TBK Remembers saying goodbye to the UK

 

 At the end of the last IOSH Managing Safely course I ran in the UK in 2010 with the VES Birmingham team

When I handed in my notice at Campus Veolia in 2010 my boss made me work my notice and so I used the month to travel around the UK running courses saying farewell to all my friends before I headed off to Bahrain in February 2010.

My last week was at one of my favourite venues- Veolia Environmental Services in Birmingham ( close to my home so I did not have to stay away all week) and i had a lovely send off from Steve Haywood and the team there. There presented me with a card and a collection of Real Ale Bottles. Back then I drank alcohol !

                   The course delegates also joined in the photos!

I was offered my new job as Senior Management Development Specialist at the Bahrain Petroleum Company in September 2009 but did not start until February 2010 as I had to pack all my things and have them shipped to Bahrain . During December I celebrated my last Christmas and my last Hogmanay ( New year in Scotland) with my good friend Jane Frost. We booked a hotel in Edinburgh for Hogmanay and then at the last minute the owner called to say they had decided to close and go abroad. However they had an Air B n B , which was more expensive and nicer, and we could stay there at the same price. They even provided orange juice and bread and milk for our breakfasts. The place was on the main bus route into the city and we had a fabulous week seeing the parades, markets and the fireworks on New Years eve

                            Jane in Edinburgh- Hogmanay 2009

For Christmas we had VIP Tickets at the "Taste of Christmas " Event in London, after  I complained the year before! We got to see some top Chefs, drink champagne, had some great food and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 

                                Those were the Champagne days of my life!

Back then I did not only drink Champagne but Beer ( Real Ale) as well and I had a call from Mark Johns who invited me to meet him and a mutual friend at a pub run by a brewery called Hook Norton in the week before I got on the plane for Bahrain. He had some tee shirts made with the slogan "He's off" and my photo for them and "I'm off " for me! After tasting the local ale over lunch we headed to the Hook Norton Brewery to see how it was made. In the evening we celebrated ay another of their pubs over dinner, stayed the night and over breakfast the next day Mark gave me a load of farewell gifts ( Electronic books- which I still have!)

Me and my tee-shirt, saying farewell with the help of Hook Norton Ales

I would hate my readers to think I spent my time in the UK drinking so I will add here some pictures of other places Jane and I visited around the UK in my last few months. Whilst I have not been back to the UK for 13 years ( having spent the previous 49 years there!) I know a lot of my Pinoy and Indian friends are keen to go there and ask what it's like.

One of the places we visited is the City of Bath which is famous for its Regency architecture and cobbled streets. It also has Roman baths and the Royal Crescent ( below) .

Another beautiful place we visited was the Eden Project. This is an Eco Visitor attraction in a reclaimed China clay pit in Cornwall with exhibitions on recycling and a Biome containing the largest indoor rainforest in the world ( for those in Dubai imagine Miracle gardens and Green Planet combined!). 

                        The Biome at the Eden Project back in 2009

                                 TBK in one of the Biomes

Back then Jane and I were members of the National Trust which looks after many of England's castles, stately homes and gardens so we used to plan our weekends away, once a month, with our work schedules ( we both worked all over the UK), Travelodge map ( cheap accommodation) and National Trust directory! We would meet at the Travelodge on the Friday night after work and have dinner and then visit the National trust property the next day, stay overnight and head for home on Sunday to do our washing and domestic chores before returning to work on Monday. It made a nice break from our normal routine.

                 Neil at a National Trust property we visited in Cornwall

Interestingly I was chatting to Jane the other day by email and she was building a garden bench with her dad and I was watering my plants here at the Blue House this morning before I wrote this blog . So we both still have our love of nice gardens, although we have not met up for over 7 years when Jane last visited me in Bahrain. 

Finally, having said goodbye to everyone, and visited all my favourite places in the UK it was time to pack my suitcase and hand back my flat in Birmingham to my landlord. Once he returned my deposit Jane kindly drove me to Heathrow ( I had already returned my car to Veolia the week before) . I stayed in the Travelodge there and the next day, 14.10.2010 I flew to Bahrain to begin my new life there. I only returned to the UK once in 12 years, at Bapco's expense , to attend a Learning and Development conference and exhibition in London.

My suitcase, star trek label, laptop and Day-Timer, ready for Bahrain

You can read all about my adventures in Bahrain in my blogs ( for example

https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/2021/12/national-days-in-gulf.html

and https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/2021/11/tbk-travels-neils-tours-of-bahrain-part_14.html ) and see what life was like there in my Vlogs like Bahrain Bus Vlog and Bahrain Food Festival )   

I hope you have enjoyed another of my walks down memory lane with TBK remembers . So far I have remembered Chester ( the city), Dubai, Oman, Doha, saying goodbye to the UK and Pattaya in Thailand. If you would like me to remember my vacations to anywhere else like Scotland, The Isle of Wight, or another of the places I lived for 10 years,  Worcester ,  please let me know