More from way out west

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I’ve completed my longest Australian employment history to date, one full week and I’m still here, quite an achievement for my good self.

I’m working as an IT technician in a hospital; it’s a real interesting job, fixing things that go bad in the hospital, not operations and that, just computer related stuff.

This could be from a simple problem like a printer isn’t working properly, or a PC is running real slow to a complicated issue like the screen that we’re monitoring this boy’s life on has gone down or the camera we’re using for this operation isn’t working.

Obviously the latter is far more exciting and there is the chance that you’ll have to go into theatre during an operation and fix some of the equipment, all scrubbed up to the nines, unfortunately I haven’t been privy to that yet but wait in hope, Andrew Mudie M.D.

I’ve been mostly working on installing new PC’s and ditching old ones, pulling them apart and taking out anything of sensitive information, hard drive, memory etc, and scrapping the rest, it’s amazing how much hospitals rely on computers and it’s a busy job keeping them all running smoothly, there must be a thousand computers running in here at any one time and there is a team of five technicians to keep it all ticking over.

Fiona’s still working away for Rolls Royce Marine, using her charm on the reception, she seems to enjoy it, no stress, no appointments to keep, no NHS statistics to adhere to, just smile at people when they come in and answer the phone and talk real slow so the Aussie punters can understand her. It’s also made her realise that she really does enjoy Speech Therapy, not that she ever really doubted that she enjoyed the job, more the politics involved, but she’s looking forward to getting back into the job that she trained for, I think Fiona’s got a case of the ‘grass is always greener’ syndrome but we’ll wait and see.

Frank and Lara have went on holiday for 6 weeks to Europe and have very generously left us their car to use while they’re away, a very nice Subaru Forrester 4WD it is too, it makes getting to work so much easier. Before this week we were up real early to get ready and catch a bus into town before getting on a Train to Fremantle where I’d walk the 10 minutes to work and Fiona would wait on a colleague of hers to pick her up on the way into the office, it would take us both 3 hours daily if we made the connections, if not anything up to two hours each way was not unusual, not ideal. Now it’s roll out of bed, get ready and jump into the car for a leisurely 30-minute drive down the Freeway right to work, cash back.

We met another of my relatives, Frank being my Mum’s cousin, last weekend, Ron Ireland and his wife Sue, Ron is my Dad’s cousin so I’ve covered both sides of the family now. Ron and his family left Dundee when he was 7 years old travelling for six weeks on the high seas until they landed in Adelaide (South Australia) in 1959. The rest of his family still live in Adelaide but he’s been in Perth for over 25 years since he met Sue, a real Aussie (and you don’t find many of them here) from southern Western Australia.

They were really nice, they took us out for a day of driving around the coast as far up as Mandurah and into the areas of the seriously wealthy before heading back to their place to meet the dog and chat about the family. Ron remembers getting my Dad’s old toys (my old man is 5 years older than him) and living in Marriott Terrace at the ‘Top Of The Hill’, his Dad, Peter, was my Gran’s sister and both he and my Grandad worked in the Keilor’s Factory is Dundee.

Ron remembers being really hard-up in Dundee in those days and says that the huge decision his parents made to move the family over to Australia, even having to borrow the 10 pound fare, gave them such a better quality of life and they’ve never looked back and there families have grown and grown since they landed here.

It was real interesting speaking to them and listening to their stories of setting up a new life here and we’re hopefully going to meet with Ron’s sister when we get over to Adelaide in August, we’ll meet up with Ron and Sue again soon too, definitely before we leave Perth.

I can’t remember if I’ve told you about Fiona’s new hobby of jewellery making? I think I might have mentioned it in passing, we’ll she’s taken it on to a new level now from bracelets and necklaces to earrings, I’m defo wanting to flog them but she’s seems to think that travelling around Asia with 300 different sets of jewellery in every colour and bead type is practical so I think I’m stuck with them, not that there not great, they are and that’s why I want to sell them, I’ll no doubt leave this job in about 20 minutes so we’ll need another income, maybe I could start my own line of jewellery?

Every person is Australia seems to be wearing these wristband things in all different colours so maybe I should try and tap into the market, I know there probably all for a good cause and that but maybe I could make a buck out of it? If only there was a gap in the market.

If I was at home I’d have the wristbands to celebrate the birth of Val Donnigain's (Donigan's) baby daughter, Dundee Doonigain, BOOM BOOM !! That’s actually my old man’s joke and we’ve not heard it for way to long, 11 years or something since they last got relegated, nae luck, all these people who say it’s great for the city to have two Premier League teams, it’ll be a shame that there’s no derby’s next year etc etc, have a look at yourself will you? I hate the BNB’s and hope they rot in the first division, enjoy Brechin and Stranraer next season chaps, if you can stay in business that long. Jolly good.

Speaking of the last time they got relegated 11 years ago, they went down (obviously) and Falkirk came up (same as this year), Rangers won the league (same as this year), United just avoided relegation (same as this year), a random English team (Blackburn) bought the title (same as this year for Chelsea), United’s top scorer (Billy McKinlay) was missing from the cup final (same as this year for Jim McIntyre) and the Tangerines went on to beat the huge favourites Rangers in the final, (same as this year for Celtic?????)

As far as I can see it’s fate, there’s no point in playing the final, we’ll obviously win 1-0 and send Celtic home to a trophyless season for the first time in donkeys, I’m still tempted to get that last minute flight back but Fiona’s hidden my passport.

Fiona started a Yoga class on Wednesday and now I have to find something to do between 18:30 and 20:30, as I can’t go home after work as her class is in Freo, where we work, and I need to give her a lift home, any suggestions for something to do for a couple of hours (that isn’t Yoga) in Fremantle on a Wednesday night would be appreciated. If I don’t hear anything from you I’ll be repeating this weeks plan, go to pub and get Fiona to drive home.

I’m sure there’s more I can tell you but I really can’t think just now, this seems to be a rather long post about nothing at all but that’s the way it goes I guess, you get what your given, deal with it. Anyway until the next time, keep it real, I’ve got loads of photo’s to add and I promise to do them this weekend as we prepare for our cup final count down, the FA Cup final was on last week and it had 90 minutes of chat before and 90 minutes after (well it would have it if it didn’t go to ET and pens) and it was on council telly, this weekend the Scottish Cup final is on Sky (or Foxtel as it’s called here) and it starts at 10pm (3pm your time) and finishes at midnight, I’ll be lucky if I see the kick-off and Del Boy McIness picking up the trophy (in more ways than one you might say).

Finally all the best to best-man Mark and the boys who head over to Portugal for Mogga’s stag do this week, I’m sure it’ll be a riot and I’m sorry that I’ll miss it. I just hope, for all your sakes, that the Horse doesn’t wear a thong under his kilt this trip, I’m still scarred from the last time. Have a ball and don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do, well that should cover all of the bases.

Peace out. FTD.

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Photos

Jack and the City
It's kinda like that show from NY.

Inside the WACA
It's amazing the amount of gates that open if you try them, regardless of the keep out signs.

Trotting at the races
Glouster Park, it's a funny thing to see and a good Friday night out.

Fiona in Kings Park
One lazy Sunday afternoon

Andrew in Kings Park
an eqally lazy, in fact same, Sunday afternoon.