I was asked to talk about my experience of nursing and what I advise I would give to a newly qualified nurse at a meeting, as a delayed response to international nurses day. I was under the impression it was a no choice request & there would be several of us speaking but turns out,ContinueContinue reading “Last Week – Nursing, Nails and the start of the fiftieths..”
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The Dark Months
First quarter of the year, bleaker than usual but also uplifting in unexpected ways. The complete emotional exhaustion of Dads funeral, the relief of finally being allowed to complete the paperwork giving way to overwhelming bleakness of grief, watching the world go back to its rhythm while I am adrift, tiptoeing round my childhood homeContinueContinue reading “The Dark Months”
Christmas & Sympathy
Here I am, stuck between Christmas and new year, surrounded by Christmas paraphernalia and sympathy cards. Too shocked to process my grief, trying to organise a funeral and understand the logistics of a legal system which is currently unable to allow me to register my fathers sudden death. Thirteen years after the long and painfulContinueContinue reading “Christmas & Sympathy”
June 2022 – Jubilee, builders & Heatwaves
So the Queen marks 75 years as monarch and we get 2 days off. In the interest of transparency, it’s fair to say I am not much of a monarchist. I am sure they are all super nice, I love the history of it all, I just don’t quite get why one family should haveContinueContinue reading “June 2022 – Jubilee, builders & Heatwaves”
May 2022
May largely consisted of dancing in fields and renovation dramas, sprinkled with the first beach walk in forever and the very last ever zometa infusion. Bearded Theory – The Woodland First festival since lockdown lifted, booked in 2019 before covid was a thing. And it was fab. It didn’t rain, I danced to old favouritesContinueContinue reading “May 2022”
This is because a person has been hit by a train.
There is a mid-point, accessed by train, where I can meet with my far away friend for the day. We discovered how easy it was when my mother died and I needed to buy an outfit for the funeral. I was traumatised and in a grief kerfuffle. That’s when we realised, it was a completelyContinueContinue reading “This is because a person has been hit by a train.”
Bonfires and Fireworks
Literally my favourite day when I was growing up. My Dad would build this massive bonfire out the back of our house, with neighbours bringing stuff for burning in the weeks before. My mum would cook and bake all day, the house full of jacket potatoes and flapjacks. The anticipation of night falling was tooContinueContinue reading “Bonfires and Fireworks”
Fright Night – a diagnosis story…….
Halloween 2018 was the day I received the phone call to say I had breast cancer. I was expecting it. I had been recalled from a routine mammogram a couple of weeks earlier. I had been shown the mammogram pictures, had the little white dots of calcification pointed out to me and had already hadContinueContinue reading “Fright Night – a diagnosis story…….”
Five
Today marks five years since the death of my friend. On that day five years ago I was woken up by my phone ringing, it was early so I knew something was wrong because who calls at 5:30am for a chat? My friends husband was on the end of the line, he made no senseContinueContinue reading “Five”
Number 39
Part One……….. Things to do after cancer treatment – life shuffle. As I drew near to end of both my pregnancies, I nested. Not intentionally, it just happened. I stocked my cupboards with endless cleaning products & toilet roll, filled the freezer with pre-cooked meals, washed, folded & ironed masses of baby clothes, bedding andContinueContinue reading “Number 39”
The Frank Journals 