In work today my nurse informed me that the admin staff are very impressed with the notes i have been writing and also with the amount of work ive been doing. I appreciated this feedback and am feeling rather chuffed! Today was meant to be pay day but like usual, something had to go tits up. I was organised and handed in my tax number etc when i started work but Queensland Health have failed to pay me. One of the admin staff, Leigh, rung up to find out why i havent been paid and for some reason i was on one system, but not on the other system? whatever that means. The woman on the phone asked 'is she desperate for the money?' ....Leigh put her straight and said..."put it this way, shes flown half way across the world to be here and her boyfriend doesnt work...so yes, she is desperate!" ...an adhoc payment has been done and i should have the money in my account tomorrow morning. fingers crossed!
This evening Gaz and i had an induction at the 24 hour gym. A nice lady, Michelle, showed us around all the equipment and took our fingerprints. As the gym is 24 hours, after 7pm, you can only access the gym by having a computer on the wall outside scan your fingerprints as an ID check - very clever!
We are home now and cooking kangaroo, potato and....baked beans!
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Tuesday 6th September - Gaz caught a fish!
Sleepy Gaz slept. I worked.
I came home at lunch time and Gaz had been doing well playing on the computer so he treated himself in the afternoon to some time off and went fishing. He was very excited to have caught his first fish...yet very disheartened at the guy next to him who confiscated the thing and killed it. Apparently it was a 'toady' which are pests and must be killed?
Work was very busy but i survived. I was taken around Hervey Bay Hospital and shown where to go for when im 'on call'. Sorry, what was that? On call you say? When was i ever meant to be on call?! No one had informed me but..well...SURPRISE! on thursday im on call! this means for a week i have a pager and if it goes off, i have to drive to Hervey Bay Hospital to attend to whatever situation is in need of a dentist. I dont feel confident yet at being on call as if people need advice, i have only been in work for what will be a week on thursday and i am not up to scratch with the protocols in Aus! Im not even allowed to write prescriptions yet as my performers number hasnt come through yet. this could be a fun week on call! yikes!
This evening I cooked us kangaroo tacos. The kangaroo mince has to be cooked thoroughly as they reckon there could be worms in the meat...i tried not to focus too much on that thought. It tasted yummy though! We are going to snuggle up and watch a film now :D
I came home at lunch time and Gaz had been doing well playing on the computer so he treated himself in the afternoon to some time off and went fishing. He was very excited to have caught his first fish...yet very disheartened at the guy next to him who confiscated the thing and killed it. Apparently it was a 'toady' which are pests and must be killed?
Work was very busy but i survived. I was taken around Hervey Bay Hospital and shown where to go for when im 'on call'. Sorry, what was that? On call you say? When was i ever meant to be on call?! No one had informed me but..well...SURPRISE! on thursday im on call! this means for a week i have a pager and if it goes off, i have to drive to Hervey Bay Hospital to attend to whatever situation is in need of a dentist. I dont feel confident yet at being on call as if people need advice, i have only been in work for what will be a week on thursday and i am not up to scratch with the protocols in Aus! Im not even allowed to write prescriptions yet as my performers number hasnt come through yet. this could be a fun week on call! yikes!
This evening I cooked us kangaroo tacos. The kangaroo mince has to be cooked thoroughly as they reckon there could be worms in the meat...i tried not to focus too much on that thought. It tasted yummy though! We are going to snuggle up and watch a film now :D
Monday, 5 September 2011
Monday 5th September - Join gym attempt no. 4!
Not much to report today. I left Gaz in bed this morning as i popped off to work. Ive just realised ive been walking all the way around the block to get to work when there is actually a back entrance that is even closer to home! It now takes 30 seconds to get to work.
After work Gaz and I attempted to join the gym. Perfect, the door was open! The lady behind the desk broke the news to us that we cant become members until we have had an induction in the gym and the earliest she had was wednesday. We have an appointment booked for after work on wednesday so attempt 5 at joining this gym should be successful! Gaz is now slaving away in the kitchen cooking me dinner. We have managed to find some kangaroo meat in woolworths so tomorrow we will be rustling up some of that...unless gaz catches me a fish!
After work Gaz and I attempted to join the gym. Perfect, the door was open! The lady behind the desk broke the news to us that we cant become members until we have had an induction in the gym and the earliest she had was wednesday. We have an appointment booked for after work on wednesday so attempt 5 at joining this gym should be successful! Gaz is now slaving away in the kitchen cooking me dinner. We have managed to find some kangaroo meat in woolworths so tomorrow we will be rustling up some of that...unless gaz catches me a fish!
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Sunday 4th September - Horse riding lesson
Poor Gaz was dragged out of bed at 8.15am this morning so that i could have some company in the car whilst trying to find the horse riding place. He didnt complain about coming and i really appreciated him being there incase i got lost! On the way to the lesson we spotted our first wild kangaroo! He was quite a way in the distance and looked like a tree stump at first because i didnt have my glasses on.
The riding place was a very small field. The lady has 6 horses (2 of which are shetlands) but she rescued them all 'from the doggers' as she put it. She was very friendly and a really likeable person who made me feel really comfortable for my first lesson in years! I shared the small field with another girl who was also part of the lesson but she didnt have much personality going on which shone through in her riding ability as she let her horse plod along. Lisa (the name of my instructor) started me off on her 'beginners' horse to see how i got on. 20 minutes into the lesson she said i was too good for this horse and put me on 'more of a challenge'. The second horse i was on, Buddy, was a sweetheart. I could feel him testing me at the start to see what he could get away with but within minutes he was loosening up and playing with the bit in his mouth, riding the corners nicely. The other girl in the lesson didnt seem to appreciate the school had any corners but Buddy was very obedient and didn't follow the slackness of the horse in front. Although the teaching was more relaxed than what i am used to back home (constantly being nagged about my leg/hand aids and positioning in the saddle), i really did enjoy being back in the saddle and for 25AUD, i cant complain! Gaz meanwhile watched patiently on the sideline and entertained Lisa's dog who pawed him continuously for a pat. He even rescued the goat behind him a few times as it kept tangling itself up in the rope it was tied up with. Apparently this was a flatulent goat.
When we got back to the house, Gaz played on the computer and i fell fast asleep. 3 hours later i woke up! We watched 'Megamind' which he downloaded earlier and really enjoyed it! Afterwards we went to subway for dinner because neither of us could be bothered to cook.
Before heading back to the house we went for a romantic walk on the beach. The seagulls were bobbing about in the water very close to the shore where the white horses were breaking and amazingly catching huge prawns before flying off. We must have seen about 8-10 seagulls all dip their heads under and catch a prawn! I wish i had my camera on me!
The riding place was a very small field. The lady has 6 horses (2 of which are shetlands) but she rescued them all 'from the doggers' as she put it. She was very friendly and a really likeable person who made me feel really comfortable for my first lesson in years! I shared the small field with another girl who was also part of the lesson but she didnt have much personality going on which shone through in her riding ability as she let her horse plod along. Lisa (the name of my instructor) started me off on her 'beginners' horse to see how i got on. 20 minutes into the lesson she said i was too good for this horse and put me on 'more of a challenge'. The second horse i was on, Buddy, was a sweetheart. I could feel him testing me at the start to see what he could get away with but within minutes he was loosening up and playing with the bit in his mouth, riding the corners nicely. The other girl in the lesson didnt seem to appreciate the school had any corners but Buddy was very obedient and didn't follow the slackness of the horse in front. Although the teaching was more relaxed than what i am used to back home (constantly being nagged about my leg/hand aids and positioning in the saddle), i really did enjoy being back in the saddle and for 25AUD, i cant complain! Gaz meanwhile watched patiently on the sideline and entertained Lisa's dog who pawed him continuously for a pat. He even rescued the goat behind him a few times as it kept tangling itself up in the rope it was tied up with. Apparently this was a flatulent goat.
When we got back to the house, Gaz played on the computer and i fell fast asleep. 3 hours later i woke up! We watched 'Megamind' which he downloaded earlier and really enjoyed it! Afterwards we went to subway for dinner because neither of us could be bothered to cook.
Before heading back to the house we went for a romantic walk on the beach. The seagulls were bobbing about in the water very close to the shore where the white horses were breaking and amazingly catching huge prawns before flying off. We must have seen about 8-10 seagulls all dip their heads under and catch a prawn! I wish i had my camera on me!
Saturday, 3 September 2011
Saturday 3rd September - Cheat day yay!
Today we had the longest lie in since we been in Aus and managed to sleep until 11am. Gaz was a little hung over from the night before (lightweight). We attempted to join the 24hour gym for the third time but unless you are a member, you cant get in. I tapped on the door and someone opened it "erm are you a member?" he asked...."erm well we are trying to become members but theres never anyone in!" i replied. A girl behind the desk said we have to come between 7am-7pm monday - thursday to join. we shall try again on monday after work!
We grabbed some essentials for tonights home cooked curry before heading out for a stroll with the camera. Gaz stopped in the local fishing shop and picked up a nice rod etc. which he is happy about...so now he can get cracking with catching my dinner! We headed over the road to the beach and was surprised to see the younger generation of Hervey Bay was out socialising with one another. The boys and girls integrated with one another doing back flips off the railings which we were quite impressed at and i even managed to get some quick action snaps of them! We had a stroll up the pier to where a boy, no older than 11 was stood with his fishing rod trying to catch fish. He didnt have any bait on the end of his hook, but when the fish swum by, he would yank the rod upwards to try and hook them. He ended up catching a huge fish! He didnt have a knife on him so very cruely he just put the suffocating fish into his rucksack before carrying on with his fishing. We left at this point.
Back at the house Gaz played on the computer and i had a little nap...Its hard work waking up at 11am! We cooked a mediocre chicken tikka masala which wasnt amazing but was still better than the one we had in the indian restaurant! As it is cheat day, i treated Gaz to an ice cream at the ice cream parlor down the road.
Afterwards, we went to the pub in Hervey Bay hotel and listened to a young lad singing songs with his guitar over a can of diet coke...hardcore! It was a shame because the guy had a great voice and was very nice to listen to but the pub was so empty! he sung his heart out to a crown of 10 people....2 of which were his parents. We headed home and had the chance to show Gareths parents around the house on skype. Im heading for bed now ready for my first riding lesson in the morning - yay!
We grabbed some essentials for tonights home cooked curry before heading out for a stroll with the camera. Gaz stopped in the local fishing shop and picked up a nice rod etc. which he is happy about...so now he can get cracking with catching my dinner! We headed over the road to the beach and was surprised to see the younger generation of Hervey Bay was out socialising with one another. The boys and girls integrated with one another doing back flips off the railings which we were quite impressed at and i even managed to get some quick action snaps of them! We had a stroll up the pier to where a boy, no older than 11 was stood with his fishing rod trying to catch fish. He didnt have any bait on the end of his hook, but when the fish swum by, he would yank the rod upwards to try and hook them. He ended up catching a huge fish! He didnt have a knife on him so very cruely he just put the suffocating fish into his rucksack before carrying on with his fishing. We left at this point.
Back at the house Gaz played on the computer and i had a little nap...Its hard work waking up at 11am! We cooked a mediocre chicken tikka masala which wasnt amazing but was still better than the one we had in the indian restaurant! As it is cheat day, i treated Gaz to an ice cream at the ice cream parlor down the road.
Afterwards, we went to the pub in Hervey Bay hotel and listened to a young lad singing songs with his guitar over a can of diet coke...hardcore! It was a shame because the guy had a great voice and was very nice to listen to but the pub was so empty! he sung his heart out to a crown of 10 people....2 of which were his parents. We headed home and had the chance to show Gareths parents around the house on skype. Im heading for bed now ready for my first riding lesson in the morning - yay!
Friday, 2 September 2011
Friday 2nd September - Gaz's Rugby Dinner
We have had a lovely day today! I got to speak to my mate kirsty on skype this morning which was really nice to catch up with her, although i did deafen her as she couldnt work out how to turn her speaker down. Gaz and I then had some errands to run, starting with going back to the car dealer who had rung us to say Queensland registration people havent accepted our british drivers licenses so we needed to provide some other form of ID. When that was sorted we went in search of some shoes to go with my dress for the rugby dinner tonight...and a whole new outfit for Gaz, also for tonight. To say there are not many places to shop in Hervey Bay is an understatement...there is only really Target or Big W to get clothes which would be the equivalent of picking up clothes in Asda's George section...there isnt much choice! I was a bit pushed for choice with the shoes and ended up getting something that would do. I begrudge paying the money for them as i know new look do much nicer shoes for half the price back home! Gaz found some smart looking trousers, a white shirt, belt, tie and even picked up some very smart looking shoes.
By the time we had finished shopping we were both starving so headed home for some lunch and then had a potter around on our laptops for a bit...before watching tv and Gaz falling asleep. At 5:50pm, Gaz had showered and went to put on his shirt. I heard a few expletives followed by "s*it, ive just taken the white shirt out of the packet and its huge with short sleeves". As both Big W and Target close at 6pm...Gaz had 10 minutes to get to the store, find the shirt he needed and pay for it. LUCKILY we live round the corner from Big W and Gaz was in and out as it was closing. Disaster over, i ironed his shirt for him and thankfully his clothes fit him rather well...ive only ever seen him look this smart for his brothers wedding reception!
We got to the Hervey Bay Hotel to where the rugby presentation was being held for the local rugby team that Gaz has joined. We were welcomed by the lead coach of the team, Andrew and ushered to a table with a very lovely couple, Rosemary and Jeff. We spent most of the evening talking to the couple who have even invited us to their house for a meal one day when they are back from New Zealand watching the rugby. The food was great and the drinks flowed. The speeches for the presentation dragged on...for about 2 hours but we managed. It was really nice to meet the rugby lads and they have all invited Gaz to the pub with them and said to give them a call if we need any thing.
Although it isnt cheat day...we did allow ourselves a little bit of cheese from the cheese board after the main course. It is amazing how much our stomachs have shrunk sine we have been eating healthy, smaller portions of food. I could only manage the chicken breast on my plate! After the speeches came a live band, at which point Gaz and I felt a good opportunity to leave so ive driven us back and we are going to watch a film now. Todays pic is of us together before the dinner :)
By the time we had finished shopping we were both starving so headed home for some lunch and then had a potter around on our laptops for a bit...before watching tv and Gaz falling asleep. At 5:50pm, Gaz had showered and went to put on his shirt. I heard a few expletives followed by "s*it, ive just taken the white shirt out of the packet and its huge with short sleeves". As both Big W and Target close at 6pm...Gaz had 10 minutes to get to the store, find the shirt he needed and pay for it. LUCKILY we live round the corner from Big W and Gaz was in and out as it was closing. Disaster over, i ironed his shirt for him and thankfully his clothes fit him rather well...ive only ever seen him look this smart for his brothers wedding reception!
We got to the Hervey Bay Hotel to where the rugby presentation was being held for the local rugby team that Gaz has joined. We were welcomed by the lead coach of the team, Andrew and ushered to a table with a very lovely couple, Rosemary and Jeff. We spent most of the evening talking to the couple who have even invited us to their house for a meal one day when they are back from New Zealand watching the rugby. The food was great and the drinks flowed. The speeches for the presentation dragged on...for about 2 hours but we managed. It was really nice to meet the rugby lads and they have all invited Gaz to the pub with them and said to give them a call if we need any thing.
Although it isnt cheat day...we did allow ourselves a little bit of cheese from the cheese board after the main course. It is amazing how much our stomachs have shrunk sine we have been eating healthy, smaller portions of food. I could only manage the chicken breast on my plate! After the speeches came a live band, at which point Gaz and I felt a good opportunity to leave so ive driven us back and we are going to watch a film now. Todays pic is of us together before the dinner :)
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Thursday 1st September - Left handed surgery Day 1
So this morning Gaz had drilled it into me that i am NOT to back down about the surgery and i must not see a single patient until everything is how i want it. " tell them that yesterday you felt bullied into working right handed and you feel you are being discriminated for being left handed and do not see why you must compromise the quality of your work just because the dental nurses aren't happy about walking around the chair to get things." OK, i had my spiel at the ready! I marched down to work and my nurse was in the surgery setting up. The surgery was still set up right handed so i said "I'd like to change the surgery back to left handed. I tried right handed yesterday and it was compromising my work so im going to speak to regart so we can get it changed. Colleen looked at me and then glanced at the other nurse in the room. They both looked a little concerned. I wondered off to find Regart but someone informed me he wouldnt be in today! I stood outside the directors door waiting to speak to him. It was 8am and my first patient was in but i was under strict orders from Gaz that i am NOT to see anyone until i have a left handed surgery. The nurse who had been in the room with Colleen said "umm, is Head Nurse OK with it being left handed?" i said i didnt know, i hadnt told her yet and the nurse gave a look of like UHO!!! and walked off. The director was AGES on the phone and it was now 8.15am. I was adamant i wasnt getting my patient in so i would have waited forever if i had to. I had a little mooch around the surgeries to give him some space on the phone when i found they had already moved me to a different surgery where they had begun setting it up left handed. As i was looking at the file for the first patient my nurse had the cheek to say, "Next time you go for a job, how about you find out if its left handed first?"...i said through gritted teeth...."well, i DID ask if this was a left handed job and they said it was." and she was like " yeh well you should always speak to a DA or someone, not just admin." I felt like telling her to piss off but i was more than happy to have my left handed surgery so ill let that one go. She did make a few comments throughout the day about her not having enough space on her side so they are moving me to a different surgery tomorrow "so that we can get a happy balance between what dentist AND dental nurse wants." WHY IS THIS CAUSING SUCH A BIG F*CKING DEAL JUST DO YOUR F*CKING JOB AND ILL DO MINE!!!! excuse the bad language but for gods sake!!!
I had 10 patients all day...BLISS! and one patient said he would only come back again if i was treating him. Another very nervous lady said i had been brilliant with her and all the other patients were very friendly and very grateful. Overall i really enjoyed the day and today i feel like a good dentist! Im not letting the fact that the head nurse storms past me without so much as eye contact or a smile.All the other staff are really lovely and i really enjoyed today in work. Gaz was much happier to see me happy when i got home. And to top it all off, i have tomorrow off so the weekend begins here!!!
We went for a stroll after work to Urangan Pier. We didnt realise just how long the pier is. It went on for miles! People were fishing at the end of it...next time ill take my camera and get some good shots! We then went to subway for our din dins....yummy!
I had 10 patients all day...BLISS! and one patient said he would only come back again if i was treating him. Another very nervous lady said i had been brilliant with her and all the other patients were very friendly and very grateful. Overall i really enjoyed the day and today i feel like a good dentist! Im not letting the fact that the head nurse storms past me without so much as eye contact or a smile.All the other staff are really lovely and i really enjoyed today in work. Gaz was much happier to see me happy when i got home. And to top it all off, i have tomorrow off so the weekend begins here!!!
We went for a stroll after work to Urangan Pier. We didnt realise just how long the pier is. It went on for miles! People were fishing at the end of it...next time ill take my camera and get some good shots! We then went to subway for our din dins....yummy!
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