After a busy week at work and snow / icy roads it is simply a pleasure to have a weekend of no phones and constant demands to do several things at once. I returned to work from nearly two weeks off to discover I was the only qualified nurse on duty with a couple of students and one support worker. That day is best forgotten but a colleague came in to do a bank shift otherwise it would have been even worse. But the good news is that it has been agreed I can reduce my hours and in the next month or so I will be working four days a week. We have also lost the troublesome colleague who has been moved to another team and apparently our manager is not returning, all in all good news. It will feel like a new team when we eventually get two new nurses and at some point a new manager unless the interim manager stays.
Work itself is extremely busy as the lockdown is sadly bearing dividends and people are having meltdowns and this is just the start. With the fear of Sars-Cov2 and variants continually ramped up by the media, isolating people and destroying the economy and the social threads that make up society plus threats of fines and jail, et voila! I am so glad to be sixty and not a teenager or young adult as this will have to be paid for over the next decade if not longer.
I finally completed the Cold War group build model of a Lightning F3 from 11 Squadron RAF circa 1984 based at Binbrook which is several miles away from here. The paint work is not as good as I would like it and I plan at a future date to build another Lightning but hopefully an all aluminium one in colour rather than the various shades of grey used for this build.
I also bought a couple of books which I am now reading and I can heartily recommend 'Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms ' as I have nearly finished that. Fascinating to read about the various religions and certainly Zoroastrianism and how it influenced Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Also to discover the Samaritan religion is still going and its close relationship to Judaism.
I would recommend 'Where the Footprints End' but I guess its a niche interest and many people aren't interested but I certainly am. This is volume one and looks at mythology around a wide range of subjects as well as Sasquatch. I listen to the Strange Familiars podcast as well as several other paranormal podcasts.
Pursuing another interest I finally ordered a DNA kit to look at where I come from. I expect Irish and Anglo-Saxon / Viking heritage but I'll be fascinated to see what else turns up. The original Irish came from the Iberian peninsula pre-Celtic immigration so it would be interesting to see if this turns up. My father was black haired and pale skinned with my uncles being either the same or red and fair haired. No 1 son can pass for Scandinavian and some of my cousins are similar. A real mongrel mixture and the same for my Mums side of the family tree with my Nan small and dark and my Grandfather tall and fair haired, so I'm keen to see what turns up. I will do the test this weekend and send it off with hopefully the results in a few weeks time.
Otherwise stay safe folks and keep warm!
TTFN.
posted by delcatto at 3:36 pm
7 Comments:
Hard to generalise I know, but is there any pattern to all these people now needing your team's support?
I have a theory that people who have 'do-at-home hobbies' or who have physically-limiting conditions (that they have already had to come to terms with) have coped better with the imposed restrictions than those who usually rely on the external world for their entertainment/identity.
I like the sleek lines of aircraft from that era. Did Aldi throw up any useful kits?
Hope the DNA kit doesn't throw up any surprises!
And hope the reduction in working time has an appropriate lessening case-load (sounds unlikely in the current climate), or you'll just end up doing a 5 day job and getting paid for 4 days, and being even more exhausted. Good luck!
Currently they are mainly people already under the care of the team although many see the psychiatrist only and the latter are increasingly calling the team duty worker which I was twice last week. We generally do three duty days plus one assessment day every month but, we are short staffed so five to seven days duty per month plus covering clinics means we have little time for our caseloads. The assessments are presenting more with anxiety and depression plus associated financial / social / housing issues and the number of referrals is increasing.
Thank you BW.
I'm not sure about physically limiting conditions but resilience might be higher in coping with the lockdown but certainly hobbies, good support from family / friends helps.
Sadly no kits at Aldi and I visited two stores but it's probably a blessing as I have enough kits already!
The DNA kit has been posted and I am quite excited about it. From my surname it is likely that one of my ancestors was with the Anglo -Welsh-Normans when they invaded Ireland but intermarriage over the years with the local population. I might have Romano-British antecedents, perhaps from an auxiliary from Syria or the Danube!
We agreed thirty hours a week and agreed the reduced caseload I will have. I had considered 34 hours but that wouldn't help at all and I would still be in the same boat. It feels odd but I will enjoy a better balance with three days off each week.
Yes. Good.
I shall be interested to hear how youmget on with the DNA analysis as I've oft-considered it.
I think Aldi stil have a few kits online. £30 minimum spend on all prodcuts (which can include wine/beer :)).
You've been posting some, um, interesting packages lately! ;)
Was it very expensive? I remember looking a them and thinking I'd wait until it was cheaper.
I hope all goes well in reducing your hours, I'm surprised they agreed to it!
Thank you Scott.
After watching several videos and different kits used I opted for this one at £89.00 ($124) including p&p.
I cannot resist interesting books and these two certainly are thought provoking.
The hours will be reduced because we have a reasonable and helpful manager who works with us, is open and honest. We heard today that our previous manager is not returning. C’est la vie but many of us will be happier but we wish her well wherever she is going.A very stressful job managing a team and I am glad I was never successful when I applied for similar jobs! I missed that bullet thankfully.
LOL, I meant mailing your stool first, then your DNA now (saliva?). Shipping parts of yourself all over!
That's about what I remember those kits being priced. Still hoping it will come down some.
And yes, the job is easier with good management!
Ha yes! I'd forgotten about posting my stool off.
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