The pretty seaside town of Llandudno lies on a flat area of land , tucked neatly behind a huge limestone peninsular called The Great Orme .
The Orme is a name dervived from old Norse which means Sea Serpent
The Welsh name of the headland is the more unsexy Y Gogarth
I can see the Orme quite clearly from the village, it dominates the skyline to the West some 30 miles away.
The hospice where I work backs onto the West aspect of the Orme and from several of the patient rooms, the view of what is literally a gorse and grass covered mountain is impressive.
Now the Orme is populated by a substantial herd of Kashmir Goats.
They are the descendants of a breeding pair given to Queen Victoria in 1837 by the Shah of Persia and they roam free on the headland occasionally coming down into the town in very bad weather.
My patient and I spied a small group of the Kashmir Goats yesterday afternoon.
They were tiptoeing along a wall above the staff car park and were led by a magnificent Billy with huge swept back horns and a long formal beard
The Billy stopped and viewed the cars carefully and it looked as though he was nodding his head in the direction of the room where we sat as he chewed something pulled from the fence line
I turned my patient's bed so that she could view the animal more clearly and she was thrilled to see such a magnificent animal so close
" He has come to see me" my patient said clapping her hands " He came yesterday too"
We watched the little group for a while, their white coats stark against the brown green of the hillside
And as they slowly moved away my patient waved her goodbyes and blew them a kiss as they went.
A little bit of magic on a drab day
What a beautiful experience for your patient.
ReplyDeleteOne of the staff told me that they frequently visit the hospice gardens
DeleteWhat a lovely post.
ReplyDeleteHow kind of you to move her bed so that she could see the goat. Perhaps you could go a step further. Catch the billy goat after chasing him down on The Great Orme, put a rope round his neck and bring him into the hospice to say hello to your patient. Now that - that would show real care!
ReplyDeleteI should dress up as Heidi too?
DeleteI hope you can yodel!
DeleteI'd never heard the word 'goatherd' until I was 18 in 1965 and seeing the film for the first time with THAT song. Even now I don't believe I've heard anyone use the word. (Yodel-lay-HEE-hoo!)
DeleteHow lovely for your patient ,Sue brings Suky to visit when she comes to see me .Suky has always been aloof ,just looking for food. The last two visits she has jumped up on my lap for a cuddle . She does not know what joy it has brought me . Stay as lovely as you are John Thank you for being such a good friend to Sue .XX
ReplyDelete♥️ xx
DeleteNice, very nice. There is a brightness in every dull day.
ReplyDeleteHe's got a better beard than yours or mine.
ReplyDeleteMines almost as white
Deleteyou are such a good nurse, you understand how important magic moments are to your patients and you see the joy in the small things but it's the small things that matter.
ReplyDeleteNothing to do with me, I just witnessed it
DeleteTouching, John!
ReplyDeleteMoments like that are magical and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteso regal!
ReplyDeleteA magical viewing. A beautiful animal!
ReplyDeleteThe Great Orme has the goats and The Little Orme has a wild seal colony at Angel Bay. Both are equally worthy of a visit when in Llandudno, although the Great Orme is definitely a tourist hot-spot with it's facilities.
ReplyDeleteYou are famous mave. Amin sainsburys the lady on the deli counter loves you
DeleteFlint and the Ecclefechan tarts?
DeleteWhat a beautiful moment for your patient. Nature should be part of our lives from first breath to last.
ReplyDeleteOne of the hospice nurses , Ben tweeted that people have maternity leave for the start of life, who can't there be leave for end of life ?
DeleteNow THAT is a magnificent beast!
ReplyDeleteI know and love the area.
ReplyDeleteThere is magic everywhere, if you only take time to notice.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote that you "just witnessed" this delightful occasion, but you did move your patient's bed so she could see better. That is the heart of nursing care.
Hugs!
I so believe in your first sentence
DeleteI remember you putting a photo of some of those goats in Llandudno when the stormy weather had driven them down off the Great Orme. I assume people give them a wide berth as they are wild, after all. But what a magnificent animal that Billy is; I hope more patients are cheered by seeing him with his entourage, so close to them.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact they are wild creatures living nose to nipple with the locals make them all the more mysterious and loved
DeleteWhen my brother was dying in January we were hoping to get him into St. David's at the end, but sadly he didn't make it and died in Bangor Hospital. We, however, did make it up the Great Orme. And to think, all those summer holidays I spent with my family in North Wales and I never made it up there until now. I guess you don't realize the treasures you have on your doorstep do you!
ReplyDeleteThe view across the bay towards penmaenmawr from the Orme on a sunny day ...is stunning x
DeleteThank you for yet another lovely story that makes my heart warm.Your words often make me laugh, often make me cry but always touch my heart.
ReplyDeleteIt was a nice moment to be a part of
DeleteI hope that at my end, I am able to look out a window and see some trees and grass and interesting animals. I think that is perfect.
ReplyDeleteYes.....it's a pity because of logistics it's impossible to have the patients rooms facing the sea too
DeleteLittle pockets of magic can be found when least expected. I love this lady's joy in the spectacle. Health issues are a leveller. I hope they visit her again.hugs to you John i hope t the rest of your week / weekend is better. Hwyl Suz x
ReplyDeleteWell it couldn't get any worse ! Lol
DeleteI've always loved the goats on the Orme. They're wonderful animals!
ReplyDeleteAgreed
DeleteHow beautiful , like a fairy tale creature. No wonder your patient was thrilled.
ReplyDeleteA view of nature is a tonic.
ReplyDeleteIt feels magical when one of nature's beasts that we do not usually see up close ventures to a place where they can be seen clearly. That's assuming of course that there are sturdy walls between us and the wild thing.
ReplyDeleteRecently in very bad weather some of the herd ran through the streets , stealing fodder from local gardens
DeleteMarvelous.
ReplyDeleteSmall incidents like this can give such pleasure - lovely to read John.
ReplyDeleteIt is lovely that you are able to share your love of animals with your patients.
ReplyDeleteIt would bring me such comfort if l were a patient in your care
Love Tess xx
I was close to tears reading your beautiful post John - you are a kind man with a loving heart xx
ReplyDeleteNot about me togay flis x
DeleteMagic is always a good thing. That's part of why I like going to the mountains, the wild animals that studiously ignore us as they get on with their lives. I saw a mama bear with three cubs a few years ago within 20 feet of our car and promptly burst into tears, they were so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love the way they were brought to a little island of high ground in Wales and flourished
DeleteA BIG bit of magic. Not little at all.
ReplyDeleteHe was magnificent and much bigger than I ever expected
DeleteWonderful story; I can see why your patient was moved, he is very majestic. I love goats; my children had one each when they were younger, I bottle fed them every 2 hours when they were babies!
ReplyDeleteJo in Auckland
Thanks for sharing this moment, John.
ReplyDeleteI'm not crying. You're crying.
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful creatures aren't they. We were lucky enough to walk past a large group of them basking in the sunshine a couple of months back. Watching them casually walking over some of the craggier outcrops has me holding my breath sometimes.
ReplyDeleteHow fabulous! What an extraordinary sight if you least expect it.
ReplyDeleteYou can't conjure up moments like this they appear when you least expect them that's what memories are made of glad you made a special moment even better by turning the patients bed around.
ReplyDeleteMy sister had a private room at St. Lukes. When she was wheeled on a chilly late February morning, she noticed an empty bird feeder on a patio outside her window. She asked me brother-in-law to immediately go out and buy a bag of birdseed. What joy that gave her for a few days.
ReplyDeleteLove the Orme. Animals have a way of comforting you. When I see Robin's I think of my late dad.
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ReplyDelete