Unemployed again!!!

I tried the job, had to get up at 5:30am and decided on day 2 that there was no way on hells earth that it was gonna work.

Darcy, my boss, also asked me if it was gonna be a problem so, truthfully as ever I told him yes!!! The work was fine, the people were OK, but 2 hrs travel is not worth it unless he buys me a car! He politely declined my request!

I did however meet a new friend called Maria who wants to take me to Salsa Clubs etc so something good has come out of it!

I CAN'T WAIT TO LIE IN TMRW!!!

Canadian Ladies Rugby Teams

Just thought I'd drop in here about my game of rugby on Saturday too, for memories sake!!

I have been a reserve for the Pirates in the first league game and expected the trend to continue as there are set people in set places but the fly half decided to break her wrist 10 mins into the game on Saturday, when it was 30 degrees!!! So on trots Caz!!!

The girls had mentioned that most of the opposition play for Canada, whether it be under 19's or the full squad, and jeeze they were good!!! The full back, Maria something or other was the most impressive and could just seem to charge through anyone who got in her way!! I got battered and bruised and had a crappy game, but at least I can say that I've now played against international players (albeit that they made me look crap!!!)

Just thought that was a moment to share!!!!

First day on the job . . . .

I got a call yesterday from one of my many agents regarding a job that would be available immediately until whenever I decide to leave with a security company!! Yey!

I started today and had to get across Edmonton from the North East to the West End. Easy if you live in London, not so in Edmonton. It took me nearly 2 hours from door to door!!! I was thinking that if this is the case, I am not willing to work there through the summer, but there is a girl who works there who lives 5 minutes from me. Great you would think, however, she rides a motorbike to work!!! She has offered that this Thursday night we practice doubling up and then my journey is reduced to about 30-45minutes, which is great! My only hesitation is the recent photograph I saw of you know who after his bike accident!!!! I think more so because its a place where the roads are wide with huge truck and all at least dual carriage ways, and I wouldn't be confident driving on them myself at first. We'll see how it goes. If its a no go and I have to continue along the walk, train, bus, bus route then I may not last too long!!!

I'll let you know how it goes!

Elk Island National Park . . . . (link here)

Today Nadine and I visited Elk Island, which isn't an island, its just a national park along a highway that heads to Winnipeg or somewhere random and miles away!! And its huge. You drive around and find places to park then go off for a hike around huge lakes or whatever!
The plan was to find some moose and elks and take some touristy pictures. So, off we headed with our little picnic and cameras and wandered along part of a lake, then realised it was huge and would take us about 4 hrs to go around. There were some random elk/moose like hoof prints, but only one small trail to follow. Around us was dense greenery, so we realised that if a moose was along the path, there was no where for us or it to hide! So we headed back!!
We went to Sandy Beach, which was tiny, and wandered around a bridge with not much railing, and we saw the most tadpoles I've seen in my life, and they seemed huge! So of course I took a picture!
We went for a drive around but realised that most places were a huge long walk unless we drove around the Bison Loop. So thats where we headed.
Oh my god!!! Bison are huge!!! The leaflet said stay 100m away from wildlife. These things were wandering across the path and rolling in the dirt beside the road! At this point I was driving Nadine's pick-up truck, which was all back to front to me, and not the quietest vehicle so I was worried!! We got a few pictures there and switched places. For some reason out of nowhere, Nadine accidently leant of the horn!!!!! Never have I been so scared in my life!!! Birds all flew away and we got stared at by all the huge bison. So we decided to sit still for a minute and then casually drive on out of there!! Apparently bison can only run 25mph so we would have floored it if worst came to worst!!!
They have places to sit and have a little BBQ on their dirty grills, so we cooked our dodgy smokie sausages that were injected with cheese. They spurt everywhere! Apparently you take two bites from one end then switch! And I decided we should put the fire out before we went, so, I took the biggest piece of log out and laid it on the ground right on top of a heap of wood! Yep, I nearly burnt down Elk Island!!!! Good job Nadine noticed and laughed at me!
We saw some Canadian geese, loads of beaver lodges, but no Elk or Moose!!! Therefore I am renaming the place No Elk Island. It was a funny day though!!

Churchill Cup

This weekend was the Churchill Cup (link attached, click on title) which was hosted in Edmonton, so of course it would be rude not to go along!!!!

The games were as follows :
England vs Ireland
New Zealand Maori's vs Scotland
Canada vs USA

I thought it would be a good idea to bet my friends husband, who is Irish, that England would win!!! Thanks boys!!! They lost it within the last 5 mins and I now therefore have to down 3 pints of Guinness, when we go to a pub which serves it!!!!

I got some great pitures of the Haka which I'll add to my flicr account at some point, and of course, the Maori's won the tournament, giving Scotland a real arse kicking!!!!

We then headed to the IronHorse on Whyte Ave, where it just so happened that the England, Ireland and Canadian teams were celebrating. The boys showed their true brit colours, got hammered and hit on every girl in sight! Nice work!!! The most disappointing factor is that none of the teams (excpet Canada and the USA) were the first team, so it was just a load of randoms!! Most upset!!!

Anyways, was a good night out as the Oilers had won their 6th game so spirits were high and the streets were crowded. Wonder how they are tonight with the upset of losing?

Lets Go OILERS!!!!

The biggest thing in Edmonton at the minute is the competition for the Stanley Cup between the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricaines. (click on title for link to Oilers)

Saturdays game was a big one where the Oilers had to win to be in with a chance of winning the cup, and somehow they managed to pull off a hugely impressive 4-0 victory. So . . . tonight was the decider. . . . . the winner took the huge cup home until next season.

I headed of to Kim's, we got pizza and were ready to celebrate . . . . . . . and for some reason they couldn't pull it together!!! They gave up hope and lost 3-1. It was an exciting game for the first two periods and for some reason they lost it!!!

But, as I have now learnt about hockey and what a crazy game it is, I am impressed to report that as I was sitting in a temp agency ready to register, DON CHERRY walked by!!! If you don't know who this is look him up!!!

Why does it always rain on me!!!!!

You guessed it! Its pouring again!!!!! Nevermind! I don't care anymore!!! (Yes I do!)

We had a game of rugby yesterday against the teams rivals as they're the reason that the whole teams had to move up a division, so the team was out to win and kick ass!!!! Therefore, I started off as a sub and played about 10 mins as a winger!!! This has never happened to me in my life! I never made one hit all game and I had the ball and ran once and got 2 metres from the try line then someone else scored!!! Hhhmmm! I'm feeling some aggression being built up here!

Today I went out with Nadine to have a mini tour of Edmonton. We went to Whyte Ave, for a stroll in the rain! I had my first Tim Horton's, a double double none the less which was good although I'm not sure I would queue around the block in my car for this! (Yes they have a drive through coffee place that people queue in each morning!)

We went into a few guitar/instrument shops and had a Waynes World experience as Nadine played a few songs and then we headed to West Ed Mall again for a look around. We saw the seal show this time which was OK, and we tried on a few cowboy hats, much to the annoyance of the shop assistants and then headed for a drive Downtown. Not a big as London but there are still quite a few huge businesses down there. We headed to Earls for some dinner, and can you believe they ID'd us as we look under 30!!! What the hell!!!! Of course, I didn't have my passport with me therefore we had to go to a different area and I had to have orange juice with my food! Thanks Earls!!! Food was good though, so thats OK ish!

While I was out I missed a call from my temp agency too so I'll call in the morning and could be working by Monday, which kinda sucks but I guess I need to go back to employment soon before I become an official bum!!!

I think the whole ID thing is gonna be the new joke while I'm here! I really don't want to trek my passports around with me though so need to find a way round that!

Not sure what tmrw will bring, but gonna head out with Nadine at some point so I can see some moose, buffallo and elks at some park somewhere. I'll take my camera!!

Bye for now x

Gotta go get me a job!!!

So . . . .

The rugby game went OK for a reintroduction back, although I twisted my good ankle and now its slighty swollen and bruised!

I've spent today (Sunday in my time!) typing up a resume Canada style, and I'm gonna try and find a nice job to gather some cash for the rest of the year!! I plan to live cheaply!

I have a contact for a PT job, info on a Running Room job, and I've found quite a few payroller jobs. Therefore, whichever pays the best and has nice working hours will be the winner!!!!

I've settled into my new home nicely and given everything a place to live for the next few months so we're making progress. . . . and I've downloaded Skype much to Ben's joy!!!

Hopefully (hopefully not, who am I kidding!) next time I write I'll be telling you about my new job and work collegues!

Laters XXX

Edmonton so far . . . .(click here for link)

I flew across to Edmonton with WestJet on Wednesday and the attendants are hilarious. They finished the flight by saying . . ' we hope we met your expectations and if not all we ask if that you please lower them!'

Kim met me at the airport and we headed off to see where I'll be spending the summer.

The apartment is beautiful!!!! Its only been bulit for 3 years, and the decor is stunning. Its in neutral beige and then dark browns and its soooo nice!!!! My new house mate is Kursten, who used to play for the Pirates (my new team) and she is a great girl. She's travelled across Europe, NZ and Oz and is such good fun. She's taken me to all the local touristy areas so I can get a feel for the place.

What can I say about Edmonton though . . . its very flat! When people say that you think whatever, but really, on the aeroplane all i could see around in the horizon were huge flat square fields. Everywhere is hugely spaced out. The roads are extra wide, and if you don't have a car or designated driver you would be stuffed!!!

We headed across to the worlds biggest mall. Saw the flamingo's, rode the largest indoor roller coaster and saw the huge dragon that breathes fire at you in the cinema. What more could a girl ask for!!!

I've now tried out Canada's finest food and drink : Ceasar's drink (eugh!), Dairy Queen Ice Cream (yum!), Canadian beer (yum), and seafood chowder (yum). I'm sure there's more but I'm getting tired and can't think straight.

So far having a good time. Met the rugby girls who seem up for a laugh and been for a run with Kursten this morning. Yoga and a rugby game tmrw so I can burn off that Ice Cream. Hopefully I'll be fit by the end of summer. . . . . .

I'll keep you posted on new and exciting developments and I'll find the wire for my camera!!!

CAZ XXX

Vancouver Island . . . (click here for link)

This Island is beautiful.

Its slightly smalled than England and I think the population is around 3 million, so they're really spread out.

Its as though the whole Island is a huge version of the Lake District on a good day, but far more spread out!

We headed to Duncan, which is Steph's home town, but we didn't really explore this much, quite residential, and things spread out. And the next day we popped across to Victoria.

There seemed to be alot more going on here. The harbour was nice, and they have a huge, posh hotel called The Empress which is a major tourist attraction. Then there's the Parliament Building and other hotels etc surrounding the harbour.

We headed across to Sidney and quite a few other towns for a drive around. There seems to be a whole lot of small places that are all different towns!!!

We then drove through the native land where the natives live and have rights to still pretty much do whatever they want. This wasn't a great area. The houses are looking old and the cars are bashed to pieces. Apparently this is how they choose to live?! I don't know enough about the history of it all but it seems quite interesting!

We only spend a late evening and day on the Island so not that much really to tell here!!! There are a few pictures on my flicr account now so take a look.

Keep reading!!!

Vancouver . . . (click here for link)

I made it!!!!! I finally arrived in Canada!!

This is a delayed update as I only had 30 minutes in a library in Vancouver and far too many people to contact so here goes . . . . .

For those with google earth, I stayed with Steph at Nelson Street, Downtown. This is right in the heart of Vancouver's main city area. The main road is Granville Street where there are theatres, clubs, bars, restaurants and just entertainment galore.

I had a wander down Robson street a few times which is Vancouvers equivalent of Oxford Street, although the buildings weren't as tall, and I spent some time of my first full day at Granville Island, which had a huge food market and lots of arty shops, and then English Bay Beach, which was beautiful!

Vancouver is very much a place for aspiring actor/esses and there are heaps of films and programmes shot there such as X Men, Free Willy, X Files, Smallville, (can't seem to remember any more!). Its a great place with lots to do and I would really recommend it for a holiday.

I had a wander around Stanley Park too, which is huge, and if you ever go, hire a bike or roller blades and go round the whole thing. Its worth it, it was a long walk and I cut across half way through!!!!

One thing I noticed about Vancouver is the amount or Oriental people there. They really are a huge part of the community. We headed down to China Town on the Friday night too, which had an open air market, kinda small, but really cool to pop along and see.

The only place to avoid in Vancouver is East Hastings!!! There is a huge crack problem and is right there on the streets! You turn a corner and the pavement is lined with people flailing around with needles in their hands! Not nice and don't go there with kids!!! Apparently this is due to the rehab centres and shelters for people to do drugs indoors! Not nice!

Gastown is right around the corner from this area, and is a really trendy place to go right now. Its quite pretty and has a steamwork clock (read the brochures for history) and a statue of Gassy Jack. I would recommend not to go any further once you get to the statue.

We also headed off to north Vancouver and walked across and around the Capilano suspension bridge which is over a huge canyon and surrounded by a rain forest. Very nice, there are more pictures on my flicr account!!