Home and away

It's that blog-time again, as I struggle to commit my thoughts to bits and bytes, but it's a random stream of consciousness tonight.

I have spent some considerable time trying to work out how to get the car MOT'd when the car and I are in GNT during the week, and my garage of choice is in Leamington and doesn't open at weekends. I could try and find a reliable garage up here and beg for time to drop the car off and pick it up again and hope that it passes the MOT so it doesn't need work doing to it. I could leave the car for Mr A in Leamington and travel to GNT by train, using buses and/or taxis while I'm here (or even bring a bicycle). I could hire a car, or perhaps borrow one! None of these options is entirely satisfactory. What adds to the bother is that for the next three weeks, I have been scheduled to travel to various different community hospitals and GP clinics virtually every day.

I'm sure this problem will be resolved in due course. Meanwhile, I had a lovely weekend at home, with Mr A doing lots of the cooking, leaving me to have a proper rest. Coming back to GNT on Sunday night wasn't too bad, and I've spent my time so far this week observing a paediatric outpatient clinic (two patients out of five turned up), a multi-disciplinary paediatric diabetes clinic (i.e. patients see the consultant, a specialist nurse and a dietitian), a dialysis unit, and I attended a meeting where dietitians discussed a procedural document about how to manage patients who are having feeding tubes inserted.

I haven't actually led a patient consultation yet, or even talked to a patient, because none of the clinics and wards I've been in has been suitable. This is making me increasingly nervous, but with any luck I'll be able to lead on a patient consultation tomorrow. The longer I go without having to demonstrate my abilities, the more difficult it is to build up confidence. I'm sure I'll be OK, I just need to get started.

On the social side, home life with Landlady and two cats has been blissful. We get on like a house on fire, and I think she must be the only person I have ever met other than Mr A who likes to read a book in preference to watching television. I don't think the TV has been switched on in all the time I've been here, except when we watched a DVD last week. She goes to bed even earlier than I do, and apart from an unfortunate couple of days without hot water when the boiler broke down, it has been the perfect place to stay.