Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts

Sunday, 20 November 2011

A flying visit

Sitting, back in Yeovil, after a nice few days away.  It has to be said, I was feeling pretty knackered and somewhat lacking in my usual drive and energy to see everyone - so sorry for that my dear Derby friends.

But I did still manage to catch up with my parents, have a lovely steak dinner for my dad's birthday, see Emma's new house (yay!), spend some quality chilling and knitting time at Sarah's, wonder round town with Sarah, have a nice lunch out with Lorri (how I've missed her!) and go Christmas shopping with her, go to a baby bump blessing, go out for a drink with friends and catch up on some episodes of House which my mum has been recording on Sky+.  I suppose that's not too bad going for 4days.

And finally, a few photos, because I'm still tired and couldn't be bothered so much with the words.
 Because handspun toddlers are just so darned cute!
 The girls getting henna
 Henna on my shoulder (above) courtesy of Lorri, and on my right leg (below) courtesy of Sarah.  My other leg got doodled on by SamSam, Jenna and Morgan.  I love walking around knowing discretely tucked under my clothes are lovely works of art and creativity from my friends.

 The focus, of course was Sarah's bump, and most people got stuck in, including Sarah herself, from her upside down view.  She was highly decorated by the end!

 And a fun first for me, batik silk painting (using child friendly PVA glue).  I can't wait to see the finished, dried, washed silks.
 


And finally, some shots of my drinks out with Sam, Kev and Lorri.
 



Monday, 17 October 2011

A week in Derby... and a week in Yeovil

Back on the trains, nine days later... Nine days sounds like so long, but it's really not! It's flown by all too quickly. I wish I could have turned it in to longer. Which is ridiculous, I hardly have a demanding or tiring rotation at the moment. But maybe that's the problem, I know that this week has speed by because I have been so busy and surrounded by those I hold so dear, and I'm heading back towards something which I'm not fully enjoying. It's so silly, I find myself quite conflicted about my feelings towards GP land. It's not what I want to do, I don't want to be there, I'm frustrated by the buses and how expensive they are, my budget is being gobbled up by spending nearly £40 a week on buses plus the couple of misadventures when I've missed my bus and had to pay for a very expensive taxi. And I miss being at the hospital really badly. I miss being hecticly busy, and getting stuck in. I prefer the roles and responsibilities placed on me by hospital practice. And I miss the comeradery if being there, being able to unwind with my contemporaries and the banter you engage in with the nurses, physios, pharmacists and all those people. I get annoyed by my lack of knowledge and constantly (or so it seems) having to ask for help. Yet I don't actually have anything to complain about. Everyone in GP land is very sweet and accommodating, and I do enjoy parts of it, like the variety and the different types of patients - it's fun to do a little paeds. Yet it's by far the least passion I've had for any of my rotations, leaving me sitting here on this train, sad that I'm finished my week of annual leave and that tomorrow I'll be back at work.

....

And then another week later - kinda forgot to finish this post.

So Derby:

 You can just about make out the huge spider and beyond - all the apples wasted during the 3 weeks my parents were away.
 My exciting parcel, all squidged down, was:
 Half a coloured Ryeland shearling fleece, completely raw and ready to be worked on.
 The first soak (and my toes!)
 Disgusting and slightly smelly water after the first soak.
 Subsequent soaks getting clearer.


 I got a chance to finish the sweater for Conner.
And knitted a whole lace shawlette for my gran as part of TGCC.  Here's an early shot.

I spent many long but all too quick hours at Sarah's, with her family and Emma and Connor.  It was such a special time, and something I hold so dear.  To just be, in calm chaotic companionship.  We knitted, gossiped, drank endless cups of tea, went for walks with the girls, did a little cooking, a little cleaning and laundry... And apparently, reading that back, somewhere along the way turned into our mothers!  We also went swimming.  I went to the cinema twice, once with my Mum, as a girls night out when my dad was away overnight for work, and then with Jenna, to give her a chance to do something fun and uninterupted by little people.  I went for a lovely dinner with my wonderful Sam (and there may have been other people there, I forget now! ;)).  Really quite busy with simple nothingness.

And on the Saturday, a special muddy and at times very wet walk with so many of my nearest and dearest.
The Attenborough Nature Reserve - a place for the designing of mischief and meyhem.
 E.g. the grownups getting stuck up trees.
 A place where you have to dress appropriately...
... For puddle stomping...

 ...Saying hello to horses...
... Picnicking...
 ... and tickles...
 Feeding...
 ...and then chasing ducks...
 Adults who don't dress appropriately for these activities will do so at their own risk!


 We did find safer ways to feed the ducks.
 And at the end of it all... well there were smiles all round and everyone survived!

And then we headed back to Sarah's for a nice warming cup of tea, and dress up, for which Kev was very indulgent!


And I wonder why I sit on the train lamenting the end of my annual leave!  But life goes on, but with happy, warm fuzzy feeling inducing memories to keep me going until I next get to see everyone.  Thanks. :)

Sunday, 28 November 2010

Has it really been that long?

I've been on call today, and for the first time, chatting with various nurses, it dawned on me.  I have just two days left of my current placement.  And who would have ever thought it, but it actually fills me with a great deal of sadness.  In the two and a half months since I last blogged (!) I've come to love my job.  I've found my rhythm and I can actually say I enjoy my job.  There are now only fleeting moments when I'm feeling a little swamped that I slightly begrudge it all.  And I actually feel like I can cope, actually, it feels rather natural too, and dare I say it, at times I actually think I may be rather good at it.  There are moments when clearly I'm not... but still!  I can't believe how far I've come in what is such a short amount of time.  I've just read back at my previous few entries, and I feel like a different person to that overwhelmed and green doctor.  I still can't quite believe that this is where I am now, and that I'm actually here, doing this, that thing that was a pipe dream for so long.  And now, I have to prepare myself for all new adventures in my next rotation.

So, what have I been doing since I last posted?  Well, besides that crazy 10 hour days that I barely notice anymore, and sleeping, I have:
1) been on holiday to Dublin with Lorri, which was fun and exciting, and soooooo grown up - a girls weekend away.  With complimentary champagne courtesy of the hotel apologising for the 5am fire alarm, facials, shopping, getting Lorri to love and stroke the pretty yarns at the local yarn shop, Japanese cocktails over sushi and tasty food, the search for "real" Irish music, sipping Guiness whilst posing for photos, and then ditching the foul tasting stuff, looking in the window of EVERY jewellry shop we past, being gently reminded of the violent and colourful history of the country, crazy traffic lights with awesome robotic sounds, kicking up the leaves on St Stephen's green, admiring the beautiful autumn around us!  It was awesome, thanks Lorri!















2) Buying more stuff for crafting that I could even begin to think I had the time for!  But I have still squeezed in several hats, a couple of cowls, a couple of adult jumpers, a couple of scarfs, two pairs of socks, 100g of spun fibre.






3) Spending Halloween in Bristol with my nearest and dearest, after spending the day at Fibreflurry with Mary (bless her!) then shopping at the Bullring, on a whim!  Playing mini-golf and not coming last!






4) Many meals out, some just because, some to unwind, some to catch up, some for celebrating being paid!





5) Making peace with my SHO long enough to have a lovely photo taken with him and the other two doctors on my ward.



6) Obtaining 2.6kg of alpaca fleece, which I have no idea when I'll ever get round to finish washing, let alone picking, carding and spinning!


7) Enjoying Yeovil and pretty sunsets over the hospital



And that pretty much sums up the last few months for me.  It's not been too bad at all, and boy has it sped past!