Life for me has been quite relaxing, to say the least. I've feathered the nest (see pics of our basic home), read numerous books, had the luxury of many lie-ins, and run along the river Mersey most days, greeting fellow runners and dog walkers. All this pleasure has been the result of a delay in the processing of my teaching registration here in the UK. After a month of rest and recovery, I never thought I would say the words..."I want to get back to work"! Of course, if I were at home surrounded by family and friends, I don't think I would ever wish for this, but more £ means more travel!
Anyway, in my search for alternatives to earn money, I thought I would try my luck in the waitressing department, and was lucky to score a few stints in the upmarket 'Loch Fyne' seafood resturant. I also registered myself on the UK website 'Gumtree' for some work as a nanny during the school holidays.
After a few stints at the 'Loch Fyne', I realised that it was not the greatest pay and it also meant working late on weekend evenings...all of which are not conducive for weekend getaways with my husband!
As for the nannying work...that was a winner! I had the pleasure of spending a few nights and days during the mid-term school holidays hanging with Patrick the 11-year old British-born/Australian/Czech cricket fan and chef! We had a ball together. We filled our days playing cricket, Aussie rules, frisbee, and football (see pics). We also enjoyed bike riding along the canals and stopping off for a picnic in the park (see pics) and challenging each other to 'synchronised swimming' events in the local pool. I didn't find it necessary to include any pictures of my uncoordinated legs exiting the water in an attempt to perform an 'underwater handstand with a triple scissor kick manoeuvre'.
When the weather turned feral, which is rather common here in Manchester, we resorted to playing 'Manchester Monopoly' and 'Go Fish' cards....all of which I was annihilated by an 11 year old. Despite this, my biggest joy of the whole experience, was Patrick's passion for culinary delights. We baked mars bar cheese cakes, and in the words of Patrick,"fancied omelettes for lunch" and ate "gorgeous cheese". We shared cooking duties...I a basic chicken/tomato bake and Patrick a "potato gratin"! Who would have ever thought an 11 year old would love eating olives, anchovies, sardines and VEGETABLES! ...he does aspire to be the next Jamie Oliver, so look out.
Another bonus to stem from this fabulous job, was that Stolky and I were then invited back a week later to enjoy a family BBQ with the whole family. We learnt that they are actually heading to Sydney to live and work this September, and we may just buy their car for cheap. So all in all, Perfect Patrick turned out to be a good gig...money, food, friends and perhaps a set of wheels.
