MissBetty

Hello one and all, just me, Betty popping in for a quick catch up with you all!

Can't believe that in 8 days time I will have been back for two whole years, I really don't know where the time has gone but so much has happened, it's a bit strange reading back on my old posts again!

Well as my friends predicted I didn't last long at NHS 111 (I know, I know) usual problems, bullying management, long hours, etc and when everyone leaves they just tighten the screws on existing staff instead of looking to fix the problems.

One day they came in and told us all we had to sign a new contract - 3 months notice to be given, rotas suspended every Bank Holiday so we HAD to work even if rostered off and compulsory overtime - wtf?!!!! I refused of course and was told I was 'unprofessional' hmmmmm, really? So I said "Well I'll show you unprofessional then!" Got up and walked out. Oh dear, me and my temper! Still I had some savings plus a bit of private work and I only had to last 4 months til I finished uni.

So I took a mortgage holiday of 6 months and started doing some teaching work where I've gone from assisting the senior lecturer to now running one of the courses in two weeks time - eek! It's working with the military and they're generally a good bunch, it's fun too and I actually enjoy going to work again. I also pick up a few shifts working in a doctor's surgery and I do home visits for health screening, lovely old people who always make me a cuppa and like a chat - perfect for me as I do enjoy both lol!

I finished uni last week and I'm happy to say I passed all my exams so I'm now qualified as a paramedic practitioner and I no longer have to drive 4-6 hours to the Midlands once a month. Mind you I was so lucky, the course director was brilliant, I got a fab mentor who I'm now really good friends with and another friend of mine and his wife (who live in Worcester) gave me a key halfway through the course and said I could stay with then whenever I liked which saved me a fortune in hotels!

Home life is good and my Mum is coping really well now bless her. I do still spend a lot of time with my family, we are going on holiday to Ireland and France in July so looking forward to that. Still miss my Dad so much but being able to spend that last year with him has really helped me to come to terms with losing him.

So what now for the future well................ I have a new job! I'm going to be working for on the cruise ships as of August and I'm starting off in Alaska. We are away for 4 months and back for two and I'll be a permanent employee again no longer self employed

I'll still do teaching and surgery work when I'm back as I really enjoy it but it's a bit of a mare keeping chasing companies up for payment plus every time I take a holiday I get dragged back, then I don't work for weeks and then everyone wants me at the same time - I done with it tbh!

It's not all been rosy of course and believe me, I've had my moments! I had a bit of a rough time last winter, it was so cold and I was away from home a lot staying in horrible cheap hotels and working long shifts at the hospital (unpaid) for my practical part of the course. When I wasn't at uni I was doing a 150 mile round trip to work, got 4 chest infections in 5 months and I felt so tired all the time. I kept seeing posts on Facebook from friends who had immigrated to Perth and it was really getting to me so I decided to come off Facebook as I realised it was doing me no good and it was playing tricks with my mind.

Still all good now, I've signed up for Boot Camp and I go three times a week, I'm so sore afterwards it's unreal but I feel and look better than I have done in years, no more slumping on the sofa with ice cream and wine crying all the time like I did in Australia! My social life is good, I have given up on chasing after my so called mates who let me down all the time and made a lot of new friends. It took a while so if anyone else is in the same position then hang on in there, things do turn around if you just keep trying - trust me!

Well hope you're all doing great whatever stage you are at, I'm going to have a nice cuppa now and settle down to a catch up with all of your updates! Cheers everyone! xx

lf1

Miss Betty!!! How wonderful to hear from you. Despite the ups and downs , I am glad things are working out for you. Hope you will enjoy life on the cruise ship. One of the posters, Cheers, on the Over 40's thread is going on an Alaskan cruise, maybe you will be on the same ship

mikelincs

Great to hear from you, I did wonder where you had got to and how things were going. Glad to hear of you sucess, and I wish you well for the future. Your funny tales have been really missed, but glad everything seems to be on the up.

MissBetty

Well hello there! Lovely to hear from you too! Yes I'm looking forward to it, the money is not as good as offshore but it's pretty good and the perks are amazing - I have a very snazzy uniform too ha ha!

Oh wouldn't that be funny?!! I'm on the ship for a week for my induction doing the Alaska run and then I go to another ship which should be US west coast/South Pacific/Australia/New Caladonia and New Zealand. Mind you they swop you around a lot so it could all change but hey, I don't mind, just happy to be going back to sea!

Hope all is good with you too!

MissBetty

Thanks Mike, the good wishes are much appreciated! Yes I think I was just having a bit of a rough time, I knew things would get better if I just hung on in there so I thought I'd wait til my 'anniversary' before I posted my update as it wouldn't be so depressing ha ha ha!

fulwood

I can't believe it's been 2 years! It sounds like you are doing fine. Thanks for posting. Many will be glad to hear from you.

Perth

So good to hear from you! Wondered where you had got to. Have fun on the high seas and keep us up to date

MissBetty

Me neither! The time has just flown by and so much has happened since I left Australia, some good, some bad but I've learnt to roll with the punches

I like to pop in to BE when I have a mo and have a quick read, it's lovely to see how you've all been going too!

MissBetty

Hello, oh it was so lovely today having a good old catch up on BE and reading everyone's news! Yes looking forward to getting back to sea and I swear that the NHS will be avoided by moi from now on, I've finally learnt my lesson at last.

Still the latest spin is we paramedics are all leaving the NHS as we have "so many options now" and that's SO not true but hey, I'm done with it now thank goodness!!! This is a very interesting link Hope all good with you x

First-ever national shortage of paramedics – but not of nurses

Perth

[QUOTE=MissBetty;11651677]Hello, oh it was so lovely today having a good old catch up on BE and reading everyone's news! Yes looking forward to getting back to sea and I swear that the NHS will be avoided by moi from now on, I've finally learnt my lesson at last.

Still the latest spin is we paramedics are all leaving the NHS as we have "so many options now" and that's SO not true but hey, I'm done with it now thank goodness!!! This is a very interesting link Hope all good with you x

First-ever national shortage of paramedics – but not of nurses[/QUOTE

Interesting article - quite a surprise they came to that conclusion about doctors and nurses! Glad that you have your future sorted - looks like you have positioned yourself to have good value no matter where you go!

We are on track to move next year. A lot to do to get ready and a bit overwhelmed to be honest. My ex-ex-pat friend, now back in Chesterfield, has offered to help us blend back into UK life, so we are going there for the first 6 months. Looking to be more rural after that - if we can find somewhere out in the boonies that has high-speed internet

MissBetty

[QUOTE=perthhomeschool;11651824] Next year?!! Wow that's great, it will go so quickly towards the end trust me lol! Moving is very stressful but you just got to keep your eye on the prize and soldier on Well good luck with it all hope it all goes smoothly x

feelbritish

Wow, what a wonderful update. I remember back 3 years ago when you were still making plans when I first "met" you and my advise to you "never leave a place unhappy" which my dear dad gave me! Some of us have been very delayed and are still wishing to go back, like me! However I am still hoping and wishing (reminds me of that old 60's song)!

I love your updates and look forward to more when you are on the "high seas"! How is that book coming along!!!!!!!!!!! I hope to walk into WHSmith one day and buy it!

feelbritish

[QUOTE=perthhomeschool;11651824][QUOTE=

We are on track to move next year. A lot to do to get ready and a bit overwhelmed to be honest. My ex-ex-pat friend, now back in Chesterfield, has offered to help us blend back into UK life, so we are going there for the first 6 months. Looking to be more rural after that - if we can find somewhere out in the boonies that has high-speed internet [/QUOTE]

Wow! We were planning together! I like that idea of yours to staying with friends to blend back! Hoping we can also be moving back next year but still have this house as a noose around our necks to be sold yet!

MissBetty

Hello, wow it's so great catching up with you all! Yes I remember that awesome piece of advice very well, it really does seem so long ago now! The book is still in my head atm though last night I was telling the girls at my boot camp about the first baby I ever delivered and how I made a right idiot of myself ha ha! Someone said "Oh you should write a book!" I'm such a slacker but maybe I will knuckle down and do it one day, you can publish yourself on Amazon apparently so that might be the way to go!

I do miss Oz sometimes and I miss my friends so much, I really treasure the time I spent with them before I left. We all still call each other regularly and, oddly enough, I do chat more with them than my UK friends!!!

I'm thinking about going back to Oz for a holiday in Jan but I'm probably only going to Perth, I grew up there and I have a lot of friends and family there. I'd love to see my Qld friends and we have discussed meeting up in Sydney which would be amazing. I don't ever want to return to Qld, I hated it so much and now when I (occasionally) read some of my old posts it still really upsets me. I have really had to shut it out, drawn a line under it etc. I can't even bare to think about it as it was truly one of the most miserable times of my life.

This morning I got up and went for a run, bought some fresh bread from the bakery and a few essentials from the corner shop. It's bright and sunny today, fresh crisp seaside air and I thought to myself "Wow, I really do love it here and I hope it never changes".

I do work and travel to some very deprived areas and I know we have all discussed it before but I think when you move back you have to take your time to find what you want if you don't have a place to move back to. Another thing I would say to returnees is please give it TIME, once the honeymoon period has passed you can have serious moments of doubt when things go wrong/the weather is bad/you're stuck on the M25 etc etc.

Well that my two penneth worth for now lol! I hope you get to sell that house soon and get a bit closer to your dreams - fingers crossed for you xx

Lorry1

Hi MissBetty, Great update. 2 years! I can't believe it...but I guess it must be true as it's 2 years for us in July!

Sounds like you've had some crappy times but good on you for telling them to stick it, exactly what I would do!

Glad you have made some new friends. It's pretty miserable to be chasing people and then to be let down all the time. It's a shame they did this to you. Move forward and make new memories

You are so lucky working on the cruise ships. I sell cruise holidays so maybe some of my clients may end up on your ship

You are so right, it does take a while to settle back down but absolutely no regrets here!

Take care xxx