Northern Belle

 

I’ve opened my lovely cards and gifts over my usual bucket of coffee.

It’s 6.15 am

Lots of good wishes and some fab presents 

A luxury day out with Nu on the 1930’s Northern Belle train, some cracking dvds and worlds best uncle socks from Leo. Some beautiful gin glasses, gin, a lovely toucan print which is already been hung in the new bathroom, a vintage butter knife and salt , a grand fermenting jar for making my own kimchi , a cactus , a garden hose  and four Mars bars sellotaped intriguingly end to end and wrapped in a tea towel decorated with dog breeds of the British Isles from Mrs Trellis.

I’ve got a quick zoom meeting with friends Ruth in Scotland and Ben in Korea shortly and Nu has just rung

Then off to work….

I’m in my 61st year.

I promise no more birthday chatter

Eleanor

I’m tired tonight 

We had a nice long walk with Eleanor earlier today 

And we are all dozing early 

I’m off to bed shortly and it’s well before nine

Chic Eleanor made my day, 

She took my arm when we walked, 

And didn’t let go

And she hugged me long and hard when we parted

It was lovely

 

Birthday Garden

 The removal and subject of masks in Wales has ruffled a few feathers since yesterday and last night I received a few messages ( mainly from nurse friends who are totally opposed to the legislation) I’ve reflected on it and feel ok with the decision , especially from a hospice’s perspective.

If I was a nurse in the acute sector, I would keep my mask on

Throughout the pandemic our hospice was the only healthcare facility I know, that remained open to visitors. We had to maintain a strict policy, regarding numbers and track and trace and PPE but every patient who was at the end of their life, could have their loved ones with them to say their goodbyes. 

I visited many family homes when working on the community , where a house was packed with grieving relatives and I had to balance my own safety with the fact that syringe drivers needed changing and patients needed turning.

The taking off of our masks yesterday was almost symbolic. 

The nurses, the doctors, our physio, social worker, community nurses and support workers as well as the admin staff and housekeeper all looked at each other….properly ….and collectively we saw each other smile with our whole faces again…..

Anyhow today is dull…weather wise ….I’m meeting Chic Eleanor for lunch which will brighten the proceedings then I need to catch up with Gorgeous Dave in order to discuss Italy .

It’s choir tonight too.

While I was at work my sister has been beavering away planting the garden borders out, as a birthday gift.

It seems that hundreds of shrubs and flowers have suddenly appeared, including a lovely Japanese acer in a pot. My cousin Karen left me a beautiful yellow rose to incorporate into the design ,

Thank you to people who have sent me cards and unlabelled gifts . I will open them tomorrow before I go to work . My friend Ruth who is in Scotland and Ben in South Korea will be zooming together at 6.30 am over breakfast.

Masks

Finally after 24 months

No masks at work

We've organised a pub crawl to celebrate

 

  The woman was around 80 I suppose

She had bright orange hair which had been dyed within an inch of its life 

And she had been a psychiatric patient for most of her adult life.

Me and my fellow student nurse Paula ( a cheerful scouser with a foul mouth) were student nurses back then and we were on placement with the occupational therapy department  at the West Cheshire hospital where the patient  with orange hair visited daily.

We were being taught how to shampoo and set hair that day! 

Now, even back then, I wasn’t known for my sartorial elegance, but I was game to learn a new skill and so with the equally clueless Paula we set about shampooing and setting the patient’s hair and rolled layer upon layer with curlers that looked like rigid hairy caterpillars. The OT in charge told us to pin the curlers and to treat the lady with a cup of very sweet tea and some Jaffa cakes.

I remember Paula telling me that the hair had to be “wrapped” very tightly around the curler so after a good three quarters of an hour wrapping the patent resembled a German mine and was placed for a long heat under an industrial sized hair dryer. 

We knew something had gone slightly awry when the OT angrily called us back after she had finally “unwrapped” the patient an hour later, finding  her covered in a bright orange mop of near steel strength red curls 

She looked dreadful but the patent grinned widely at everyone as the occupational therapist shrieked at us “look at her !!! …LOOK! What have you got to say about this?” 

I just blushed

But Paula with her Liverpudlian wit spread her arms out wide 

And sang 

“ THE SUN’l COME OUT TOMORROW ! BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR THAT TOMORROW !!!!”

Sunday

 It’s a grey morning, and wet.

Even though is almost summer, it feels like Autumn.

It feels like a back-to-school day.

I’m not making my bucket of coffee this morning. I will buy some on the drive through as a treat.

I’m working with new bank staff today.

We are short staffed again

Healthcare feels as though it’s gone tits up following the pandemic 

I was talking to Nu about it yesterday 

So many nurses have left, retired, resigned, moved on….burnt out and tired.

She worked in the big teaching hospitals in London

She knows.

Dorothy knows I’m going to work and is unhappy .

Thank god for Ewan ( Trendy Carol’s hubby) who will be collecting them soon.

Dorothy loves him too

Dusk

This is my favourite view of one of the roads into Trelawnyd

Cwm Road from the South.

My cottage is the at the end on the left

It’s heading towards dusk but is warm and peaceful 

I had a date today. 

Just a walk and a coffee along the prom.

There was no spark although Dorothy seemed to like him.

I thought about it all I walked up the lane towards home.

Animal helper Pat, stopped to chat .

So we laughed a bit and I forgot what I was thinking about

Nothing important

 

Catch Up

 Like the meaning of the song Send In The Clowns, I’ve always been baffled of just how untidy my cottage becomes when I am on a run of long shifts.

It looks like a midden.

I’ve just worked two long days and today is my day off between two more.

And so it’s  a cleaning day.

Doors and windows open

Music on

Tidying and cleaning is a repetitive, mindless and also mindful chore

Everything ordered 

Everything in its place

Albert’s snot marks on his window refuge gone

The sad underpants in the wash

And with the kitchen smelling magnificently of lemons and bleach