Hi home!
Hope this finds you all well. Just been out on a big night and still buzzing so thought I’d hop on the net–why not?! I was on a boat cruise tonight with Carl Cox, Kid Kenobe and Krafty Kuts! It was such a cold night but I think the temp inside the boat rocketed to about 30 degrees. The humidity of everyone’s sweat caused the roof to look like it was leaking! Droplets of water (really sweat I think) were falling down and everyone looked like drowned rats, but at least we were having fun 
Have started doing physio for a rugby team and they’re great! Not good at football, to clarify, but nice lads. Most of them are Irish and the rest English (who ordinarily shy away from conversation with a stranger but because there’s cause to talk, are friendly)! I took over from a friend who joined another team and she told me “no worries Nat–they’re not very good so you don’t get many injuries unlike in Australia”… First day I had to relocate two dislocated shoulders, assess a guy for a potential neck fracture and deal with a bad concussion that wanted to sleep standing up! (it’s bad to let someone sleep after a bad knock as they may comatose)… Aussie luck would you call it? I think I earned my �25 an hour!! Especially seeing it’s officially spring here and it was so cold today doing the rugby that my fingers wouldn’t work to peel the tape. Oh, and it was snowing. I was thoroughly bemused until I saw their “tracksuit” they wear over their rugby jerseys–it’s most analogous to a 1980s tiny tots all-in-one-zip-up-at-the-front-ski-outfit!! hilarious
I’m still working at what I refer to (eloquently and with due respect) as the “arsehole end of the world”–aka Croydon. My boss day one tried to explain to me what a “Croydonite” was. She was trying to be diplomatic but I got her drift after seeing two patients. They nod to everything you say and answer yes to every question e.g. “Where does it hurt?” (Answer: “Yes”) and you think they have taken in all your education and advice, when they return the next session to show you their exercises they’ve been practicing and you wonder if they were on drugs when they were listening the previous session cos there was not even a remote resemblance to the exercises I’d had in mind! And they’d clearly be branded in Australia a “Motor Moron” (a term denoting people who have much difficulty in skill acquisition and coined by my old lecturer, Ms. Cupit). I don’t think their internal feedback mechanisms function like they should… My train rides are even more telling–all the school kids sound like they’re from The Catherine Tate show–if you’ve seen it you’d know what I’m talking about. They sound worse than East Enders and I once wondered what language this 15 year old hot shot was speaking in until I reaslied it was English!!
Got offered a job this week in a top private practice just out of London in Chelmsford. It’s exciting cos the physio is the best I’ve EVER seen–although not sure if that says much… Anyway, it’s really hard to get a private practice job here cos you have to be 5 years graduated and I’m only 3 but he was willing to take me for a locum position for a month over April. Very excited as that should get me a foot in the door. He said he’d consider me for a part-time position after that which might work in cos Virgin gyms offered me a self-employed part-time job for then too. (They’re gyms would make a gym junkie itch with excitement. You havent seen a gym til you’ve seen these–typical of Richard Branson…)
Not as many trips lately which the pocket liked–one to note and great to see if you’re over this side of the world–spent a weekend in Bruges–the beer and chocolate capital of the world, in Belgium. (Nat’s Heaven.) The beer would turn a beer hater into a beer appreciater. It is amazing and Leffe is so strong–11% that they serve it only in wine glasses. I dragged Richy, Jane and Amy into the chocolate factory (OK–I only dragged Richy, the girls walked in quite willingly). We conveniently bypassed the entry fee and I had my photo taken next a 2 tonne chocolate easter egg–real, kid you not–I know cos I had to taste it–there’s a tiny nibble mark out the back–hope they didn’t have cameras cos I’d feel a darn right FOOL if I was caught for that! We met this random guy–Frederick–on the train on the way up to Bruges from Brussels and he met us out and brought his friends. We thought he liked Jane (Jane and Richy were pretending to be engaged) but it turned out he liked Richy instead!! Richy was mucking around with the boys looking quite chuffed at the attention until one tried to grab his butt and you should have seen the look of horror on his face! He kept saying “Frederick did a Hopoate on me” I think he was seeking attention personally but maybe that really was Freddy’s cup of tea
Missing the sunshine (still) and all of you lovlies that come with it. Hope everyone is good. Have a few trips planned for the summer over here for those planning on coming for a trip so keep us updated.
Say hi to Brissie
Love Nat xxx