Rock and a Hard Place

After i got back im stuck in a bit of limbo, work has slacked off a touch but i really couldn't do anything anyway,with Mr Becks turning up Saturday it has left me twiddling my thumbs as i really couldn't accept any long haul work,i did offer if there was any local loading to be done that i would do that but there has been a bit of a problem with the farmers this week or so i here.This gave me basically 6 days off which is nice, unfortunately this is all un paid leave but hey thats trucking.The devil certainly makes work for idle hands, its been a few days off enjoying myself getting to the gym then piling the weight on in the chinese a couple of nights, then the pizza place then yep the Roadhouse, the trouble is as there is a couple of drivers around i think its like we are all easily led lol, we even had a lads night in watching Max and Paddy, How Dare You!!!!! There were a few constructive things done this week,after a bit of discussion i was told that when i flipped my UK licence that they should of put my motorcycle entiltement on it which they never did,so off i went down to Accesss PEi this is where all the licences are done etc and luckliy i got the same lady who did it first time, she was very appollogetic it seem to take ages but after about 3/4 hr i came out with a new licence with group 6 motorcycle entiltement on it Result!!!While im on a roll ive been meaning to get to the bank to apply for a credit card, not to run up debts but try and establish a little credit, as when we arrive over here we don't have anything at all,our banks here are not like the UK there are no big screens where the cashiers are everything is all open, its is like it was in the 70s back in the Uk, and to apply for stuff you have to make appointments with the manager etc,so i did so and came back the next day, explained the situation and he said he will see what he could do,a personal call from the man himself next day gave me the good news that ive been accepted for one, step one on the big ladder.

The Long and winding road

Im not sure where this post is going to lead, maybe its just going to be a load of drabble so sorry if i bore the pants off you, but you can always take a look at red t**e if that is the case.When people revert to distance in hours not miles that tells you something about how easier it is to get around over here,when we head back to the Maritmes from Toronto as soon as you get away from the city and as long as its not proper rush hour time, the only other traffic you will see is in Montreal and you can skirt that in 30 mins or so,so basically you can drive 16 hours with hardly any much hassle, cruise on 65 and just let her go.With all this time you have there isn't much else to do than start thinking ,well on my way back this time thats what i did and it lead me all over the place,i suppose the missing of Lady Pen always takes a prefference and from that it spiralls all over the place,how the heck did i get to be over 3000 mile away from her cos i know for sure this was never a dream of mine to do this,what really makes us put ourselves in these positions,to be honest if i never drove a truck again it wouldn't bother me,although ever since i was a young lad all i wanted to do was drive trucks, as soon as i was 21 test passed i was on the road doing every type of work possible in UK and Europe, but things change over they years and if Tesco's hadn't shafted us yes i would still be working there, i remember a guy who handed his notice in there because he was off to Canada to do this, at the time i even thought you know that really isn't something i like to do, but things in life happen for a reason im a firm believer in that.So i start to look back at the early times of this and remember when i actually broached the subject to Lady Pen, the way she looked at me was if i had sprouted horns and turned green, even her words were yeah right whatever!!!Im not sure i would do anything different (it would be interesting to see if any others would)as you get older you look at things differently, prioritys change, the material wealth has taken a back seat for me the only thing that matters in my life is Lady Pen and my 2 children so why put myself in this postion of not seeing them for 3 months at a time.I don't get lonely driving or staying in the truck i never have and i was telling somone the other day probably the only time i have was in a restaurant full of people but no one to actually talk to properly,thats when it hit me and a rush of saddness came over me.I can't be doing this for money because i earn't alot more in England than i do here for a lot less work (maybe a lot more stress though traffic wise etc).A better life is all i keep hearing people say thats why we are here,well i had an extremely good life in England plenty of holidays all abroad even long haul ones nice car,nice house (in which we paid very little for)but still i ended up here.Im not sure what people expect when they actually come over here, i reaseached, researched and researched some more we even got on a plane and checked things out for ourselfs.It is everything how ive thought it would be, the work, the place, the people but i hear people saying that they have been lied to,wages is normally the common thing,if you are kept in work that is all well and good,work out how many miles you can drive a day than calculate your rate etc easy,but if it goes slack as all places and you don't get a run for a few days,you don't get paid its as simple as that,The Canadian way not english or european way we don't get hourly pay its basically a performance related pay.So when you arrive here there isn't pot of gold when you land, i have come out here on my own knowing all this and i have planned for it, we have looked in to all angles and even though were apart we think this is the best way FOR US.So i then start to think about other things in this better life im looking for, i think its quite expensive to live here,food,the cost of living in winter time is high (Heating cost etc)taxes are quite high, petrol isn't as dear as the UK but is rising,houses are cheaper but only if you have money for a good size deposit if you haven't then they are expensive when you are on 33 cents a mile,it really is all doom and gloom isn't it, well no its not, anyone who has an once of intelligence would have looked into all this and planned,when you see past all that it becomes apparent why we and a lot of others have decided to do this,There isn't any scallys hanging around shops etc intimidating people, the crime is relatively low, the traffic is very low, the people are a lot more friendlier, it isn't very populated,now things start to appeal,its a slower pace of life (When your not driving a truck).I hadn't been to PEI before, and to be honest wasn't that impressed when i arrived, but as time has passed the place has grown on me to such an extent that i feel that seeds are started to be sown.The bigger picture, the short term loss long term gain (i read that in another drivers thing who is in the same boat)is it worth it, well we think so, and hopefully those who are in the same postion or will be in the same postion can see past the first 12 months and see how wonderfull Canada truly is.

Summer Temperatures

The trip i was due to do was changed infact i was asked if i could run the previous evening with it,having said yes i was told not long later that i couldn't due to non inspection as it was late loading so it would be the morning, not a problem it is only a quick jaunt to New Jersey its just over 14 hours drive and as it was a mid sat morning tip i wasn't in any kind of hurry,good job really maybe, cos i had a few days off i think this made me so tired, it wasn't long after i had gone over the bridge that my eyes started to retract.I always had a snooze in the uk but since coming here i have been fine maybe age is catching up,a quick stop at Salisbury i was all refreshed.Straight down to Houlton to enter the USA then i can use my phone to ring Lady Pen hands free off course.I asked a couple of months ago on here about ways of contact and i think it was Mick who pointed me in the direction of the Net 10 phone, i bought this phone for $24.95 and got 300 minutes calling credit, thats if your calling anyone in the States, but if you register it for international calls you can ring England landline numbers for 15 cents a min, im having some of that i thought, so i can chat for ages for a very reasonable price, i love the network it has pretty much been problem free where ever i have been not losing signal at all,it makes the distance between us very small,just a quick chat helps me feel that the family are not far away.Now the clocks have gone forward the nights are longer so it nice to see places in daylight, there are roads i have only travelled at night and with the sun shinning the drive was tranquil.I made it to my delivery in Newark this was the place i took my load to after the Goshen incident, the guy there is nice eand it wasn't long until i was tipped.I headed off down to Carneys Point a regular haunt for us,my load came through, a reload in the morning a load of mushrooms out of Pennsylvania for Toronto that will do.About 10 miles from Delaware i get a message any chance i can reload today out of Wilmington for a delivery in Ajax Ontario for tomorrow a quick calculation i greatly accepted,off i headed to the port where i bought myself a TWIC card $25,the place was deserted, so after a quick load of grapes i headed for the flying j.I weighed off and then realised im over on the axles so a little shuffty with Tamdems this was soon rectified, what a load of mither doing all this, this was the first time ive done this on my own but all ended well.I wanted to have my time off then run all the way up into Canada so it was a quick shower then some early afternoon shut eye.Now through the winter i run the engine due to the cold there isn't a tri pack on this truck, well now im running it for the aircon, the temp went up to 28c. I thought that can't be right but having asked a couple of drivers around and also the scorching heat outside sort off confirmed this.My route was a new one for me entering Canada at Alexandria Bay this is where the 1000 islands are (we normally enter through Niagra).Ive seen piccys of the islands and it looks stunning so i was pretty gutted that once again im going to do a border crossing at night,Then i pull up to the Toll booth, part with $11 and now im thinking they must be kidding i have to go up this one,this looks like its made from Mechano, (Last week every bridge we went over Lady pen put her head in her hands as not being a lover of them) but no thats the way, now my stomach is turning over anyway over i go (glad it was at night), pleased thats out of the way only to be met with another the same, about 5 miles down the road then an acute left hand bend at the bottom, good planning.I get to my delivery to be told to park up on the waiting lot and they will call me, so not one who turns an opportunity of grabbing a little sleep i oblige,20 mins later i get a call,i really don't know why, they sit me on the bay for 4 hours before they even attempt to unload then i think they handballed it for the length of time it took.I already had my reload offer and even a trailer number (This means its already Loaded) so i set off only to be told on arrival it was at another depot, which is where i asked? i think some people just assume that being a driver you actually know everywhere in the World, and are a bit put out when you explain that what they are telling you just sounds like Blah Blah Blah.So after countles wrong turns i back track and fianally find the Wharehouse after a quick explanation of what i have to do i set off too dump my empty tralier and pick my loaded one up, easy enough !!! well maybe its me or its because these trucks are a lot longer but i think the parking areas over here seem alot tighter, they really cram the traliers together, struggling even to get down the side to wind the legs up just so i can move forward a little to finish of, then taking a few shunts just to get out.I wanted to head out of Toronto then park up so i set off going past the airport, where some goon decided that he was in a life a death situation nearly wiping about 4 vehicles out, oh how i laughed about 10 mins later on the highway there was the goon on the hard shoulder with a nice guy in uniform there is a god.

Work Work Work (Well a little play as well)

I got to my delivery, as i was just backing on to a bay, i get an urgent message that there had been a breakdown and could i drop my tralier and go and do a 3 drop load,now i know who was supposed to do this,it was joe he was telling me on the run down from Montreal,so off i go and after not spotting a 53'orange container i spent 1/2 half looking for it (thick ed)i set off, they were all local drops 1 in Dieppe,1 in Amherst Nova Scotia and 1 in Summerside PEI,but the only problem with this load is that it is handball but you do get paid to do this so its not to bad and it doesn't actually take that long.When i get back to the yard and go through all the defects on the truck, off i go for a nice day off.I had arranged to meet up with joe and go and pick up his new washer and dryer so happy to obliged, job done he then set off in the kitchen a made as what only can be descibed as very very nearly the best spag boll ive ever had, i say my farewells and off i go and very happy and very full, ready for a full nights sleep.Now before i came over here i was very active, i was at the gym most nights i would run on the treadmill for upto 15 miles ending up with the nickname by my nephew (uncle Hampster) then do a full workout i would do road running in the spring,summer.autum,so as you would imagine crappy fast food was pretty much never on the menu.I vowed that when i came here im not slipping down that road, that is easier said than done i have to admit that i have indulged in what can be described as cardboard food once or twice,so having another day i get my new trainers, shorts and t shirt and head off to a gym that i found, well its so much better than the one i used to go to.I haven't done ant sort of running since i came here, i know from previous experience it doesn't take long to get out of shape so after a rather disappointing 6 miles i head off for a full workout (im really paying for it now)will definately start getting back into some sort of routine.The truck stops over here are pretty good they have all these facillities but the don't have any sort of gyms which would be pretty good if this was introduced, instead of more fast food crap places.I nip into work and see my truck is still in the shop it really was poorly so after a bit of discussion with my planner i told him that i would be happy to take the next day off as well that would be 3, mainly because i was asked by a new driver who has just come over if i fancied going into town for a few drinks for St patricks day i off course accept always up for a good time.They celebrate this day quite extensively over here and i felt it would be rude if quite a few guinness didn't pass my lips.So i head out Friday morning for Chicago, that should take me up to next thursday/ friday which is good as my son flys in Saturday.So now im going to enjoy the sunshine and have a chill out day and try and recover.

Always something new to Learn

My trailer was finally loaded and just as i was about to pull out of the yard the heavens opened,i thought we were rid of the white stuff,it came down in such a flurry the roads were covered immediately.All the way through Toronto this went on for then as quick as it started it finished but then the rain started.Now the last thing you want to happen in driving rain is the windscreen wipers to decide they they want a day off, well the drivers side one anyway,although it went through the motions nothing was been removed i really felt like doing a Basil Fawlty now and getting out and hitting the truck with a very big stick.Now in Canada as the same in England on a 3 lane highway/motorway we have 1 travelling lane and 2 overtaking lanes, derr yes you say!!!!! well our system is slightly different, instead of our travelling lane being the inside ours is the middle lane,i know how stupid is that, well actually its illegal to undertake over here as in England but as EVERYONE travels in the middle lane, Trucks as well as cars you have no alternative but to undertake they do not move over even if there isn't another vehicle on the highway, i went passed a truck and he was in my mirror for well over half an hour nothing else around him yet he still sat there, are they Thick or what answer on a postcard: to I can't drive to save my life,po box stupid, Move over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.The further east you get out of Toronto it goes into a 2 lane highway,you take road markings in the UK for granted the white lines in the middle, on the inside and outside,the cats eyes the reflective strips etc etc, they all vanish as we travel towards Montreal and with the driving rain and no street lamps also the lack off any road markings(but that is with a lot of roads over here as well) making it increasingly difficult to postition yourself,i get through Montreal and head for the Irving at St Liborie which is just up the road, after getting fuel i find a place to park on my own, i have problably the noisest reefer in the whole of North America (when i had one which was noisey back in england i tended to drop them and move slightly away from them)i think i would of still heard it from the other side of the parking lot,so i insert ipod ear plugs and try and drift off to sleep, well it doesn't take me long what ever noise is around me.When my niece was younger she decided to take up disco dancing, i being the dedicated Uncle offered to come and watch her compete on her first dance comp,how thrilled she was that i took time out to watch her,well unfortunately in the middle of this extremely loud dancing competion there was me couple of lagers later flat out in the chair and missed the lot, i don't think she ever for gave me i was never asked to go and watch her again.So after an extremely pleasent nights sleep i awake to see my good friend joe was parked on the other side of the lot with his wife, who has just come out to stay with him, i had only spoken to her on the internet so it was really nice to meet up with her in person.As we were both going over to Moncton we had a good chat(Well i did i think i just bored the pants of him all i got from him was Humm every now and then) we ran down to woodstock where he was stopping for a while, later the following day i find that actually he didn't get much passed there as he had big problems with his truck (i think he needs retraining)cos that was his second breakdown on that trip.My delivery wasn't until 10 am so i get abit of a lie in or so i thought i set my alarm only to her on the radio that the clocks have gone forward 1hr, i thought it was only the Uk that did this stupid thing so after resetting the clock 1day later than i should off i slip away to places nice, (shows that in all the research that you do there are alot of things that get over looked) .

Thanks Babe

There are times in ones life that stand out from all the rest March 16th is one of them for me.My wedding aniversary, 19 years ago that lucky woman thought she was marrying the man off her dreams,unfortunately Patrick Swayze couldn't make it so she got me instead.Now don't get me wrong there have been some very hard times,i wouldn't like to live with me i do my own head in some times, so for anyone to put up with me for over 22 years well must be completely stupid or glutten for punishment, or i must be good at something (nod nod wink wink).Im sure everyone expected this one to fail due to our age and me being a total numpty, but against all odds we stuck it out and what i found was i got the best friend anyone could wish for.We met on a blind date ice skating (i think she was well impressed the way i glided around the rink like Chris Dean) and as they say the rest is history.
There is one song that sticks out, here are a few of the lyrics which sum up what Lady Pen means to me.
Words by Jonny Cash thoughts from me!
So hard times or easy times, what do i care
There's nothing i'd change if i could
The tears and the laughter are things that we share
Your hand in my mine makes it good
Rose of my heart xx

Disaster At Walmart (Well Nearly)

My plan was to meet up with another driver to do a change over, then go and load in Cambridge Ontario (its about 1hr from where i was due to change over).After discussing with my planner what time he would be there, i decided i had enough time to go shopping, so off to Walmart i go.Now my role in this shopping game is pushing the trolley around under duress, huffing and puffing while Lady Pen meanders through the aisles picking what she wants etc, and maybe i offer the odd comment about how much she is spending, this normally falls on deaf ears.Now im on my own i have to multi task,not only do i have to push the trolley around i have to pick the things i think i need off the shelf, how difficult can it be, i seen it done a thousand times.So off i go with all the saturday morning shoppers, its a bit like that program that used to be on with Dale Winton Supermarket sweep or something like that (not that i used to watch it i just remember seeing it on once) people running around like mainiacs, me on the other hand was glently gliding around like a pro, piece of cake.I get to the drinks and because there were quite a few people around pushed my trolley to the side and went to grab a couple of bottles of pop,putting them into the trolley of i trotted on my merry way.I continued putting stuff in from the next aisles, it wasn't until i actually looked down into the basket thing that i thought something didn't look right,i really don't remember picking that item up i thought, then after closer examination the realisation that most of the stuff in this trolley wasn't mine (i really dont have any need for Tampax),Ive only waltzed off with the wrong trolley OMG!!!!!!! so i shot off back around the Aisles to try and locate where it all went wrong,there was my trolley alone and looking sad and abandoned.I started to put my stuff into it quick before someone came, but as i was doing this a woman came around the corner looking all harrased,after sort of explaining to her that it was a mistake, she was relieved that she didn't have to start shopping again, making my appologies i quickly scarpered.The best thing about the shopping over here they pack for you as they scan at least i can't get that wrong all i have to do is put the loaded bags back into the trolley.I head to the parking lot,now i have a problem when i go and park my car in these parking lots,it just disappears, i have spent ages walking up and down searching for it, its the best camouflaged car i know,Lady Pen just laughed at me when i was telling her this the other day when we had gone into town until it disappeared, we spent ages looking for it (maybe its because off our age)anyway today i don't have this problem my vehicle is a 75' red and white truck it sort of stands out a bit.It doesn't matter where you are over here its very common to see trucks in the shopping parking lots,i head over to where it is in the driving wind and rain, pack the truck up and set off for my c/o at Brampton.Luckily the guy had just arrived so after all the pleasentries i head off with an empty trailer for Cambridge,there is no point rushing there as you are always waiting hours to load even if they put you on a bay straight away,this was another thing that Lady Pen couldn't get her head around.

Trucking Ell

Nice uneventfull run down to Maine spring is definately in the air the suns shinning and the temp is rising.I ran through New york state before entering Pennsylvannia,it was here where i stopped for a while,not to go into to much graphic detail i had to use the kazi, well unfortunately i only find out after my deed that the toilets had water problems (there wasn't any there so i couldn't flush) as i scuttled out sheepishly i could here the janitor honking, sorry mate !!!!! This took me back to the time when we were on vacation in Florida a couple of years back, Not mentioning any names (lady pen)blocked up the toilet, after calling the reception a Mexican who couldn't understand English came over with a new toilet roll, well the only way to explain to him what the problem was to show him. Nice, unfortunately i wasn't anywhere to be seen (i was under the duvet laughing)she did a great job explaining.Staying on the egde of lake Erie for the night left me a bit of a trek for the next day so i was up bright and breezy heading for Columbus then Cincinatti where you enter Kentucky.I get to my delivery half an hour before my booking in time (so i thought) i handed my notes to the guy on the fork truck he gave me a bay, i was just backing on to it when another guy (Gerald)came out howling at me to stop,after a little descusion i was informed i was early yeah, 24 1/2hrs early.I was blocking the yard off so i just backed onto the bay door to get out the way.Now the best thing to do in this situation is to put the kettle on and have a brew so i sat there in the sunshine having a brew (how very English).I fell asleep the next thing i knew was a big thud in the back they had started to unload me. Result.I went in to find my mate Gerald after i had been tipped to thank him, i think he was a bit taken back, i shook his hand and said my goodbyes, im sure there was little tear in the corner of his eye, till we meet again mate.I already had my reload offer through, it was only 10 mins down the road, unfortunately the road i wanted to take was blocked by a skip wagon who had decided he didn't like the skip he was carrying and wanted to get shut of it anyway poss.Now this is where Sat Navs become a pain, the thing was trying to re route me down little suburban streets, these trucks aren't really made to go down these well after taking out 4 cars and 2 lampposts (well nearly anyway)i got to my pick up place.I really wouldn't want the girls job at that place, there must of been 20 drivers waiting to load and tip she was on her own and the grief she was getting was unreal.I sat outside in the sun while waiting to load which didn't take long( i was pretty much loaded within 45 mins)the temp had crept up to 21c proper weather. The load was meat heading for Montreal,ive not Hauled meat before Bloody eck there is loads of paperwork which goes with it for customs etc.I worked out i could just make it just passed Cincinatti before my time was up.A quick shower something to eat,fax the paperwork to the broker then off for some shut eye,now when i fax my notes i dont normally put my phone number on the sheet, but i did this time, i was woken up about 1 hr later, its the broker saying that i need to fax some more paperwork, i get dressed set foot out the truck well its like a monsoon and here was me running across the parking lot in shorts, Derrr.I set off for Detriot where i was to cross back into Canada, i have never been over the Ambassador Bridge which you have to cross to enter into Windsor in the daylight it has always been at night, again this crossing was at night so nothing new here i would like to get a few pictures in daylight at some point.Paperwork stamped off i headed for Toronto this is where it all went Pear shape, i got a blow out which also punctured the airbag on the trailer, i managed to get off the highway onto a quiet slip road where i spent the next 3 hours.The guy bodged it up so i could get to the service centre down the road where i spent another 2 hours oh well (then i realised this happend about an hours drive on the same highway where i had my last breakdown)spooky.I wasn't going to make my delivery now so i was ask to Park up in Milton That will do for me, Free internet!!!.So now after a bit of Corrie im going to do a change over in the morning then reload for Moncton,at least i will get a few more miles this week.

Places New

It was definately black monday after the departure of Lady Pen, i then found out the mighty Reds were pulverished by Wigan, does it get any worse,its about time the Spanish one returned home Me thinks.In my creativity i have now introduced my banner to North America even though i felt a bit sheepish putting it up in the windscreen after the previous night.It was sort of a haze tuesday i thought i was going down to New York but was pleasently surprised when the trip details came through for Louisville Kentucky not been there before so looking forward to entering a new state.I packed all my stuff into the truck 1 bag, one cooler (Notice something here) it took me all of a couple of mins.Pretrip done a quick squirt with the washer and were ready for the off,the trailer wasn't loaded so off i headed to the part of the island i hadn't yet been to St louis this is in Prince county (PEI consist of 3 counties Kings ,Queens,Prince)so after the island shunter gave me brill directions i got ther no Probs.Since we have spring weight restictions over here i only loaded 17 palllets instead of the normal 18.I like to route with a map as well as Mr Tom so after some planning off i set, heading for Maine where i wanted to park up for the night.A quick skype call at Salibury courtsey of the free internet at the Irving Big Stop which was just what the doctor ordered, i ran into the New brunswick sunshine all happy and smiles.

Alone Again !!!!!!!

Unfortunately i had to accept the maids resignation,so now im left to my own devices again,it doesn't seem 5 mins ago that i was all excited and now well im not sure.The place is now empty once more i don't seem to be tripping over hairdryers hair strighteners,boots, shoes i do have a floor now, (and maybe if i was a little bit truthfull kinda miss the chaoticness)The bigger picture is all we keep looking at, but being away for an extensive amount of time from the ones you love certainly tests your resolve.Im not a big softy by any stretch of the imagination but there has been times this week i have thought about giving up, not because of anything over here, but what isn't over here.We have set ourself goals which sort of help, i don't think i could get through without them,I have to focus on the next part which isn't to far away.Mr Becks comes over at easter for a couple of weeks,something to look forward to, he hasn't been over to Canada before so i know he is looking forward to seeing for himself what all the fuss has been over the last 2 years, hopefully with spring coming he won't be dissappointed.So until then its back to the grindstone and getting stuck into some more miles,trying to put everything to the back of my mind easier said than done.Babes i love you and can't wait til June xxxx

Brookvale Park

Back in England we used to have a motorhome,we decided one winter we would take the Van and go skiing in France, even though we had never done it before. After some research and some cheap skis of ebay off we packed and headed for Les Gets in the Chamonix region,what this did was light a spark in all of us, and we have been quite active in the sport ever since.After a few lessons we all have florished into quite good skiiers even tackling some black runs with some ease.One of the appealing things about Canada was the skiing on your doorstep especially when we were off to BC.On PEI we have our own ski slope at Brookvale Park although this might not be the most challenging place you will ski its good to have it 20 mins down the road.After a quick trip into town to get some ski wear off went to what only be described a a great day out,unfortunately when your hiring equipment especially boots, they don't seem to be the best you will get to wear and now the ankles are really paying for it.We tackled all the runs with ease but didn't try any of the jumps maybe next time,the kids doing those made them look quite easy, humm.The sun was shinning some were even skiing in just T shirts it got that warm, a nice change to the weather we have had over the last couple of days (its been very windy and cold)A great day to end of what has been a fantastic 10 days.

RIP Keith Alexander

Football has played a enormous part in my life Liverpool is my love always has been always will be,but my home town is Macclesfield,Cheshire,which has the smallest club in the football league, unfortunately due to its rich neighbours from Manchester they have never been able to drum up the support they crave for.When the club was non league i used to go and watch them quite regularly even got to go to Wembley to watch them.They have struggled to attract players and managers and supporters, so anyone who has worked with the club has deffinately had their work cut out.Keith Alexander worked wonders with Lincoln city and when he took over from Ian Brightwell the club were one point from the relegation zone,he steered them away and has been building from there with nothing to do it with.Unfortunately On the 3rd March 2010 Keith passed away hours after a club game with Notts county he was only 53,maybe he will be most remembered for the time he spent at Lincoln but im sure all at Macclesfield Football club will hold him in the highest of regards,my thoughts are with his family at this time.
Rip Keith Alexander

PEI The Gentle Island

Prince Edward Island wasn't even considered when we decided to looking into coming over to Canada.Alberta became our favourable place at first mainly because that was where a company i had contacted, shown the most interest in hiring me.So after alot of research we came over to Calgary to visit the company and also meet up with Lady Pens cousins who were living there at the time.We arranged at the same time to also head out to Quesnel BC where more off her family live,i instantly fell in love with the place and felt we could settle down there.I contacted a local haulier there and was offered a job things were certainly looking up,unfortunately due to the economic downturn he wasn't able to take me on.Back to square one again i was offered a job in Alberta this was where i was heading until the latter part of last year until various things made me rethink whether the company were for me.I was in contact with a guy who had recently moved over to PEI and this planted the seed.We researched the Island and what appeal was the closeness to the coast anyway the rest is history,i hadn't really seen much of the place due to not getting a car until i had passed my test, then being away all the time restricted my leisure time.Today i had to chauffeur Lady Pen around she was directing from the back seat where she wanted to go "At your service Maam"she even aloud me to get out and have a look around myself.We had read books looked at pictures, but until you see it with your own eyes nothing prepares you for the sheer beauty of this island, standing out in all its glory,im now getting drawn to what im seeing the rolling red cliffs,the beautiful red sandy beaches,the quaint fishing villages and harbours ,the wildlife (as we were driving along the coastal road a pack of coyotes were in the middle of the road,these are not native to PEI rumor has it they came over from New Brunswick over the ice covered Northumberland Straits) i can go on and on.We always said we wouldn't decide on where we would end up, whether it was Pei or any other part of Canada or maybe it wasn't for us at all, until we were all in agreement,but what i found was that we were planning and discussung areas we could settle enthusasticaly.Maybe just maybe !!!

Maybe Im not as clever as i Thought

Before i came over here i had a crash course in ironing,and i must admit i thought it was a piece of cake and didn't know what all the fuss was about.After some consoltation over the internet by the expert i was Told to go and buy this iron from Walmart.Now being signed off and fully trained up i set about using this nice new one well it didn't take me long to realise this one wasn't as good as we had back in the UK it didn't seem to steam as much although it didn't use as much water,it seem to take for ages to get some sort of result but i persevered.Well today i have been taught a valuble lesson, after a little trip into town yesterday i treated Lady Pen to a brand spanking new ironing board, i could see in her face how thrilled she was, anyway all off a sudden the iron flew into life steam coming out off it like it was on fire,yep you guessed it she broke it,it never did that for me i said then as i was shown i hadn't turned the steamy thing on,Derr.Lesson Learn't get someone else to do the ironing.

Internet Spookies

All sort of strange things have been occurring on my blog, hopefully now i have sorted it all out.Any probs reading this please let me know

The Grand Entrance

It hardly seems 5 mins since i was stood at the airport,all nervous waiting, it felt like i was on a first date with butterflys in my stomach.Typically the plane was delayed over an hour but it certainly was worth it.As i stood there all empty handed a guy stood next to me with a big bunch of rose, unlike myself who didn't need flowers to show how much i love her (Yuck yuck).The doors of the terminal opened and out she ran into my arms quick peck on the cheek,then announced she needed the toilet how bloody romantic, things don't change much,(this was also a sign of things to come).I also met a guy who was also flying in on the same flights from England who i had been in contact with so after some baggage reclamation off we set for Cornwall,its only about a 20 journey,after introducing Brain to Lady Pen and Dave the new guy we settled in for the evening its a pretty tiring journey and it wasn't long before she was snoring away (Oh how i forgot about that).The plan was to take friday off before doing a quick 5 day trip then taking a few days off before the dreaded day of return.So Saturday morning we packed the Truck up with all her stuff (how much do you need to take for 5 days)6 hours later were ready for the off (well it felt that long).The trip we were going to do was a regular run for us they call it the triangle, you run down the eastern seaboard to New Jersey, then relaod for Toronto,then relaod back to New Brunswick,Pretty easy and pretty straight forward.I could see after a couple of hours she was getting a bit agitated so because im so nice i stopped to let her have a bit off a break.Anyone who knows me knows i hate stopping i like to keep moving and it becomes a bit of a challenge to drive constantly for as long as i can,but as we aren't in any sort of rush i kinda didn't mind.Things started getting a bit exciting when we hit Bangor in Maine the blizzard we ran into was pretty heavy, its funny how now all the cars love trucks and stay behind because you have carved them out a route through the snow, (bloody cowards).Sunday morning i got a message through that we would be reloading that evening in Pennsylvania so off we set for New York over the George Washington Bridge then out to New Jersey, 20 mins after pulling into our customers yard we were heading out empty, Off to Carneys Point for a shower, before heading off to our reload in Avondale PA which was only about Half an hour away.What a contrast in people from Pennsylvannia are to New york, everyone i've met there seems so friendly compared to the latter who i find to be well lets be polite about this Abrupt to say the least.Having a little time left i headed out off PA upto Hazelton where we called it a night.Now i said before that i like to keep moving well thats all gone out the window by now were stopping every 10 mins for wee stops,make up stops, food stops ,snack stops,souvenier stops then more wee stops ARGGGG.We arrived in Ontario for our delivery monday mid morning, again another rapid unload, we made our way down the road to Milton for yet more Food and a shower.Now trying to explain to the beloved that we have to wait for a reload was like trying to explain to her how to find a needle in a haystack,just because we are now back in canada doesn't mean that i can run 1000 miles back to the Yard empty,i think it finally sunk in not sure how long it actually took though.Having spent the night in Cambridge we finally set off just before dinner time loaded for Moncton New Bunswick for Thursday morning, no word of a lie 20 mins into the journey i hear over the radio, im getting ready for the toilet, well after head butting the steering wheel a few times what can you do when your not the boss.The journey back to Moncton was pretty uneventfull (i lost count of all the stops we made )we did our delivery then made a quick dash back to PEI, i was getting a little bit concerned that the wind was picking up, there had been some warnings about the Bridge closing (and i didn't want to left on the other side trying to explain why we can't cross).I can't belive its been a week, its been brill to be together again and its a if we haven't been apart,unfortunately monday's coming at a hell of a rate of knots, i know this time its going to be so hard to let her go back.