And it all goes belly up.

So what did I get done on the remainder of my holiday? Nothing, nowt, not a thing, zippolla.

Why?

Well, one key contributing factor in this was I had an accident, an accident at work while doing a bank shift. The result was a bruised back (along with several other bruises) and a sprained wrist. They did question as to whether my scaphoid bone was broken but though the walk-in-centre shuts at 10pm x-ray shuts at 5pm,yup I can see the logic in that. I arrived 5 minutes to late. Anyway they put a splint on my wrist which though effective is restrictive and sent me on my way with the advise if its no better by Monday come back and we'll X ray it.

New year, new challenges

I know its only September but for me the new year begins. That is the new academic year.

It only seems 5 minutes since I handed my last essay in way back in May, then I was looking forward to a summer of freedom and to be able to enjoy the warm weather free of the stresses of study. It didn't transpire like that though. I started a new course and the weather by and large was rubbish with the odd warm rain free day here and there, mostly when I was at work.

I am on a fortnights holiday, the idea behind it was to have some time to unwind and chill out before the new year began. What happened? Work was desperately short staffed and I ended up volunteering for 4 shifts. Things are "up in the air" at work and my attempts to get a new job have so far failed. However on opportunity has arose, to do something I really enjoy-a little bit of teaching.

During my holiday I have done a few things, I have visited my nana and had a day out, where it rained heavily, all day. I had other things planned but they have failed to transpire. Still there is time yet to do something with the remainder of my holiday other than housework and studying, although I don't start till the middle of the month I want to get started early I have my study notes just not the relevant textbooks. This last module looks to be both interesting and tough and I desperately need to do well in order to get a "merit".

Life is very busy at the minute as not only have I got my studies to concentrate on but also I have the new summer term coming up and I have training to do for the leaders of the children's clubs I volunteer for and I need to get myself up to speed with the latest policy documents in preparation for this. Plus I have been asked to do a talk to the children on issues affecting them.

I took my nebuliser in yesterday for its annual service, I was shocked to discover that it now costs more than buying a cheap but half decent nebuliser, this is without all the other costs that come with being a nebuliser user.

All the animals are fine, I have two guests. Foster boys, they are delightful animals but there isn't the room for them and they are getting under my feet a bit but all the same I am enjoying their company.

Talking of pets, I must dash as I have my friends gorgeous cat to feed and I want to spend some time with him like I normally do and I don't think his mummy would be too keen to come home exhausted only to find me still invading her house and her cats attention.

Here comes the summer

Along with the rain, thunderstorms and associated power cuts, like the power cut we had at 3am this morning, trying to find your way to the bathroom in the pitch black is not my idea of fun, nor is being without a kettle.

Anyway the whole summer stretches out in front of me without the demands of study. I had a lovely e mail from Mr C today the tutor who marked my last essay and who will be my mentor next year in which he informed me that he was impressed with my academic ability particularly in light of the challenges that he knows I face.

But now what do I do with myself? I am considering undertaking a course in Youth Counselling which will greatly benefit my role within the church as "children's advocate". This role is far encompassing and covers a great deal but basically it means being there for a child should they need someone to talk to no matter what they want to talk about. The trouble is it costs £400.

In myself I am doing ok, I am off the steroids and aside from a couple of headaches I feel fine in myself at the minute, busy with work and looking forward to 16 days off in three weeks time. Again I have no real plans for this though sometime will be spent on preparing for my next module.

Today I am undertaking a special mission, a mission to get my nana a hamster so this evening I will be heading over to a local rescue to view the hamsters that they have in their care to see if there is one suited for my nana, I have one on reserve so I hope all will go well. I know it will have an amazing home. I am resisting strongly not to bring a little furry home for myself.

The 365 project has completely fell by the wayside, I will recommence it soon though. I am also giving some very serious thought as to what job I want to do when I change jobs, I know I want to do something different but I don't know what.

So thats me up to now.

Confirmed....

I had a letter today from Glasgow Caledonian University confirming my marks and awarding me 74% overall for the module.

Yet again, as has been the case throughout the course I am at work when my results come in meaning that the scope for celebrating is severely curtailed.

A longer update will follow soon

My birthday

To be honest my birthday hasn't been that brilliant at all. Nothing specifically went wrong but then again nothing specifically happened to mark it as my birthday, it was basically same as any other day with no semblance of celebration.

My day went as follows:-
Got up (or rather woken up, by 3 hungry (loud) mouths, fed and watered my gang
Washed up, hoovered up
Work for eight hours difficult day and meetings to attend, received one card from work colleague.
Supermarket as the hungry mouths, including mine had nothing particularly nice in to eat-spent around £6.00 on piggies, save nearly £18.00 in the same process.
Home, another card on door mat spoke to sister, had a couple of drinks now heading to bed

Have had a few texts and stuff during the day as well including one from South Africa.

So thats about it, the birthday that was. I have come come to the conclusion that though my Birthday was today the celebrations start tomorrow and I have some lovely things planned, will keep you updated.

It's my birthday!!

It's my brthday today, I am not revealing my age. My friend made the observation the other day in 10 years time I'll be 50. Cheeky sod, I will not be.

In some regards I don't like to make a fuss over my birthday, in a strange perverse way I feel a little uncomfy with celebrating it, for reasons relatingnto my childhood.

On the other side of the coin there is definately reason for celebration, basically I am kept alive by medication, medication that not only keeps me alive but also offers me a reasonable quality of life. These drugs have only become available in recent years and to that end I know that had I been born 20-30 years earlier in all likelihood I would not of lived this long, to that end I have a lot to rejoice in and ask God for wisdom in discerning his plans for me. A friend recently commented that I am blessingnto him, yet I fail to see how.

My birthday will be little different to normal get up, feed the piggies, go to work, attend meetings, come home, feed piggies and sit in my house, on my own for rest of evening watching rubbish telly so it's all a bit boring really.

Tomorrow and Thursday promises to be better days, tomorrow I have a make over booked and paid for by my very kind friend B. I am so looking forward to it, my only hope is the meeting I am due to attend, and simply have to go to and which cropped up after it's booking doesn't go on too long. Me and B are meeting up for coffee as well that aftenoon. On Thursday me and B are going, on a boat trip to. The Farne Islands, more specifically Staple Island. Then in the evening if all goes to plan me and B are going out for a meal and at the same time meeting up with two other friends P and C.

Snowball

Sorry I haven't post for a while sometimes I am not sure what to blog about as my life seems well, boring.

There is much happening here I am busy with work I have just started an 8 week stint of nights, my friend B is in hospital I am doing my best to help and support B and my sisters wedding is looming large in the horizon. On Friday I am heading into Yorkshire to collect two guinea pigs for a rescue. Please anyone reading this, if you plan to get a pet think it through very, very carefully. A pet is for life, they are great fun and can add a very special extra dimension to your life but their is price to pay both personally and financially so please think about it carefully before you commit. Can you offer your potential pet a a loving, caring home for life? My personal opinion is, is that the costs involved in having a pet are hardly noticed if you genuinely love and care for your pet because they give you so much you will want to ensure that your pet has a happy life where it is cosseted and loved.

Anyway moving on, the winter is dragging on and my arthritis is really playing up. Last night I woke in severe pain though I lay in my bed for several minutes trying to work out what was wrong before twigging. I got up feeling totally fed up, I was exhausted and needed sleep. B, despite being in hospital was on hand via text message to support me and Sparky was more than happy to act as an extra hot water bottle and sit with me, enjoying the attention and cuddles. I had a hot bath, hot chocolate, hot water bottle and lots of painkillers and around 5am I settled back off to sleep not waking again till 2pm. I awoke feeling achy like I had been kicked by a horse so had more painkillers and rested for the rest of the day.

At 7pm as I waited for my painkillers to work I decided to try a "heat rub", I usually use "deep heat" but my nana recommended the one she uses, claiming its better than deep heat. I can't remember its name and given that its now in the bin I can't even check it. I rubbed it into my back, left wrist and both ankles. Within minutes the areas concerned became red and began to itch, I was soon scratching like a cat with a serious flea infestation. It because very obvious, very soon that to add to the problems that I already had I was suffering from an allergic reaction. I took an anti-histamine and some steroids to protect my lungs and had a long soak in a bath with a lot hydromol bath oil added, hydromol is what I am prescribed for my eczema. I got out the bath and noticed that the redness had become much more wide spread and I looked like I had been scolded though my bath water was not that hot and I still couldn't stop scratching. I lathered myself with both steroid cream and hydromol moisturiser. It seems to have settled down a lot but I am still itchy. Tonight has not been a good night.

New semester-behind already

The new semester has commenced and I am already behind. My assumption was that I started back at university on the 28th September. I was wrong, it was the 21st September. On the 21st September I was roaming around the Somerset countryside, as in deed I was the whole of that week. Since the semester has started I have completely lacked motivation to get going and have done only a tiny amount of study. This is not good.

By my calculation I should have completed 24 hours of study, I have done possibly 2.

My days off are Wednesday and Thursday, except they will not be days off. They will be days spent at my desk catching up. In my defense though I have been working "silly hours" totalling nearly 65 hours spent at work in the past week.

A last

I have at last finished my horrendous 10 day stint declaring never again. I am shattered but looking forward to 2 much needed days off.

It leaves me wondering how people coped a 100 years ago working from dawn to dusk and only having 1 day off a fortnight? As Probationer Ethel Bennet commented in Casualty 1906 "For 13 days you shall labour and then have one days rest" In a later edition I think Casualty 1909 a potential probationer is interviewed and is informed that a nurses day commences at 5.30am and does not end till 10pm. How did they do it? That one day of rest must surely of been spent in bed?

Tired

I is tired, very tired. Owing to holidays, staff sickness and compassionate leave we are a bit short staffed at the minute resulting in me working a mixture of day shifts (one of which was over 13 hours long) and night shifts.

I worked out from last Saturday to this Saturday I will of worked 66 and half hours, aquiring over 17 hours over overtime. I also will be going 10 days without a day off, though my staffing declares a day off on Saturday it can hardly be classed as such given that I don't finish work that day till 8 in the morning. And then I am back in the next day, all over the bank holiday weekend working day shifts. My next day off isn't till the Thursday, another week to go.

Its going to be a long week.