The Adventures of Kelly

Flowers really do make me smile :)

2006-06-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful surprise for me at work today....flowers!!

I came down to the office from the ward, after a very busy morning, to find an enormous box sitting on my desk. When I opened it up, what did my eyes behold?? The most beautiful bouquet of flowers I've ever seen!!! Sent from no other than my wonderful boyfriend!! It made me smile & I honestly haven't stopped all day. I love them and I love you Bruce! Thank-you! I can't wait to come home!

The beautiful bouquet I was sent today! Me & my flowers in the kitchen They make a beautiful center-piece for my desk!

Thank you again Bruce, for brightening my day...I've never been sent flowers from half-way around the world before! I'm sure this smile will stay with me all weekend & into next week as well.

The white cliffs of Dover....ah, what a day

2006-06-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, LB & I headed in almost the completely opposite direction as Wales and crossed dover off of our to-do list. We were mainly interested in seeing another part of England and of course in taking a few pictures of the famous White Cliffs. (Both of which we accomplished)

Along the way to Dover, we passed through several pretty historic towns, including Canterbury and Rochester. Once in Dover, we headed straight for the coast line and were amazed at how beautiful those cliffs really are.

Yup, there they are folks!

And there they are again (but from a different angle this time!)

So there you are....that's pretty much the highlight of our trip to Dover....cliffs. Gorgeous for sure. The train ride was great, the cliffs were everything we expected them to be and as always, LB & I had a good time traveling around this crazy country.

The last country on our little adventure...Wales!

2006-06-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I apologize for taking my sweet time in updating this...this week actually required me to focus on my placement a bit (you know, the whole reason I am supposedly in England?) Anyway, last weekend, LB & I decided to use up the last few days on our rail pass & travel around the country for a few final hurrahs.

On Saturday we headed to Wales (Cardiff to be exact). It was a great train-ride there....all 3.5 hours of it. Once in Cardiff, we headed for the castle in the center of the town. It was absolutley gorgeous - perhaps one of my favorite castles that we've seen over here, then down to the waterfront for a bite to eat, a little look-see and a ride on a carousel.

The Keep of Cardiff Castle (& no, I didn't take the picture crooked, the building itself is crooked)

Me & one of the many peacocks that roamed the grounds at Cardiff Castle...as you can imagine, I was in heaven

Me, taking a little rest whilst climbing the tower of the Keep....they just kept going & going!

Down on the waterfront, where we found a really cool carousel to ride!! Good times!

On to Nottingham....on the search for outlaws

2006-06-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, so on Saturday, LB & I decided to try a day-trip somewhere, relatively close to Northampton. Although there were many ideas thrown around, in the end we chose Nottingham. Yup, the Nottingham from Robin Hood. Pretty cool.

The train ride up was pretty uneventful & took about 3 hours. Once there, we instantly headed for Nottingham Castle. On the way there we walked up "Maid Marian Way", passed a statue of the famous outlaw himself & saw Britain's oldest Inn. There was also a pretty little canal through the center of the town.

There were people everywhere due to the opening game of the World Cup. CRAZY!!!! Pubs were overflowing and there was cheering in the street. (not to mention on the trains!)

LB at the Northampton train station, ready to head out on the next installment of our adventure in England (armed with tea to help cope with the early Saturday morning!)

The Man himself outside Nottingham Castle

View of the Castle

Walking along Maid Marian Way

Oldest Inn on Britain, called "Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem", built into the bottom of the hill of the Castle

So that was our trip to Nottingham. We had a great time, although it did take us considerably longer to get home than it did to get there. I think we set a new record for ourselves in terms of the amount of train transfers we took in one day. On the way home we went: Nottingham to Leicester, to Conventry, to nuneaton, to Rugby, to Milton Keynes, to Northampton. Phew!

Forget Paris...we'll always have Budapest!

2006-06-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, so our trip to Hunagry was amazing, truly amazing. The city is beautiful, the people are friendly and LB & I had so much fun! Despite a little rain here & there (ok, who am I kidding, it down-pored on Friday!), we had a blast and didn't let anythign get in our way have seeing everything we could. Here are some pictures of the highlights of our 70 hours in Hungary:

LB & I all dressed up, headed for the Opera

The Opera stage, taken from our seats

Another view of the Opera House...absolutely gorgeous eh??

Proof that we did indeed go topless at the bath (not to worry mom, it was all female. Everyone was either going topless or naked, so we opted for the more conservative of the two). Mine's the blue one & LB's is the pink! Definitely a "you had to be there" moment.

LB with a subway car....the subway had the cutest little song when it stopped & started...almost like a Nintendo game! Too cool.

So that's our trip in a nutshell. Like I said, we had a blast!

My Splenius Capitis hurts!...But Budapest was well worth it

2006-06-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

(Ok, so note to self : do not lug a 15 pound duffle bag, slung over one shoulder, while climbing up and down mountains in Budapest. Ouch!)

Despite the fact that my right shoulder/neck is killing me due to an unfortunate oversight in where we were going to leave our lugage between checking out of our hostel and heading to the airport, I had an amazing time in Budapest!!!

We left Northampton on Thursday afternoon, spent the night in the Luton Airport Hotel, and then caught a ridiculously early flight to Hungary on Friday morning. Highlights of the trip include seeing an Opera, seeing all the sights, getting caught in a torrential downpour, trying Hungarian food (& trying to order it as well!), and oh yes, going topless in a Hungarian thermal bath! Like I said, we had a great time!

Parliament buildings on the Danube

Me in Buda, overlooking Pest and the Danube River

View from Buda's citadel (ie what you're seeing in the background is Pest)

Church built into the mountain in Buda

Me with an honest-to-goodness Soviet Gun thingy, used to defend the city during WWII

Ok, so that's Budapest in a nutshell. As I said earlier, we had an amazing time and it was well worth every last Forint spent.

Pictures of the English Riviera

2006-05-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here finally are some pics from Torquay. All in all, it was agreat weekend, as you can see:

The beach that strectches along the entire town (too bad it was too cold to swim...it IS still England after all)

Me standing in the English Channel

Torquay at dusk, on the way to a pub (sorry, but for the sake of my dignity, there will be no pics from the walk home from the pub!)

The cute little beach huts that line the coast

So there you have it - Torquay in a nutshell...beaches, pubs, shopping..what else can I say? We had a fabulous time doing nothing but taking everything in and most of all RELAXING!

Hold your horses!

2006-05-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've been receiveing a few comments about not being up to anything exciting lately. Well, first let me say that I'm flattered that you all seem to think that I have enough energy to go somewhere new and crazy every weekend! Secondly, let me say that unfortunately, I am expected to be at placement Monday-Friday every week, which has a serious impact on when I can actually go to these crazy places......that being said however, let me assure you all that LB & I have many excting outings planned for our time left in Europe!

We had an extra-long weekend recently (Sat, Sun, Mon & Tues) & so headed along the southern coast of England to a town called Torquay. This place is called "The English Riviera" and is where all the English folks go when they're in serious need of some R & R. Beaches, palm trees, cafes, pubs, tacky touristy shops....the works! It was just what we needed.

We splurged and stayed in a REAL hotel with TV & everything! (it's the little things you miss when you've been traveling for over a month straight!)....absolute heaven. We slept in everyday, ate out, visited a local pub once or twice and shopped. Truly, it was a real vacation...England style!

Sorry, but there will be a noticeably lack of pictures to prove that we did indeed go to this tourist haven. This is b/c I seem to have forgotten my little camera/USB converter thingy needed to upload the pictures in my room. sorry. You'll have to check out LB's blog for the pictures until I post some tomorrow.

On a completely unrelated topic......Congratulations to Auntie Jo!!!!!!!! He's gorgeous!

I'm missing everyone back home......my time here is starting to run short....only 1 month left! Can't wait to see everyone when I get back,

PS- not to worry, there will be plenty more exciting updates to come......Budapest is up next on the agenda!

The adventure continues with a BRIEF tour through London....

2006-05-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

As a few of you may know, I have not exactly been bowled over by London during our past travels through the city. Well, this weekend LB & I decided to give it a fair chance at showing us how great it really is, & so we booked a room at a little hotel for the weekend & hit the streets in a double-decker tour bus (yes I know, so cliche).

Our little adventure had a horrible start involving a dying bird, me in tears and LB coming to my rescue (for a full description of the event, check out LB's blog...I don't want to even write about it b/c I am a huge baby and it'll most likely upset me again). Anyways, with my woes behind us, we headed out for the big city.

What can I say? The highlights of this weekend included:
1. Feeding the birds in Trafalgar Square!!!!!!!!
2. Meeting Patrick Stewart
3. Watching Thelma & Louise in our scarey hotel room (wait...I can explain!)........I know that watching a movie while in London is extremely pathetic, but you have to understand that we have not seen a television since leaving Halifax over 1 month ago! It was heaven, absolute heaven, to curl up, chill out & relax, even if just for a moment or two.

Now, about feeding the birds...it should be no surprise that that has always been a dream of mine, ever since watching Mary Poppins, & actually getting to do it was amazing! (pictures to follow soon)....

As for meeting Patrick Stewart, well.....I have the pictures to prove it! Check them out:

Oh Jean Luc!

A typical London sight....so many red double deckers!

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament...very surreal let me tell ya LB & I snuggled up together in our cozy little room, watching Thelma & Louise..cute eh?
A dream come true for me! My brief stint as a Bond GirlSo that about sums it up for my adventures in London during our whirl-wind 36 hour tour. Pretty cool & very surreal at times. There were a ton of really amazing landmarks, lots of people, it rained constantly, I almost got run over like 4 times...all in all it was exactly as I imagined London to be!

Bath...the town I was born to visit

2006-05-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, so LB & I are back in good ol' Northampton again (which is beginning to feel a little like home now) after a truly amazing trip to Bath, Stonehenge & Lacock. Really, those two days were some of the best ones over here in the UK yet! Bath is gorgeous (as you will soon see for yourselves), Stonehenge was a dream come true, and Lacock was just plain cool.

We stayed two nights in Bath and while there managed to take in most of the sights & pick up a few little trinkets. We took a boat tour up the Rover Avon (the River they believe the stones for Stonehenge were transported on), saw the Roman Baths (I'm talking rally Roman here people, as in the 1st century!!!) and just wandered around the beautiful streets. All amazing!

Pulteney Bridge, in the center of Bath....the River Avon flows under it

The other end of the River Avon (taken from our boat tour)16th century Abbey, in the center of the town

The River Avon at dusk

Me beside the Great Bath...from actual Roman times (heaven!!!!)

Me touchin gthe sacred, healing waters of the Roman Baths!!

Ok, so now onto another highlight of our weekend....Stonehenge. This site we visited as an afternoon trip from Bath. Although many British people have told us that "it's just a bunch of rocks on the side of the road", let me just tell you that the place was unbelievable!!! There was an odd feeling to the whole site...like it was really important or something. The site runs directly in line with a magnetic pull in the earth; infact, I got to hold two metal rods & actually see them move towards each other, pulled by this magnetic line. Cool!

Me at this amazing place

Just a bunch of rocks eh???...yeah right!
We finished off our little trip with a visit to Lacock, a 1000 year old village. This is the site of many movie filming including your favorites & mine, Harry Potter and Pride & Predudice. It was a really pretty little village & it was a great way to end the day!

That's it for Kelly's adventures in Bath. I had an amazing time....I can't even begin to explain how much I loved it...honestly, I felt so fortunate to be just standing there admist all of the beauty, history and mystery...pretty darn cool if you ask me.

I'm in heaven...no wait I'm in Bath!

2006-05-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

OK, so LB & I have gone on another little adventure here in England - spending the weekend in Bath. This place is so beautiful....I think it's both our favorite town we've seen so far! Absolutely gorgeous. We're heading back to good ol' Northampton on Sunday & I'll be updating this site with all my pretty pictures from this lovely little town then. Stay tuned....this town will leave you speechless!

Miss everyone loads,

Kelly

Finally forced to actually do some work over here....

2006-05-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

So, day 1 of week 1 is over. Today I went to St. Andrews Hospital to actually start my placement. Although I haven't posted any pictures of this place yet (but you can check out LB's blog to see some), let me just assure you that it is indeed pretty impressive! A private mental health facility with its very own Chapel, tennis and b-ball courts, gym and pool,...and oh yes, did I mention its golf course??!! Unbelievable.

The hospital employs an astonishing 85 OT's!! Yes that's right, 85! (hmm.....maybe they'll be seeing my resume show up next spring??) Although it is a tad intimidating to be handed a fistfull of keys, ID tags and swipe cards on your first day, all in all the day went great. It really was a great introduction to mental health and Occupational Therapy.

For the next two days I will be working on a ward with adult men, but then after that will be transferred to a unit with adult women. They are small wards and so I will have an excellent chance to really get to know my clients and work with them in both one-on-one situations and in small groups.

Everyone at the hospital seems really nice and eager to help me figure everything out (including how to even get to my office, and which keys - cause there are about 15 of them on my key ring- will get me into the correct wing of the hospital).

I don't want to jinx it or anything - knock on wood -but I really think I'll like it at St. Andrews (which is good because I have to spend the next 8 weeks there!)

I miss everyone back home though and can't wait to see you all!

My room

2006-05-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

My new humble abode is a little room on the second floor of our residence, right across the hall from LB's. While it isn't the prettiest thing to look at, with a few touches from home, it's beginning to feel quite cozy.

My little shelf and desk area

Where I literally hang my hat these days (notice the cute little cat clock? I picked up that little treasure in Edinburgh)

The magnificant view from my window

At least I have Sir Allister Whitby to keep me company when LB's not around! (the blanket is another little trinket I picked up in Scotland)

Home Sweet Home....at least for the next 8 weeks

2006-05-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, so now that our little whirl-wind of a trip through the entire UK has come to an end, it's time that LB & I actually settle down to this "fieldwork" thing that everyone seems to be talking about.

We are safely settled into our little rooms at the University of Northampton & really, have everything we could ever need (including access to horror movies which scare us half to death and make our roommates annoyed with us due to our extremely loud screaming at midnight..oops! Sorry guys!)

The university campus itself is gorgeous....it has rabbits and birds everywhere you look, and even has its very own aviary! So, as those of you who really know me can imagine, I am in heaven!

This is where we will be hanging our hats for the next 2 months. We arrived in Northampton during a heatwave and everyone was outside of our residence (in the background), playing cricket, having bbq's and playing frisbee.

This is the International Student Office on campus (It's so weird....we're international students!)

This is just atypical view around campus....pretty eh?

Bunnies everywhere!

And more bunnies.....I tell you they're everywhere!

LB & I in her room the night I found out I was going to Yarmouth....as you can see, I took the news quite well. (After a few beers that is!)

On to the land of Guinness, U2 and Really Old Celtic Crosses

2006-05-04T12:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so now for some picture updates from Ireland itself! we had an awesome time there, exploring the city of dublin & the surrounding area. First up, pictures from our trip to neighbouring Wicklow County:

The beautiful view from Glendalough, an 8th century Monastery, just outside of Dublin.

LB & I at Glendalough...gorgeous!

Next, pictures from our very fun trip to the Guinness Storehouse:

Ah Guinness.....now that was an experience at 10 am!

LB & I inside the Guinness Storehouse!

LB & I in the Gravity Bar at the Guinness Storehouse - after we had our free pint of Guinness(the bar is super high & overlooks the entire city of Dublin)

Dublin itself...our hostel was right off of the River Liffey (pictured here)

All good things must come to an end....

Our adventures in Ireland came to an end with a very pleasant plane trip across the Irish Sea...it was a beautiful flight with a great view....so long Ireland!

Once in Egland again (right back where we started this whole crazy adventure at King's Cross Station), we had a gruelling three hour trip to pick up our left luggage, lug it behind us to Euston Station, and soemhow manage to get all 900 pounds of it onto the train to Northampton. Of course it had to be one of the hottest days of the year so far & we were wearing about 7 layers of clothing (b/c of a serious lack of room in our luggage by this point ;D)All in all it was an amazing trip....we are finally home sweet home in Northampton where the fun will really begin!

(more updates of this amazing town and country to come!)

Pictures that have been long over due....

2006-05-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Ok so I apologize for the appalling lack of pictures recently. No wthat I'm in Northampton, I am able to uplaod them without it costing me a fortune, so without any more dilly-dallying, I will start to make up for lost time....

Now I believe my last pictures left off in Inverness....

This is a store that was next to our hostel...nice eh?

A view from the River Ness

Journey to Northern Ireland:

The ferry ride from Scotland to Belfast was pretty cool. It was 1hour 45 minutes and we had no idea what to expect once we got to the other side of the Irish Sea.

This is a pretty bad picture of the ferry we took to get to Belfast. It had everything you could imagine onboard: shopping, restaurants, bars, arcades, movies... great trip!

Although we weren't there very long, we did manage to get a couple of pictures of Belfast City...

This is a typical building in the city center, just a few blocks away from our hostel

Another view of Belfast

Ireland at last....

2006-05-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we made it safe & sound across Scotland, over the Irish Sea, through Belfast & are finally in Dublin. we arrived yesterday around supper time after what felt like an extremely long train ride. (though in reality it was only 2 hours) The reason for this discrepancy? Two really bizarre Irish guys sat next to us the entire way....and I do mean that these guys were bizarre. The jokes were ok at first, but once the coloring book came out onto the table, LB & I quickly decided to take on aliases. Hence, from now on, we will be forever remembered by these two guys as Melissa (a.k.a. LB) and Annie (a.k.a. me). Not to worry Mom, they know nothing about us & I am sure we will never see them again. Like I said, they were simply bizarre.....bizarre but entirely harmless I'm sure.

Ok, so now for a quick update as to how Dublin has been. The hostel we are staying at is in an excellent location, but I must admit that it my least favorite out of any that we've stayed in during this adventure of ours. Dublin itself it great! LOTS of pubs, people, cars, music, shopping.....everything you'd think it would be.

We spent last night getting familiar with our neck of the city & then today opted to take a full day tour in the surrounding countryside. We went to neighbouring Wicklow County and visited an 8th century monastery called Glendalough. Beautiful! Mountains, lakes, valleys....just breath-taking really. We then made a quick stop at Avoca, (or Ballykissangel) for those of you who may have caught the TV series whenit aired a few years back. Again, beautiful!

Then we headed back into the city, which is where you find me now, updating my blog. Unfortunately, this internet cafe where I am right now, isn't allowing me to post pictures, so I guess you all will have to wait just a little more for my pics form the last few days. should be able to do it once I get to the university in a few days.

I miss everyone!

We made it safe & sound to Belfast.....

2006-04-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

Well, after 11 (yes 11 ) hours of travelling today, we have finally arrived safe & sound in Belfast. Sorry folks, but there will be no pictures for yesterday & today as we are again having a little difficulty with being able to upload them here...hopefully I can figure something out by our next stop on the whirlwind tour. Nevertheless, I'm sure a few of you may be wondering what I've been up to recently...

We spent yesterday walking around Inverness & went exploring along the River Ness Islands (beautiful!) The weather was gorgeous (for most of the day anyway!) & all and all it was a great day (despite the fact that I may have spent a tad too much $) oops!.... we also went to see a church in Old Town Inverness that was there during the time of Culloden. It was actually the place where highlander survivors were rounded up to be executed! Apparently you can actually see the bullet holes, but we weren't able to ... :( Really cool though....A real "Jamie" experience.

So that was our last day in Scotland...it was everything I hoped it would be - gorgeous scenery, historic, beautiful architecture, friendly people, great food,.....Now on to Ireland!

Today was a day devoted to travel...as I mentioned before, 11 hours were spent between the trains, a ferry & walking. From Inverness to Haymarket to Glasgow to Stranraer, across the Irish Sea to Belfast...we're exhausted!

So that pretty much does it for updates on the last 48 hours..... again, sorry about the lack of pretty pictures for this post, but hopefully next time...(cross your fingers!)

In the meantime, we intend to pack in as much possible into the little time we have here- it looks to be a very interesting city. But I think for right now, I'm gonna hit the sack.

Culloden, Loch Ness, Urquart Caslte....highlights of Inverness thus far

2006-04-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hello from sunny/rainy/cloudy/hot/cold/sunny again...Inverness. Here in Inverness for another 2 days. So far our time here has been absolutely amazing! Have been shopping, out on a boat tour of Loch Ness & Urquart Castle, & to possibly the best part of our trip thus far...Culloden. All amazing! The hostel is great & we are having a fabulous time here in the capital of the Highlands.

I've posted a few pictures from the last two days, so take a peek if you're interested...

The view from Urquart Castle..in the background is Loch Ness..can you see Nessie?? (we couldn't but you never know...)

Me with the Fraser Stone at Culloden...We found it!!!!!!!!

LB & I at Urquart Castle, behind us is Loch Ness

LB & I at Culloden battlefield

Somebody pinch me!

2006-04-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

So LB & I have had two fabulous days in Edinburgh...tomorrow we head off to Inverness. I still can't believe that I'm here! Somebody pinch me!

Thus far we've been able to tour a real castle, climb a HUGE mountain, shop, shop & shop, go ungerground for a really creepy terror tour (I am SO gullible!), visit the Museum of Scotland.....the list goes on & on & its only our first stop on this crazy adventure of ours!

I am having so much fun...the city is so beautiful that I have to refrain from taking too many pictures - every building & every turn around a corner is worth another photo.

Now, without further adu and to prove that I'm not all talk, here are some pictures from this amazing place!

LB & I on the Plane, getting ready for our big adventure

The party splits up at Heathrow to go our separate ways - good luck in Norway girls!

The National Library of Scotland (that one's just for you Bruce!)

Me next to the statue of GreyFriar's Bobby (if you don't know the story - go look it up!!!! It's amazing!)

The mountain in Edinburgh that we actually climbed today!

It's actaully really big!!!! (though it kinda looks like a hill in this picture)

A typical view from any window in edinburgh - can you believe it???

A quaint little street off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh (I just love it!)

So as you can see, I think I'm in one of the most beautiful cities on the world...We've been having tons of fun here and are really excited to see the next city on our list! I miss everyone at home lots though...can't wait to see everyone again!

Greetings from Edinburgh!

2006-04-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, so LB & I have made it safe & sound! It was a long haul from Heathrow to Edinburgh, but SOMEHOW we made it without any major catastrophes! The train ride was amazing & once we arrived here in Edinburgh, we totally forgot how tired we were! It is so beautiful here!!!!! We spent our first day exploring the castle & shopping...tomorrow will be mostly hiking. Sorry for the lack of photos, but we are currently unable to upload them to the computer...stay tuned though, because I'm sure we'll find a solution to this pesky little problem soon enough!

I miss everyone back home & can't wait to give you all presents when I get home.

Love you all,
Kelly

Oh Rosie & Satchmo, how I hate to say good-bye

2006-04-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

Although I'm very excited to go, I do dread leaving my little kitties behind...

Rosie (a.k.a. Gut-Fluff) being cute (as always)

Satchmo sleeping (as always)

Although I suppose I'm leaving them in pretty good hands. I'm sure Bruce'll take good care of them while I'm away.

Adventure in T - 7 days!

2006-04-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

Standing stones, Nessie, Guinness, and the Eiffel Tower are calling......

In 1 week I'll be heading off on my dream trip to Europe. 10 whole weeks with nothing to do but travel, spend ludicrously large amounts of money, hang out in pubs and laugh at LB & I trying to navigate through huge airports. (oh yes, & lets not forget that we actually have to squeeze in some time to actually do our placement)

Look out Northampton, here we come!

2006-04-15T06:53:00.000-07:00