I've got three of the bleeders but they're too busy sleeping / eating / fighting each other so I should be safe for now...shouldn't I?

A break from blogging for a few days because the sunny weather was too good to waste stuck indoors on a PC. Sadly, I was stuck at work instead although working from home yesterday allowed me the opportunity to use the outdoor office at times. However, my hayfever has really gone into hyperdrive despite the antihistamines.
On the work front I have an interview coming up so time to brush up on my knowledge. Fingers crossed for this one because the opportunity to work locally and reduce the time spent commuting will be just what the doctor ordered. My return to my current secondment actually has me counting down the days until it finishes, something I haven't done for many years. I'm attempting to balance days spent in the office, assessments, etc..with time spent working from home to reduce the time spent (3 hours/day) driving needlessly to the office to sit and twiddle my thumbs. As my son pointed out, 15 hours per week commuting is the equivalent of two extra working days. Apart from the actual face to face assessments and perusal of care plans / questioning staff, I can use technology to do the rest of my work: computers, mobiles, faxes when & where needed i.e at home. My biggest gripe however is that it is just not nursing hence my desire to return to a proper job where my skills, knowledge and experience can be applied.
Otherwise, my plans for the weekend include making the best use of the sunshine and some cold beer.
Currently listening to: Brian Eno.
TTFN.

It's dogs life...

Another beautiful day with some walking to boot: locally with the hound this morning and in the wolds with No.1 son this afternoon. I've caught the sun,I am footsore and I have had to resort to piriton on top of my usual hayfever meds. Tree and hedge pollen are a problem for me with grass pollen not far behind.
Marvellous views and fresh air plus the sun. An excellent way to spend the bank holiday although the weather has now changed and a BBQ would have been nice to finish it off. A decent camera is on my list to buy but the sheep posed after I gave up trying to capture the views. The wolds aren't spectacular but lovely all the same and a good camera is needed to capture them. We explored the Ramblers Churchyard and looked for the oldest gravestone. Good for imagining what life must have been like in the wolds 180 years ago and how much we take for granted. Just a trip to Grimsby would have taken a few hours and would have felt like a foreign country to someone from a small country hilltop village. Son astonished at the youth of some of those who died: 14 years and 1 year and 11 months for two of them. A hard life and one with limited horizons unless one took the plunge for one of the major towns or emigration.














We also popped up to the golf ball because my son had never seen it. Cue a discussion about radar and possible UFO's.



















Why a dogs life? This morning she had the opportunity for a lengthy walk and paddling in the dock. This afternoon we left her at home much to her chagrin and cue sad, soulful spaniel eyes. It is a dogs life...
TTFN.

What can I say...I'll be in the garden with a cool drink (mango & pineapple juice) and a good book. Soaking up the vitamin D and warmth of the sun.
TTFN.

Yep. Today it has been mostly wet with a cracking albeit brief thunderstorm. It was amusing to watch the pooch rush out to bark at the thunderclaps. The excuse to remain indoors was duly utilised in surfing the net and visiting favoured websites and blogs as well as play backgammon.
I had a very uncomfortable meeting yesterday at work which confirmed my desire to move on and left me feeling very angry. Nothing like maintaining a facade and spinning a story but doing little to actually change the underlying problems. I have no desire to be a part of that. It does beg the question as to how much of each pound is directly spent on health and social care. The larger part is probably spent on administering a variety of useless systems to monitor peripheral aspects of care. I'm supposed to be relaxing so I'll move on...
No.1 son attends school tomorrow for the last time and he has realised he will miss some of it. He is pursuing various job/training opportunities and discovering the delights of dealing with bureaucracy. He can burn his uniform tomorrow!
TTFN.

Odd day today. We visited a home in a distant galaxy far, far away part of the county to give guidance, discuss potential referrals, etc...That took up the morning and we all agreed we done some good! What's odd is that travelling around and about felt decidedly unreal. I can't quite put my finger on it but the journey out this morning seemed to go very quickly and time fly by. I think it may be related to my thoughts and feelings about my current job which I intend to blog about at a future date. i.e. When I've safely moved onto pastures new and I can give my honest opinion regarding nhs politics and the rise of the non-job. Suffice to say that I now regard this secondment as my spotting an interesting looking alleyway on my journey thro' life which turned out to be a dull suburban cul de sac in Croydon....nothing to see, nothing happens here, move along there. On the plus side, even with a return to my original crisis job or (hopefully) moving to a new job, I will continue as a Best Interests Assessor. I'll be keeping that new string to my bow as well as returning to proper front line working. The Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards are important and do / will have a huge impact upon mental health services. I'll still be in the 'loop' (no pun intended).
















I have a week off after tomorrow and I think it is needed. Nothing planned although there is some work to attend to around the house. The same DIY I put off each time to 'another day': the UK version of mañana. What I do have planned is doing a sun dance / summoning up the runes / invoking the spirit of sol. Having looked at the weather forecast for the week ahead these efforts may be all in vain. Rain may provide the excuse for more time spent indoors to blog and comment on other blogs. Curse the Protestant work ethic and the associated guilt although as a lapsed Catholic I shouldn't really have that. Therein lies a story for another day.
TTFN.

Heads up to samizdata for bringing this to the attention of the general public. Mind you, someone is already doing this and with natural materials. I regularly see Barn Owls on my travels including one early morning start when one clattered into my car but thankfully continued flying. It gave me a fright and I was horrified to think I might have killed one of these beautiful creatures. They are also incredibly light in weight for their size as I discovered having had the opportunity to hold one at a falconry and raptor display. Whilst out and about on my travels I do keep my eyes peeled for local wildlife. I continue to live in hope that I will again see a Kingfisher. Sadly, plenty of dead badgers, foxes and domestic moggies. Still no sign of large panthers although late one night I did see a strange animal run across the A16. It was the size of a large dog but it moved exactly like a cat.It was across in a flash so I really couldn't count that as anything more than wishful thinking! keeping an eye out for large predators and ufo's it's a wonder I haven't hit a tree before now.
Time to tune in for Genevieve Tudor who is playing a fast Ukrainian song with the noticeable lyrics "you're so fucking slow"...oops! Absolutely wonderful.
TTFN.

I have bitten the bullet and applied for the new job. I have also explained my reasons why to my respective bosses: expenses. I have used nhs funds to help people get well rather than its appropriate use for paperclips, pens and studying the latest policies. I can only apologise and hope you understand.
TTFN.

I have tears in my eyes and my sides hurt.
Read this and other pages. If you are of a politically correct frame of mind you WILL be offended.
TTFN.

As I've felt a little under the weather I have not posted much these last few days. The answer to this is the usual dog walking, gardening and feet up with a cuppa and a good book as I recharge my batteries. I have also given some thought to the possibility of a recently advertised new job nearer home. This appeals to me because it's on my doorstep so I can walk or cycle to work. The secondment is unlikely to be renewed beyond September and I will have to return to my original job. Not a problem for me because I genuinely like crisis work. However, I don't like a couple of the people in the team and I think little will have changed by the time I return. I also believe it is my time to move on. Hence another reason to consider a move to a new job.














But the three hours commute to & from work is having an impact upon me (stress, aches & pains in my joints...I'm becoming an old bugger!), plus the work mileage on top which can add another 50 - 60 miles per day. I deliberately bought a small car believing my mileage would be no more than thirty miles a day. I'm also unhappy about the money it's costing me in petrol and upkeep of the car. But I made a choice and jumped at this secondment so I've no one but myself to blame. Hey ho...we live and learn as my mother frequently says. When I lived in London I deliberately cycled everywhere or I used public transport. No parking problems, I was fitter and healthier apart from the couple of prangs I had and it was cheap. Despite having had my elderly bike recently stolen (Green & black Peugeot covered in London Cycling Campaign stickers) the thought of cycling to & at work appeals to me. It would be nice to finish at an appointed hour and cycle home a couple of miles, popping into the shops or the pub on my way home. I've also seen a hell of a lot of cyclists on my recent travels around the county and they all looked a hell of a lot happier than me stuck in the tin box. I guess I have to take the plunge and apply for the new job if I want to make the first of a number of fresh changes in my life.
















TTFN.

One of my favourite songs. At the time I had the hair and the clothes but not the glam.

"Do you know my brother?"










I have just watched on BBCi "Six Degrees of Separation" and given the current situation regarding Swine flu I can thoroughly recommend the programme which looks looks at this and the new Network Science. It is very pertinent. Sadly my maths education after the age of fifteen was poor (shite teachers + poor management + teenagers = mayhem ) and, although I am fascinated by maths and sciences, I tend to be an onlooker rather than a participant. However, this is a fascinating programme and gets the old brainbox working. It's well worth fifty minutes of your time.
TTFN.

Bank holiday....no thanks.

It's been an interesting bank holiday.
One broken toe.
No.1 son reported to have been 'bottled' and in A&E.
My bike stolen.

The broken toe was the result of me kicking a golf ball for the pooch to chase.It's my own stupidity really. But the moron who decided to panic us by phoning up to report No.1 son on his way to hospital having been hit with a bottle is supposedly a friend of my son. Words fail me because it did not happen. Then this morning I discovered someone had stolen my bike from the back garden. Admittedly it was a heap of junk but finding out some scumbag has been in our garden, wandered around and stole my bike.I'm still astonished. So much for the guard dog: she doesn't bark at Jehovahs Witnesses or burglars. I think I'll go back to bed and hide under the covers.
TTFN.

Happily the paracetamol I took this morning had a dual purpose: back pain and hangover, not the oinkment (groan) required for meejah overkill. I only had four pints last night and that was more than enough for me, lightweight that I am! A good night and we helped Emma celebrate reaching 29 again. It was only marred by the landlady of what used to be our local who sadly reminded us all why none of us drink there anymore. The local boring pretentious bastards acoustic music group had a musical evening. The landlady objected to our noisy enjoyment: Friday night, birthday celebration, recession and thirty people happily spending money on drink and celebrating. For fucks sake, any publican would gladly welcome the opportunity for that custom. Minimum of £20.00 each = six hundred quid. Kerching!
But the numpty whose pub was rapidly emptied following this dialogue has ensured we will take our custom elsewhere.
The second part of my rant is directed at the acoustic group. Playing Irish folk music, especially the jigs and celebratory music, is a joyful music. You turn it into a fucking funeral dirge you pretentious wankers. If you fuckers turned up at a wake you'd soon be buried 'neath the sod for boring the funeral party. We suffered for your fucking art. We moved onto the County where a covers band played loud, happy, dance your tits off and drink yerself stupid music. Wonderful. A celebration of life and a chance to forget briefly how daily life is going down the toilet.
I must away and calm down.
TTFN.