feelbritish

Wow I wandered where everyone was! Been away for a couple of months and spending the last two days sitting "all" day on BE trying to catch up! Miss Betty you sound much better Looking forward to that book
Vikingsail congratulations will be looking forward to your posts from home
You all give me such inspiration to not get too miserable while waiting to go home.

kampaicharger

After seeing some of the comments here, I am reminded of the story of the young English fellah who migrated to a little town on the east coast of Tasmania.

He met the bloke (an old aussie farmer) next door who said he was having a party at his place at the weekend and he was invited. The following conversation then ensued:

Old farmer: "i should warn ya young fellah, there's gunna be lotsa drinking"

Young Englishman said: "not a problem, I think I can hold my own"

Old farmer: "could be lotsa swearin' too"

Young Englishman: "not to worry, I'm sure it's nothing I haven't heard before"

Old farmer: "oh yeah! there's gunna be sex, lots and lots of sex"

Young farmer: "oh I say, what should I wear?"

Old farmer: "don't matter, just be the two of us"

MissBetty

Hello feelbritish, thought you'd not been on for a while! Hows things with you?

Yeah I do feel better thanks, its a whole month now since I started this post and curleytops was so right - the time has flown I only have 12 weeks and 46 shifts to go - not that I'm counting or anything lol!

I still have my days when I'm bored and fed up so I've started doing things to my flat at home - via my parents! - to keep me going. My sister's father in law is putting a new build in wardrobe for me next week. I chose it and ordered everything online after Mum and Dad checked it out first at Wickes and said it looked good. I've had new lights put up in the lounge and bedroom and my parents are painting the bathroom a new colour for me - bless em! I've ordered some wallpaper samples online and am getting the decorator around as soon as I am back. What would we expats do without the internet eh?! Lol!

The 'cat is out of the bag' here now re me going. I am covering for my boss atm, as he is away, and one of the senior managers here tried to stop me getting the position as she was suspicious I was leaving - nosy old cow! It would have cost me a lot of money as I'm on significantly higher wages for two months so I just had to zip it!!!!

Since I've started to fess up that yes, I am leaving end of May, I have been very surprised and touched at people's reactions. Two of the fireman came over yesterday to ask if it was true and when I confirmed it they said they loved working with me, especially at accident scenes where I tell off drink drivers for being so stupid and selfish lol! They thanked me for all the training I'd done for them and said they'd really miss me

One of my senior managers called today and asked if I was going so I admitted I was and he said he thought I was a breath of fresh air and he was really sad to see me go - he is English though and gets my quirky sense of humour ha ha ha!!!!

Everyone from the local cops to the ladies in Coles have said they'll really miss me, I'm very taken aback and I'm sure they'll all forget about me once there is a new 'bum in my seat' but its nice to know they care

passthevalium

I love Miss Betty's humour, and I now want to move a motion for Miss Betty to be Prime Minister of the UK. We all want the book. Hope your "Troppo" thread keeps going until we leave, which could be 3 months or three years. Have I said I love your humour.

jemima55

I've seen some names, but yours is the best!

MissBetty

Why thank you - I do my best lol! I actually studied Political Science at uni but I am the most un PC/foot in mouth person you could meet! You have no idea how many times I've been hauled over the coals at work for my Facebook updates poking fun at the service, teasing my patients (the stupid ones who call for cut fingers etc!) and for making 'inappropriate' comments in meetings ha ha ha!

I'm lucky that my (Gay) Boss loves me and defends me as I'm always in trouble with Big Boss. Last week I was annoyed with our Comms centre and 'phoned a friend' to have a bit of a whinge about them. Lets just say I wasn't very complimentary and swore - a lot - not realising I'd sat my fat bottom on my radio mike and broadcast the whole tirade to most of FNQ and..................................... it was all taped!!

I think I may have to write the book under my pseudonym - then I can make the book really really naughty!!!!!

curleytops

Ok. I nearly didn't make it to the loo after reading this and its all your fault!!! I hope to god you are keeping a diary; it'll make for brilliant reading a year from now, not to mention a great source of reference material for the book. Sod the book, this stuff is comedy series worthy...and the award for best comedy series is...Troppo Paramedics - Behind the Scenes

All kidding aside, you remind me of all I was going through at this same time two years ago. In a desperate attempt to feel pro-active while I was back in Canada banking as much cash as I could, I was also spending it, ordering stuff for the house on Amazon etc. & having it shipped to DH-to-be. We were so lucky he had an understanding upstairs neighbour who would take the parcels in if they arrived when DH was at work. He says it was like Christmas every day opening up all these packages. Like you, I was also surprised at the number of good wishes I got when I let the cat out of the bag. I think every member of the local police force (I lived in a small town) made a point of wishing me well before I left. I worked on the front desk of a local hotel and I remember one morning one of the cooks came out from the kitchen and she said to me, "you know Dorothy, we're really going to miss you." That really meant a lot to me. It was the same with a good number of the hotel guests who stayed with us on a regular basis. I kept a running count-down of days to go and shifts left to work from January 1/11 til the big day as well.

I think this thread's been very therapeutic for a lot of us, both on home and foreign shores in that it's helped perk up those who are getting anxious waiting for their big day to arrive and those of us already here who enjoy a chuckle down memory lane. You guys and BE are the best!

Perth

Sounds like the mischief gods got YOU this time

vikingsail

I've heard similar. Once had a friend who was married to a WPC in the UK and she sat her "fat ....." on her radio mike and broadcasted an entire conversation with a girlfriend while they were driving around about him and his prowess/ shortcomings over the entire radio network!

feelbritish

[QUOTE=MissBetty;10576697]Hello feelbritish, thought you'd not been on for a while! Hows things with you?

Fine thanks Miss Betty. Still scheming and planning. I am just trying to keep myself from going crazy. I have joined a ladies gym, going 4 times a week and have decided that I may as well get fit and slim while I wait to go home! Before we decided to go back and I was so unhappy and OH was completely oblivious to it I was drowning my sorrows too much with wine! It did help though

Now I have a plan I can continue here but only "just" so have to keep busy and when my "guests" start coming (btw run a B&B) and the weather is good for gardening I will become very busy. I am grateful for BE though

MissBetty

Probably my karma for mocking silly patients! 14 year old drunk boy, crying and vomiting "Am I going to be alright? I think I'm dyiiiiiiing!!!" Me "No son, you won't be ok, unfortunately there's no cure for stupid!"

Cue much laughter from moi and cops as pt then cunningly misses spew bag and vomits all over the floor of the ambulance - sigh!

MissBetty

[QUOTE=feelbritish;10579556] Glad to hear you're doing ok, I hear you re the wine! I got to the point where I was polishing off quite a few bottles on my days off then kinda realised it was getting out of hand when I'd only put all the bottles in the recycling once it got dark!

I've put on heaps of weight since I have been here but its slowly coming off now. I've cut out the alcohol and started to eat regular healthy meals as much as I can. Good on you for going to the gym and keeping busy, don't know about you but it spurs me on that I don't want to go home looking like Miss Piggy!

Mind you today I am being a tad naughty today I've been out all night and I'm so tired. Had a job out at sea with the coastguard, injured fisherman on a trawler, took hours, lovely patient though - tough as old boots! Got back early hours of morning and then copped another job after 2 hours kip, was starving so went in search of grub at my local Coles.

Lo and behold they have a small British food section - Yorkie Bars, Irn Bru, Tunnock's caramel wafers, various Heinz products and selection of Mr Kiplings - what a find! Never knew it existed, funnily enough all the stuff is tucked away on two shelves right next to the curry section - of course, silly me!!!!

Am currently enjoying a nice cup of tea and some cherry bakewells - divine! Mr Kipling, he does make exceedingly good cakes!!!!!!

aries

I tend to believe that when you are back in the UK you will miss Australia more than you think. Claustrophobia for one comes to mind after you've been in the wide open spaces. However time will tell, you might well bounce into something equally as challenging and interesting.

MissBetty

Oh I totally agree with you, I love Australia, grew up here and have made some really nice friends. I just miss my family SO much, my parents are getting older and I don't want to miss any more anniversaries, birthdays or Xmas'. I miss the freedom of travel as well that you have in Blighty, I miss the people too, especially the sense of humour!

I just don't enjoy my job here as much as the UK, I prefer to work for myself and I get far more interesting and varied work in the UK as I am state registered and can work for whomever I please. There is a lot of well paid private work for paramedics once you have extra qualifications which I'll be taking as soon as I am back, I was self employed before I came here. One day I might be on the set of a soap opera/movie, next day flying an injured skier home from Europe, the next back on a front line ambulance dealing with anything from a cardiac arrest to a drunk.

Its interesting what you wrote re claustrophobia, the first time I went home everything looked so small! I walked into my parents house and I felt like I'd walked into a dolls house - it was so strange. Mum looked at my confused face and said "Oh I bet you're thinking how small everything looks aren't you?!"

I think its going to be weird for me driving over there again, last time, as a passenger, I felt like I wanted to 'duck' when I saw oncoming traffic as the roads look so much narrower

Hope you are feeling better and things are improving for you since your last stint in hospital.

aries

Thank you, I am beginning to feel stronger, and on Friday played table tennis and felt the best for a long time. I used to play at a high level so breathing well and having stamina is important. Unfortunately my lung doctor has now diagnosed bronchiectasis which is incurable, and allows infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia to build up. It is a blow because I've never smoked. However on Monday week I'm flying to Germany for 8 days, then at Easter will stay with my brother in Warwickshire for a week.

I agree with you about the narrow roads, but just sit on the left on the top deck of a double-decker bus, and you will want to duck away from the trees at the side of the road! And down here in Devon I feel like Gulliver, people are generally so tiny. I'm now only 5' 8" tall which is not unusual in Australia, but I feel like a giant much of of the time. I've read that English women are the shortest in Europe, and that their houses are the smallest in western Europe, but many men floating around these parts look as if they've been jack-hammered to become shorter and fatter. Of course with this being a tourist area, many people are blow-ins from other parts of Britain.