I haven’t written anything in over a month now. It a bit of a pattern that’s developed with my blog. I can be quite prolific in the early months of the year, but start to tail off in the summer, and then by Xmas there’s virtually nothing.

This year looks to be going in the same direction, however, I have been quiet for other reasons.
As you will know from my previous blog, I applied for, and got a new job!
This happened a bit out of the blue.
I never intended to even look for another job and it kind of fell into my lap at just the right time.

Yesterday was my last shift on the ward.
After almost 14 years, in a job that I never expected to be doing, I said my final goodbyes to an absolutely amazing team of people.
There have been ups and there have been downs with everything in between, but it has never been dull!
The changes in the service over those 14 years has been phenomenal.
I have seen colleagues come and go…… and sometimes come back again!
I have colleagues from the cleaners, CSW’s, nurses and Doctors who I have known for the whole of that time.
They have all become a second family to me and I am really going to miss them.

I am going on to pastures new with a new team in community.
I have been lucky enough to do a little bit of work with them already as they visited the ward with some recent patients, so chances are I’ll still be seeing my old colleagues from time to time!!
I’m still very nervous about starting on the 13th Dec but at the same time I’m quite excited for the change.
So next year is going to be very different.

There are other changes happening too.
My middles daughter, Marji, starts a new job of her own in January. She is going to train as a call handler for the 111 service.
Again, a job that just seem to land in her lap after one evening when she arrived home from another difficult shift at work and almost in tears. We were talking about her looking for a new job and I pulled up the NHS jobs website and there it was!
She is also a bit nervous and very excited and I’m sure she’ll be amazing. She’s a naturally calm person. I think that once she gets over the initial ‘answering’ calls and gets going, she’ll be amazing!!

Dharma , my youngest, continues to work her way through Uni and is still trying to pass her driving test.
She had her first test last Thursday which she failed.
Bless her, there is a HUGE backlog of people wanting to take driving tests after lockdown and she can’t find a test in Bedford where she has learnt to drive. Her first test was in Kettering and her next test is in Bletchley…. in May! unless she can get a cancellation in Bedford.
The added pressure of an unknown area is going to be hard during a test. It’s hard enough when you’re a qualified driver!
I really feel for her. She’s a brilliant little driver and she just wants to get going on her own.

Murron, my eldest, continues to be an amazing Mum to my first official Grandson and Stepmum to another two little boys who are absolutely smitten with their new little brother.

Ian is finishing the year still signed off from work and this looks like it will be going into the new year.
He’s been waiting for, and trying to expedite, an appointment with the Muscular Skeletal Service so that he can get scans and a referral to Orthopaedics. Even though the Dr’s have stated that this need to be done quite urgently considering the numbness that is creeping across his face, his appointment finally arrived this week and it’s in the middle of January!!
Chances are that he will then have to wait countless more weeks for the scans and any kind of referral to the necessary people.
I AM FUMING!!

Anyway, today is the start of my usual two weeks of Xmas preparation.
I am now going to enjoy myself and put up some Xmas decs and have a tidy up before some friends come round later.