I helped make in difference in some peoples’ lives. In saying that, I would not go back to the Solomon Islands with the army. Don’t get me wrong, the place and the people are great, but having to work under the police and Australians? Not worth it.
I am definitely glad to be home also, being able to go outside and not immediately breaking into a sweat, not being told what to do all the time, being able to do things on your own. Some things have taken a bit of getting used to. Not having my weapon with me 24/7, not having my section by my side, not having to scan and patrol when out and about. In the 3 or so weeks I have been back I have more than made up for the 4 months without drinking on deployment, gotten into some mischief that is memorable and some I simply can not remember, and basically had a great time being home. To anyone thinking about joining the Territorial or even those not, Now is a great time to enlist, not only do you get primo kit, you can be deployed within a year of joining if you are good enough. Not to mention the skills, adventures and friends you make by being in the green machine. I’m doing my part! Are you? (Service guarantees citizenship* (* not valid in this reality)).
Now it is nearly time for my next great adventure to begin. At the very twilight of 2008 I am moving to London to return to my original career as a science teacher. Luckily everything has worked out (so far, touch wood) with my visa approved, job secured, etc. All that remains now is for me to arrive in London and find somewhere to live and then the next chapter in “It seemed like a good idea at the time: A Peter Cadle Story” can begin. I am looking forward to it.
Sunday saw a few hangovers for our final goodbyes and the plane ride home. Got a ride in a jet this time, and with ample room, 3 seats between 2 troopies, lovely. I got a bit of sleep and before you knew it (bout 4 hours) we were coming in to land at Ohakea. First thing I did? McDonalds of course. Nowhere near as good as I had built it up to be. That and an hour later I was regretting it as my stomach was no longer used to processed food. After a decent sleep and my first real sleep-in in a long time I was feeling much more human. In summary, it was a great trip. I become close friends with some great people, I saved a heap of coin, I got some great experiences and I helped make in difference in some peoples’ lives. In saying that, I would not go back to the Solomon Islands with the army. Don’t get me wrong, the place and the people are great, but having to work under the police and Australians? Not worth it.
I am definitely glad to be home also, being able to go outside and not immediately breaking into a sweat, not being told what to do all the time, being able to do things on your own. Some things have taken a bit of getting used to. Not having my weapon with me 24/7, not having my section by my side, not having to scan and patrol when out and about. In the 3 or so weeks I have been back I have more than made up for the 4 months without drinking on deployment, gotten into some mischief that is memorable and some I simply can not remember, and basically had a great time being home. To anyone thinking about joining the Territorial or even those not, Now is a great time to enlist, not only do you get primo kit, you can be deployed within a year of joining if you are good enough. Not to mention the skills, adventures and friends you make by being in the green machine. I’m doing my part! Are you? (Service guarantees citizenship* (* not valid in this reality)).
Now it is nearly time for my next great adventure to begin. At the very twilight of 2008 I am moving to London to return to my original career as a science teacher. Luckily everything has worked out (so far, touch wood) with my visa approved, job secured, etc. All that remains now is for me to arrive in London and find somewhere to live and then the next chapter in “It seemed like a good idea at the time: A Peter Cadle Story” can begin. I am looking forward to it.
Sunday, 16 November 2008
Week 18 – Red door left!
Final full week on duty is over. What did it encompass? Urban live firing baby! We had a structure set up at the range and had a great time blasting away with steyrs and pistols. After this we spent the rest of the week doing sentry and cleaning house, etc. Although Saturday saw us get out on the town for lunch. We had the opportunity to go for dinner but decided lunch would be a better idea as we could shop and wouldn’t miss the league. Our day out shopping ending up being more exciting as it could have been as we gained good intel on possible trouble and aided in the arrest of an escaped felon. Our section can’t help but be awesome, even when off duty we are working. The advance party arrived today so we are definitely on the downward slope.
Sunday, 9 November 2008
Week 17 – This is an illegal gathering
Well, the platoon is back together again, yay... Don’t get me wrong, I like most of the guys here, especially my section, but there are a few who ruin it and with the platoon come all the rules and bullshit we had been without. Once the others had sorted their lives out we took over as QRF (Quick reaction force) and got into some riot training. This was old hat for 2 section as we had done a lot before our demo for the duke, so we got back into the groove of things pretty quick. We also discovered that it is not as tiring and difficult now we are used to the climate here, although it still gets the clothes soaked in sweat wearing all the armour and gear. It being a Sunday we are on rest today, however I am on watch duty again, because our section lucked out with the timings, oh well, it’s only half a day anyway, and it is not like there was much else I would be doing when I can go on the net and watch movies at the sentry point anyway. Hooray for two weeks left!
Sunday, 2 November 2008
Week 16 – Summer camp 08
Remember what I said two weeks ago? Yeah, this week was basically a repeat with less work and fewer patrols. We would spend the mornings yarning and playing cards before the usual routine of touch, swim, dinner, movie, sleep. This week also saw the removal of half of the section back to GBR. God have I missed this place; food tastes so much better when it was once alive. Although it did take us a while to get used to sleeping on comfortable beds once again. It is good to be able to use the gym and other facilities here. Speaking of which, I am off to boxing.
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