tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70283082003748668662012-01-27T19:04:41.895ZThoughts and doings that seem appropriate for public viewing on a very random basis.Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.comBlogger5271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-43402683456682097532012-01-25T08:51:00.000Z2012-01-25T08:51:00.544Z

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney "1867, Canada: as winter tightens its grip on the isolated settlement of Dove River, a man is brutally murdered and a 17-year old boy disappears. Tracks leaving the dead man's cabin head north towards the forest and the tundra beyond. One-by-one the assembled searchers set out from Dove River, pursuing the tracks across a desolate landscape home

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-73499913284804779442012-01-22T19:46:00.000Z2012-01-23T08:12:34.506Z

I have now heard from my future manager that full time hours are available, at least for a temporary period, although the contract that arrived for me to sign shows it's a permanent job but only 2 days a week. I have an appointment with Occupational Health to go through my vaccination history, and I even have a provisional start date, which I'm looking forward to with some trepidation. Other

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-47776774318796006252012-01-19T17:18:00.000Z2012-01-19T17:18:36.086Z

For most of last Sunday I was battling with the chapter of the book I've been commissioned to write, aimed at potential students of Dietetics, and all about how to decide which university to choose. It has made me think about what exactly makes a university attractive to students, and also try very hard to remember what it was like to be aged 18, but not in the selfish and irresponsible

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-90344623440458544122012-01-16T10:20:00.001Z2012-01-16T10:20:53.399Z

The weekend brought a visit from mum and dad, which was really enjoyable. On Friday afternoon we drove to the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, which I have visited before, but was new to the parents. It's not a huge gallery, but there was plenty there to look at, and we all found something we liked. After supper we all watched 'From Here to Eternity' with Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Montgomery

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-41860942224851287722012-01-12T13:17:00.000Z2012-01-12T13:17:46.881Z

There's very little to report - nothing much has happened at all for a week. I'm moving slowly towards employment with an appointment to return all the paperwork for checking, and references being taken up I've been following up an opportunity for three days 'work experience' (more like observation) at a different NHS Trust, where the personnel officer involved seems to have left his job

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-84032187058828715182012-01-09T15:04:00.002Z2012-01-09T15:04:31.564Z

The weekend's news is not exciting. Mr A and I celebrated my new job by going out for a meal in a nice restaurant on Saturday evening, and then suffered all night from the effects of too much rich food and a salt overdose. We decided that in future we would celebrate at lunchtime. We took the old freezer to the dump, and watched films ('Attack the Block' and 'Kiss Me Kate'). I played in a

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-44643836925367275472012-01-06T16:03:00.000Z2012-01-06T16:05:14.187Z

I got a phone call the day after the interview offering me a part-time job, which I have obviously accepted. My career as an working dietitian is about to start, once references have been taken up, and criminal records have been checked, and occupational health requirements are satisfied... so I'm guessing February at the earliest. It is wonderful, at last, to have succeeded in an interview,

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-78459193840321483852012-01-03T09:24:00.000Z2012-01-03T09:24:35.817Z

New Year's Eve was a very big day. The lovely neighbours across the road had kindly offered their services for interview practice, so on Saturday morning I dressed up in all my proper interview clothes (including Lady Shoes) and knocked on their door at the appointed time. The next two hours were spent in honing my interview skills to such a point that I could have cut myself on them. I don't

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-17678272262523939592011-12-31T09:40:00.000Z2011-12-31T09:40:35.290Z

Everything went very well over Christmas - presents were opened, The Boy's dinner was superb, and Mr A and I could sit on the sofa reading while he did all the work. The fare included my turkey farm freebie, which turned out to be a Three Bird Roast - a hunk of meat as thick as your arm comprising a (boned) guinea fowl within a duck within a turkey, with stuffing down the middle. The three of

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-26460844091689592702011-12-27T08:50:00.000Z2011-12-27T08:51:35.036Z

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett narrated by Nigel Planer "The magical planet of Discworld is supported by four massive elephants who stand on the back of the Great A'Tuin, a giant turtle swimming slowly through the mysterious interstellar gulf. Its very existence is about to be threatened by a strange new blight: the arrival of the first tourist, upon whose survival rests the peace

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-19050262480611572682011-12-24T16:50:00.000Z2011-12-24T16:51:36.214Z

It's just one of the facts of life that when there is lots to write about, there is no time to write. I have actually enjoyed the experience of 12 continuous days working between eight and fourteen hours a day, but I am certainly glad it is over. I'm sitting up in bed with the laptop at the incredibly late hour of 'after nine o'clock', just because I can. I've gradually been getting through

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-46442047653265550942011-12-19T21:32:00.000Z2011-12-19T21:32:33.053Z

Schedule: Wake up between 6 and 7 am. 45 minutes later: set off for turkey farm. Work in small room for between 11 and 12.5 hours, including 5 minutes for lunch if the phone doesn't ring. Try to avoid using freezing cold toilet in outbuilding lightly spattered with turkey blood unless absolutely necessary. Arrive home between 7 and 8.30 pm. Have supper (the wonderful Mr A is in charge of

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-64345661845495427512011-12-15T20:51:00.000Z2011-12-15T21:02:43.615Z

When I left work on Thursday night, everything was under control and I was ahead of the game. With the assessment on Friday, and Saturday off, by Sunday it was mayhem again. I did about four hours that day, and since then I have worked for many, many more hours, and have no time at all for blogging. So here's a picture of some turkeys. I miss their gentle gobbling now that they have moved

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-77267904016757918242011-12-10T10:26:00.000Z2011-12-10T10:27:32.226Z

The Diabetes UK meeting this month was a hoot. In a VERY hot room, the talk was from an ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon, and ought to have been related to diabetes because of the increased risk of cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. Instead, it was highly technical (metabolism of the lens, anyone? Yes, it's anaerobic, 85% through glycolysis and 15% via the pentose monophosphate shunt),

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-40064530986688851852011-12-07T17:40:00.000Z2011-12-08T17:17:35.657Z

The picture above is the view through the back window of the office where I've been working, onto somebody else's vegetable patch. The picture at the bottom of this blog post is the less picturesque view of the front of the office. My working hours are full to the brim, and getting longer as we approach the climax of turkey-selling season. I understand a bit more of the business every day,

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-27454734113325092542011-12-04T17:55:00.000Z2011-12-04T17:55:00.562Z

I've done a few more days at the turkey farm, and things are going well, except that I get very cold indeed. I should be seeing some of the slaughtering that starts next week, although I did downplay the idea that I take part in some plucking activity. Mostly because I am so cold all the time. The office is a standard brick farm building heated by a single convector heater. This makes it

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-86801288833653524692011-12-01T21:50:00.000Z2011-12-01T21:52:09.119Z

Mr A and I went out last week. Together, into town, to a comedy gig. This hasn't happened for, let's say, two years? Although perhaps in that time we might have been to Warwick Arts Centre, but I don't remember. I saw a notice that Henning Wehn, German comedy ambassador ("not an easy job") was playing at the Spa Centre, which is within walking distance. I don't generally keep an eye on the

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-76186342169041865002011-11-28T09:05:00.000Z2011-11-28T18:34:51.398Z

It's a shame to use this blog title so early on, because I'm sure there will be much more appropriate posts later on, and I haven't even started working there full time. But I've done a couple of sessions at the turkey farm to get to know the people and processes involved in generating a third of the business turnover in just six weeks of the year. I haven't made the acquaintance of any of the

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-81105284035634566582011-11-25T09:08:00.000Z2011-11-25T09:25:36.105Z

Homicide by David Simon "The scene is Baltimore. Twice every three days another citizen is shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death. At the centre of this hurricane of crime is the city's homicide unit, a small brotherhood of men confronted by the darkest of American visions. David Simon was the first reporter ever to gain unlimited access to a homicide unit, and his remarkable book is

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-54419203967382924752011-11-22T10:06:00.000Z2011-11-22T10:10:23.377Z

I didn't get the short term part time job, but they gave great feedback. There were 59 applicants of whom they shortlisted 9, and I was the second in line for the job, which, given the circumstances, is ideal. I felt I did a better interview, and the feedback on my responses was fair, and reflected my strengths and weaknesses very well. I have the next interview to look forward to, for which I

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-27051183430445307872011-11-19T09:30:00.000Z2011-11-19T09:32:54.598Z

We are two-thirds of the way through the month of Movember. Not a spelling mistake, but a name reflecting the increasingly popular initiative to raise awareness of and funding for prostate and testicular cancers, by growing a moustache through the month of November. I like this cause. Although I am female, I feel little solidarity for the pervasive ladies-only attitude that delights in the

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-53403125819979098482011-11-16T14:48:00.000Z2011-11-16T14:54:46.179Z

Ooh, I'm very late with this post. No excuses, except that my life isn't jam-packed full of things to share out in public. Two events only: a meeting and an interview. The meeting was the local branch of Coeliac UK, held in a church hall and very well attended. This may have been because there was a food demonstration by Juvela, which always means a) free food and b) other giveaways from this

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-15819613312090657592011-11-11T10:12:00.000Z2011-11-11T10:35:48.979Z

The last few days have been quite a roller-coaster ride; I've been up and down like a yo-yo. I've been making much more coherent attempts to put together a plan towards employment rather than waiting for my job applications to bear fruit. This was partly prompted by the opportunity from Coeliac UK to run store tours, and then assisted by sister D who made it her business to help me find, or

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-12083359451170957272011-11-08T11:14:00.000Z2011-11-08T12:28:25.724Z

I went to my second local meeting of Diabetes UK last week, and it was well worth the trip. It's an odd group - the majority of members are well over retirement age, and the primary function of the group is definitely fundraising, with regular raffles, tombolas and fundraising events. Once a month at these meetings, though, they also have a lecture - I wrote about the last one, which was all

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-15519367630396806742011-11-05T11:40:00.000Z2011-11-05T11:48:06.436Z

My goodness, last night was fun. My first ever attempt at karaoke, and I was very unsure whether I would like it or not. Lola II set it up at a place she had been before, so that was a good sign, and it was in a very private establishment rather than a bar with loads of strangers or anything, and with just two other friends. Actually, there was one of Lola II's school friends (but I'd met her

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-10930960502610415262011-11-02T15:41:00.000Z2011-11-03T13:13:37.354Z

I have at long last had to bite the bullet and become acquainted with our local Jobcentre Plus (JCP). Despite the fresh decoration and modernity of the surroundings, what a depressing, soulless place it is - I wouldn't change jobs with the people who work there for anything. Obviously they have to ensure that I am not a parasite upon the state and fulfil all the criteria for their assistance,

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-92180575059275146802011-10-30T10:10:00.000Z2011-10-31T10:21:17.264Z

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy narrated by Judy Franklin "Anna Karenina is beautiful, married to a successful man, and has a son whom she adores. But a chance meeting at a train station in Moscow sets her passionate heart alight, and she is defenceless in the face of Count Vronsky's adoration. Having defied the rules of 19th-century Russian society, Anna is forced to pay a heavy price. "

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-13041104273157431442011-10-28T14:45:00.001+01:002011-10-28T22:55:33.063+01:00

Hello, Lola II here.Lola has very kindly invited me to post her 500th blog. What an honour! And what a lovely Blog. Well done Lola I, and here's to the next 500!So here's the quiz: What do the following items have in common:andandThe answer?? Our daddy, of course! Read on to find out why.I regularly browse Lola I's past blog postings in a random fashion. I enjoy being faced with unexpected

Lola IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07583423174330017128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-14120878487383654122011-10-24T11:40:00.000+01:002011-10-24T11:40:43.309+01:00

Well, we had a few small adventures, which is unusual for us. My adventures usually happen with Lola II, not Mr A. We did a fair bit of sitting and reading in nice places too. It is a surprisingly long journey to the Norfolk coast, but we arrived at the campsite in good time, put the tent up, got in a few extra provisions (milk for both of us, beer for Mr A, chocolate for me, and crisps for Mr

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-48308320812788097492011-10-21T10:00:00.000+01:002011-10-26T11:10:40.832+01:00

Some of you whom I know in the real world will already be aware that my interview was unsuccessful; I didn't get either of the jobs on offer. I am feeling rather sorry for myself, and am tempted to write what I really feel about how recruitment is carried out, but in the hope that I will feel more positive soon, I shall resist that temptation. This morning I submitted another application, and

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-83730095675108847932011-10-19T09:20:00.000+01:002011-10-19T09:36:15.239+01:00

I thought I'd take a short break from the shower project, so I cleaned everything up nicely so the room was usable again. Then I thought I'd celebrate by actually having a shower, but when I pressed 'go', absolutely nothing happened. Drat. I hadn't turned off the mains power except when unscrewing and screwing back the base plates from the shower and the light pull-cords, and the light still

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-11970297138442649362011-10-16T17:30:00.000+01:002011-10-16T17:32:06.572+01:00

The interview went well, I think. Or possibly, it didn't; I really have no way of knowing until they offer me the job (or not). As usual in the car on the way home and throughout the afternoon and evening I had many ideas about what I might have said or how I might have done better. I shall find out next week. It is unsettling. Otherwise, the tortuously slow pace of decorating continues, with

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-53686397595709893582011-10-13T13:04:00.000+01:002011-10-13T13:13:08.434+01:00

I took a whole day off decorating duties yesterday to travel north to visit H and B, which was a great trip (apart from the M6 around Birmingham). They were kind enough to allow me to sit in on B's appointment with a dietitian, which made me think "Yes, I really can do that, and maybe I can even do it better." Good timing, what with tomorrow's interview. Then we took off to the Italian

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-8689517391762864952011-10-09T11:17:00.000+01:002011-10-09T12:30:23.676+01:00

In between all this decorating stuff I've had some other challenges to face. I got in the car to go to badminton on Monday, and it promptly started to beep furiously about its alternator. "Ow, ow, ow, my alternator hurts! You're hurting my alternator! Stop it! Beep beep beep beep!" I bravely continued to drive, thinking that I was only going a couple of miles, I really wanted to play badminton,

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-81343418749071732542011-10-06T12:40:00.000+01:002011-10-16T17:28:10.100+01:00

I am being constructive, and fully occupied, with this shower room project. I have taken all the horrid wallpaper off - some was hanging off already, but it's all gone properly now, revealing walls and a ceiling. As you might expect, there are four walls and a ceiling, but one of the walls is fully tiled, and the ceiling has a horizontal part and a slanty part under the sloping roof. So there are

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-50690602403169563122011-10-03T08:49:00.000+01:002011-10-09T11:24:51.066+01:00

The weeds have been vanquished (for the time being), and now the kitchen ceiling is white and (almost) immaculate. Over a period of about three days (i.e. an inordinate amount of time for any decent worker) I have prepared and painted the kitchen ceiling, missing only one small and almost invisible patch. This is a shockingly small and insignificant task for any able-bodied individual, yet I am

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-5313154249431259992011-09-30T07:52:00.000+01:002011-09-30T08:07:57.389+01:00

The Island of Sheep by John Buchan "A long-forgotten promise made by Richard Hannay finds him honour-bound to resolve a violent vendetta in which the lives of a young father and his daughter are in danger from unscrupulous and desperate men. Hannay sets out on a high-octane chase from the rural tranquillity of his English manor to the Scottish Borders and, ultimately, to Scandinavia." The

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-41347928965230215072011-09-27T08:36:00.000+01:002011-10-09T11:24:51.060+01:00

Some readers may be interested in the fate of Mr A, who is mostly revising for his exams at the moment, and enjoying it about as much as I remember enjoying mine, which is: not much. He continues to entertain me, however, with his latest interest - the construction of a balsa wood model plane, which he is carrying out on a large board on his lap in the evenings. And his other indulgence - an

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-48889371041646670712011-09-24T19:14:00.000+01:002011-09-24T19:14:16.853+01:00

Morale has risen slightly since the early part of the week, probably due to my teaching session going very well. It is not surprising that I was at sixes and sevens after having my interview persona criticised, albeit in a helpful and positive way. An hour of being told how you could do better is pretty much guaranteed to leave you thinking that you're not very good really. An hour of standing

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-10148147481191826442011-09-20T11:50:00.002+01:002011-09-20T11:55:24.836+01:00

Forgive me, it is many days since I last wrote my insignificant thoughts. There has been a weekend, I have had a slight cold, I have planted daffodil bulbs, and we are having trouble with the TV.The aerial cable seems to be dodgy, and the second-hand Freeview box has turned out to be rather temperamental - it takes several seconds to acknowledge any command it is sent, if it acknowledges it at

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-12045245528620833132011-09-15T15:28:00.000+01:002011-09-15T15:31:24.255+01:00

I am aware that my postings continue along the theme of "What I Did While I Was Looking For A Job", and that this isn't particularly intellectually captivating. As soon as I get a job, I'm certain that there will be more stimulating posts along the lines of "What I'm Allowed To Say About Dietetics Without Breaching Patient Confidentiality". In the meantime, I'm doing a lot of reading.I have put

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-54543426207480277002011-09-12T14:41:00.003+01:002011-09-12T14:48:36.184+01:00

The Food and Drink Festival was back at the weekend, and better than ever. I couldn't be bothered to go on the Taste Trail this time because neither Lola II nor Mr A would be with me, and all that food doesn't go well with weight loss. They've learned from previous years, too - the Trail was free the first time, then we paid a pound for entry last time, but this time they're charging a pound per

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-54127045787156845902011-09-09T15:23:00.000+01:002011-09-09T15:28:06.603+01:00

I have been 'busy', in a relative way, over the past few days. Not 'busy' like someone who has a proper job and family commitments that include children, for example. That sort of 'busy' is in another league - my sort of 'busy' means that I have done at least one thing off my list every day. Which isn't very much. I am very lucky to be only this 'busy', but am aware that it cannot last for ever,

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-26652699908620903072011-09-05T10:11:00.005+01:002011-09-05T10:15:52.597+01:00

I am in need of another guest blogger. Mr A says he will write something, but can't seem to get started, and he has a lot of more important things to do. This time, then, just another brief account of mundane Lola life. The loft insulation went well at mum and dad's house, and with its new load of insulation, the loft now has a peculiar smell which I don’t like very much. The fibreglass also bit

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-21871287370923796122011-09-01T09:37:00.002+01:002011-09-01T21:36:50.493+01:00

Given that I have time rather than money at the moment, I am considering the jobs around the house and thinking about doing them myself. Either this will come to a messy end, or immense satisfaction at having achieved something practical will result. Mr A has a large manual of all things DIY, which is very helpful. I know that my skill set includes whatever it takes to re-hang a door or replace

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-39667757400763884282011-08-28T08:53:00.001+01:002011-08-28T09:08:44.136+01:00

I have been trying to remind myself of all things dietetic, while fruitlessly applying for jobs. A vacancy came up not too far from Lola II. The notification arrived in my inbox at midnight; I saw it at 9 a.m. and started to put my application together; by 11 a.m. when I was ready to submit the completed form the vacancy had already closed. I think this might be typical of job vacancies in

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-9744602970778006462011-08-25T08:31:00.000+01:002011-08-25T08:33:32.117+01:00

I've been weeding out books that I don't want to keep, and listing them on Bookmooch. Eight have already gone, but the Morecambe and Wise book in this post and three others are still available: Mansfield Park, One Hit Wonderland and Longitude. If you are interested in taking any of them off my hands, go create yourself an account, put up some books you want to give away, and then mooch these

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-51874653825120368482011-08-22T16:29:00.004+01:002011-08-22T16:40:19.356+01:00

Our friends J and C have a new tent, and are keen to go camping with us. We agree on dates, but, for various reasons, the designated campsite is only about an hour's drive from their home. We arrive at their house on Friday, ready for our camping weekend, to find J and C less than enthusiastic about camping after all. The weather looks threatening, and Mr A and I have had to make plans to see Mr

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-12261053992121863342011-08-18T09:59:00.001+01:002011-08-18T10:00:28.622+01:00

I Have Cleaned The Oven. There is still quite a lot of black stuff inside it, but much less than there was. I have done absolutely nothing else of interest to anyone, so that's it for the time being. Enjoy the pictures.

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-63773847861886826352011-08-15T16:56:00.000+01:002011-08-15T17:05:29.054+01:00

Not much to say except that my trip to London and The South was very enjoyable. By the end of Thursday I had reached saturation point with the badminton, something I didn't think was possible, so it was lucky that I hadn't bought any more tickets. Although it was a shame in some ways that I wasn't there, because an unseeded British pair actually made it into the finals. China won all five events

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-18079953241637919272011-08-11T09:35:00.006+01:002011-08-11T10:14:35.792+01:00

I've been in London this week, watching the World Badminton Championships at Wembley. Inside the Arena, there's nothing but badminton. It's as if the riots and vandalism in the rest of the country were in another world. But on the bus to and from Lola II's house, I pass burnt out buildings, boarded up shops, police cordons, broken windows. On Monday evening, Lola II was coming back from dinner

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-36254414610661470572011-08-08T11:00:00.001+01:002011-08-08T11:00:05.850+01:00

Hello, Lola II here.It's been aaaages since the Lovely Lola asked for me to contribute to her blog and so, finally, I'm happy to oblige. I have decided to write about my day job. I work for a charity involved in a couple of different areas.1. Restorative Justice - helping victims and offenders to deal with the effects of a crime - something that the courts don't/can't deal with.2. Workplace

Lola IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07583423174330017128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-973263053640403392011-08-05T11:48:00.001+01:002011-08-05T11:48:31.016+01:00

I've had a commission - to make an iced carrot cake for a badminton friend. This is what I have come to in blogging terms - there is nothing vaguely dietetic to report. The rest of my 'to do' list includes laundry, cleaning the oven and sorting out the weeds in the paved area of the garden. This list has remained remarkably consistent, since there never seems an end to the laundry, and the oven

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-14927067862278791492011-08-02T10:50:00.000+01:002011-08-02T11:06:28.269+01:00

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacksby Rebecca Skloot"Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. Born a poor black tobacco farmer, her cancer cells - taken without her knowledge - became a multimillion-dollar industry and one of the most important tools in medicine. Yet Henrietta's family did not learn of her 'immortality' until more than twenty years after her death, with

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-75834781749937828852011-07-29T08:58:00.000+01:002011-07-29T09:10:17.939+01:00

I really need my guest bloggers now, or all you will get is an account of my fairly mundane and predictable 'social' life, and how I clean the house, or repot plants.There have been no useful jobs to apply for - my current self-imposed restriction of "2 hours travelling time from home" is an enormous area, but jobs advertised at the moment just don't fit - Bradford, Hastings, Leeds, Merthyr

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-63442916195936263162011-07-26T18:02:00.003+01:002011-07-26T18:15:31.284+01:00

I have been away, with Lola II, camping in Norfolk. But before that, I was with Lola II and Mr M at a comedy gig. And before that, someone came to service our boiler.The comedy was very good, including great handling of a heckler by Milton Jones, and slapstick from another comedian that I laughed at despite myself (why is a red nose and a false beard funny? I don't know). We set off for Norfolk

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-23237112745834604562011-07-20T10:51:00.000+01:002011-07-20T10:51:49.861+01:00

A double whammy of a weekend, with a camping phase and then an educational phase! First of all was another reunion of the group rallying from Plymouth to Banjul that Mr A took part in more than five years ago. We met down in the Cotswolds where the youngest of the party lives - she was only 19 when she went on the trip, the baby of the group. She is currently living near her parents, who kindly

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-69864965303083486082011-07-17T20:05:00.002+01:002011-07-18T15:21:23.294+01:00

This came through the other day:Post ref. XX-XXXX-X Graduate DietitianDear Applicant.Further to your application for the above post, I regret to inform you that unfortunately, on this occasion, you have not been selected for interview.We have a Random Selection process in place, which we have implemented in this instance due to the very good response to the vacancy which has resulted in a very

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-37083255008615211282011-07-14T07:49:00.001+01:002011-07-14T08:01:17.333+01:00

A Room With a Viewby E. M. Forsternarrated by B. J. Harrison"A charming young Englishwoman, Lucy Honeychurch, faints into the arms of a fellow Britisher when she witnesses a murder in a Florentine piazza. Back in England, Lucy is courted by a more acceptable, if stifling, suitor, and soon realizes she must make a startling decision that will decide the course of her future: she is forced to

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-15826705666035558522011-07-11T09:22:00.001+01:002011-07-11T09:34:35.156+01:00

I've been 'gardening'. You will be aware by this time that 'gardening' is not an activity whereby a 'gardener' carefully nurtures and tends delicate plants, creating a display that is attractive to the eye throughout the year. No, it involves cutting, slashing, lopping and generally creating havoc in the garden before packing tons of 'green waste' into rubble sacks, piling them into the car and

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-71447879309682646392011-07-08T13:39:00.000+01:002011-07-08T13:44:53.126+01:00

So I've had two interviews, done some hoovering, and hacked down a load of stuff in the garden.First interview went well, maybe too well. They didn't ask me anything difficult and probably had already decided not to offer me the job, given that they had advertised for someone with experience. It was a useful experience though, because it meant I was less nervous at the second interview.The second

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-17705518641279861672011-07-05T14:00:00.002+01:002011-07-11T09:38:29.943+01:00

My guest bloggers are still thinking about it, so it's back to me again. I first posted this meme about 18 months ago, so in between watching Wimbledon, doing my tax return, shortening trousers and applying for jobs, I thought I'd do it again.Rules:1. Put your MP3 player on shuffle.2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.3. You must write the name of the song no matter what

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-20542555409530018172011-07-02T08:29:00.000+01:002011-07-02T08:29:39.269+01:00

It turns out that there is a tiny bit of dietetics-related stuff to write about in between guest posts. I had an interview on Friday, and have been invited for another interview somewhere else next week, which has been a great boost to morale. I've also been asked to provide some teaching input for a post-graduate module at the university! And I went to a meeting of the West Midlands branch of

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-56141011281463574102011-06-29T11:10:00.001+01:002011-06-29T11:13:41.708+01:00

I have asked a number of my regular readers/commenters if they'd like to write something. Actually, it was more like, "Please, could you write a blog post? I've got nothing to say and I don't want to lose all my readers."Here is the first contribution, from old friend and intermittent blog commenter 'CERNoise', who, as the name suggests, works at CERN, the site of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-48257498075956229852011-06-26T09:29:00.002+01:002011-06-26T09:41:14.726+01:00

On Saturday, as we walked towards the Pump Room Gardens along the Riverside Walk, Mr A said to me, "I do hope you get a job that means we don't have to move house."Yes, I know I wasn't going to write about 'what I did at the weekend', but I'm back on one of my favourite topics: how much we like living here. On Saturday, alongside the monthly Farmers' Market, an event was held in the Pump Room

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-58654109898544937172011-06-23T10:38:00.001+01:002011-06-23T13:22:06.079+01:00

There have been many small achievements and enjoyable aspects of this round of unemployment. Nothing that makes particularly interesting reading, though. I have an enormous list of things that need sorting out around the house - tax return, cleaning the oven, pruning and weeding, scanning old photos - but I don't propose to tell you how I get on with those.We held a family gathering which

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-76352535009774909182011-06-20T09:49:00.004+01:002011-06-20T12:05:34.753+01:00

The Number Mysteriesby Marcus du Sautoy"In ‘The Number Mysteries’, Marcus du Sautoy explains how to fake a Jackson Pollock; how to work out whether or not the universe has a hole in the middle of it; how to make the world's roundest football. He shows us how to see shapes in four dimensions – and how maths makes you a better gambler."I felt the book was specifically aimed at young people: each

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-76102417576330157902011-06-17T09:27:00.001+01:002011-06-17T09:32:33.117+01:00

So that's it, after four long years, officially today's my last day of student existence. While I wouldn't rule out any future educational forays, I'm done with study, and especially with exams, for a good while. Having said that, a Dietitian's career includes the maintenance of a compulsory Continuous Professional Development portfolio, but I think I will enjoy the opportunity to carry on

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-19155318485366067522011-06-14T08:27:00.001+01:002011-06-14T08:29:53.028+01:00

I'm not sure that I can maintain the prodigious output of this blog in my new state of underemployment. Certainly there are many things I must do which keep me rather busy, but they do not provide particularly interesting reading. I have spent a day and a half cleaning the kitchen thoroughly, with about the same amount to go, and there are no amusing stories to be told about that endeavour. I do

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-52608497100411117632011-06-11T08:42:00.001+01:002011-06-11T08:58:57.129+01:00

Lady admitted after being unable to swallow solids for seven days, and fluids for two days. She'd previously been treated for throat cancer, and this was possibly a re-growth or secondary tumours completely blocking her oesophagus. They'd put her on IV fluids and sent through a referral to a dietitian, but clearly there was nothing I could do at this point, given that she couldn't even

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-91375696717525772122011-06-09T09:39:00.001+01:002011-06-09T09:48:23.520+01:00

It is just a week since my final exam, and I am already becoming anxious about earning a living. I thought I would enjoy the freedom for a while, but no, I am a natural pessimist. The main NHS jobs list is throwing up no more than one or two suitable jobs a week, which may be short term or temporary, and anywhere in the country. I have three current applications waiting to see if I get any

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-68778247569730400692011-06-05T11:00:00.001+01:002011-06-05T11:00:00.879+01:00

Lady with alcoholic liver disease. She hadn't drunk anything alcoholic for six weeks, after 35 years of half a bottle of vodka a day. Dark yellow face against the white pillows. They'd drained ten litres of fluid out of her the previous day - accumulation of fluid in the abdomen is one of the symptoms of decompensated cirrhosis - and her eyes were huge, black and yellow. I explained that the

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-77364643563260260072011-06-02T09:47:00.000+01:002011-06-02T09:53:23.494+01:00

Shall I talk you through the end of my student life? Actually, not quite the end, but as I drove onto the campus at 7.30 a.m. on the day of the final exam, I thought it might be my last visit. Then I met one of my fellow students, who reminded me that we have to submit our coursework portfolios and I hadn't brought mine. So I'll have to make the trip at least two more times: once to deliver it,

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-7328017761247273722011-05-30T09:07:00.000+01:002011-05-30T09:15:34.346+01:00

Mr A and I have a subscription to the mail order DVD library that is LoveFilm. Here are reviews of all the movies we have watched in April and May, written when I really should have been revising for tomorrow's final exam. I really haven't enjoyed this last stretch of revision - I'm not learning anything new, and I'm very preoccupied with what happens next - how will I earn a living? Do I really

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-22489558829588326142011-05-27T17:55:00.002+01:002011-05-28T09:35:53.634+01:00

Mindless Eating: Why we eat more than we thinkby Brian Wansink"Every day we make around 200 decisions about eating. But studies have shown that 90% of these decisions are made without any conscious thought. Brian Wansink lays bare the facts about our true eating habits to show that awareness of our patterns can allow us to lose weight effectively and without serious changes to our lives."This is

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-21706893013776895922011-05-24T08:32:00.001+01:002011-05-24T08:44:13.002+01:00

It is Blog Day again today, and would I let you down? Would I? Well, yes, actually, I probably would, on another day. But not today. Despite the fact that very shortly (after all the cars with people going to work have finished) I shall travel to the second ordeal of three at the university campus, I have a lovely little blog post for you.Mr A has become a little overexcited by 'his' offspring,

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-37966448675456157992011-05-21T16:13:00.001+01:002011-05-21T16:30:52.035+01:00

I may have mentioned that during my placement in GNT I was offered the opportunity to visit the dietitians at Rampton, which is one of only four high-security hospitals in the UK. Patients there have personality disorders, learning difficulties or mental health issues that mean that they present a serious risk to themselves or others. It is also a national centre for treating women and deaf

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-73464340497750632502011-05-17T18:03:00.002+01:002011-05-17T18:08:35.375+01:00

Mr A is turning into a bit of a twitcher. It was the robins that started it, when we noticed that a robin was probably building a nest in the garage. Then he found the nest, and took a series of pictures of the developing chicks. He's now put up a bird table!The history of the bird table goes back to at least 1990, when I was travelling around Australia and was smitten by the variety and colour

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-46708922917569522412011-05-13T18:07:00.000+01:002011-05-13T18:07:43.358+01:00

I had a great time at the BDA conference, although it differed quite a bit from my expectations. There were fewer delegates than I was expecting, and based on my experience running conferences in the past, the budget was a great deal larger than ours was. There was more sitting and listening to eminent dietitians and less up to date and relevant practical information from the field.To open the

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-70088872107502446392011-05-10T20:43:00.005+01:002011-05-11T16:36:13.590+01:00

It turns out there are consequences of my little swooning fit. The National Blood Service has now followed up my case, and is threatening to withdraw my donation privileges, because I had already left the centre when it happened. I am strangely disappointed that I may not be allowed to endure the nuisance and boredom of giving blood in future, mainly because I know it to be one of the most

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-78214297962145327852011-05-07T18:23:00.001+01:002011-05-07T18:49:36.536+01:00

Well, the best laid plans can go awry, and on Thursday I was driven home in an ambulance! The activity I did that day plus the ongoing attempts at weight loss all led to what the lovely paramedics recorded as a 'vaso-vagal episode' - I fainted on the way home after donating blood. Big style, passed right out on the pavement. A guy who saw me go down came over to check I was OK, then he insisted

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-9821832092611312282011-05-05T20:27:00.003+01:002011-05-06T09:04:06.150+01:00

Another long weekend has passed, but I had a few things that needed doing - that haircut, and the pulley rope. I needed to get the Conference Poster finalised, but to do that I needed to find the guidelines, and to do that, I had to go through all of the junk paperwork I brought back from GNT in rucksacks and briefcases and boxes. It has taken a while. Then there was the press release, which I'd

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-90487614251542625232011-05-03T08:35:00.000+01:002011-05-03T08:37:16.515+01:00

The Gargoyleby Andrew Davidson"The nameless narrator is driving along a dark road when he is distracted by what seems to be a flight of arrows. He crashes into a ravine and wakes up in a burns ward. One day Marianne Engel, a wild and compelling sculptress enters his life and tells him that they were once lovers in medieval Germany."One of Landlady Lola's books, and fairly graphic in its

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-90261163667526851612011-04-30T08:57:00.002+01:002011-04-30T09:05:16.987+01:00

At last, I've finished. It's over. I no longer have to subject myself to daily scrutiny, open my soul to self-examination, confess to my sins in public, tell untruths and half-truths - "Are you enjoying yourself?" "What aspects of your practice need improving?" "What aspects of your behaviour do not meet our standards?" "Have you enjoyed yourself?"Of course not. It's been horrible.The worst of it

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-85405068356675118302011-04-25T10:26:00.001+01:002011-04-25T10:30:21.068+01:00

Landlady Lola and I celebrated the end of my tenancy on Wednesday, with a bottle of wine and a lovely evening, during which she showed round a potential new tenant. She's gone off on holiday now, and won't be back until after I leave. I hope we'll keep in touch. I tried to take a picture of her, but she doesn't photograph well at all (unlike the cats), and I gave up in the end.This weekend has

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-33488804483606253432011-04-19T18:44:00.005+01:002011-04-19T19:47:31.120+01:00

I have an hour to write before my last badminton evening in GNT - both the Monday and Tuesday clubs stop after Easter. It's been pretty busy, both during the day and in the evenings and weekends, seeing patients, doing homework and catching up with Mr A, who continues to be a hero even though I'm much less fragile now.The work on the wards is going well. The manager of the department asked me

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-1082396483211333312011-04-11T22:19:00.003+01:002011-04-11T22:38:54.547+01:00

You may be aware from various hints I have dropped that I'm not enjoying this placement very much. I don't want to say too much because a) it's boring and unpleasant to read about someone else's misery and b) I would have to describe the behaviour of various people in a negative way, which I'm not prepared to do. It's also very difficult to write about what I'm doing, because I'm extremely wary

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-57634311092630104982011-04-04T17:20:00.001+01:002011-04-04T17:58:34.591+01:00

It's been a relatively good week. I did some good consultations and some not so good, a couple without supervision and quite a lot on the stroke ward. Very little diabetes this week - just a gestational diabetes clinic. I compiled a list of low fat/low sugar yogurts, and a checklist to try and help me remember everything that needs to happen with any dietetic intervention on the ward. A patient (

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-16764731122272415702011-03-28T17:48:00.000+01:002011-03-28T17:50:39.647+01:00

I am firmly of the belief that if you don't have anything nice to say, then it's as well to keep quiet. That is the main reason why there has been silence in my blogspace for a week - it was a bad week, a hellish week, one that I think might rank as one of my worst weeks ever. Today I am feeling more positive, so I am taking the opportunity to squeeze out a blog post before everything goes wrong

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-65419955798422880612011-03-20T20:43:00.001Z2011-03-20T20:43:00.355Z

There really has been a lot of stuff happening. I thought that coming to an unfamiliar town and living in someone else's house would mean I had a load of free time - that's what happened last time. In fact, because of what happened last time I made a lot more effort to find a good place to live, and have now signed up to play at two badminton clubs. This has resulted in me enjoying my evenings

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-74900014060039635482011-03-17T20:43:00.001Z2011-03-17T21:00:22.224Z

Mansfield Parkby Jane Austen"The novel's heroine, Fanny Price, is a 'poor relation' living with the Bertrams, acutely conscious of her inferior status and yet daring to love their son Edmund—but from afar. However, with five marriageable young people on the premises, the peace at Mansfield cannot last. Courtships, entertainments and intrigues throw the place into turmoil, and Fanny finds herself

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-1794497545103433632011-03-14T22:41:00.001Z2011-03-14T23:07:10.841Z

The week of low self esteem the week before last was followed by a family weekend. I went home on Friday night and Mr A and I became reacquainted - I recognised him straight away, and I think he knew who I was, even though he denied it. I reminded him that I'm the one who used to do most of the laundry. Then we went to the pub. He says that without me there, the house is rather quiet,

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-30303088655999348102011-03-09T16:54:00.000Z2011-03-09T16:56:20.247Z

Here I am again. It's been too long, hasn't it? But my days are full at the moment, especially as I've been applying for jobs. Applications take up much spare evening time, and I'm not prepared to compromise on badminton time. Last week I played on both Monday and Tuesday, and I did the same this week. I also spent quality time with Landlady Lola III, and there's homework from school. At some

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-24386096455916783902011-03-02T22:16:00.001Z2011-03-02T22:22:59.393Z

After that horrible Friday, I stayed in GNT for the weekend, because Mr A was due to be away with friends (even though, as it turned out, he wasn't). I went into town to explore on Saturday, and bought a ton of fruit and vegetables at the market, which I then had to carry around for some time. I visited the 'big church' in the middle of town, and was welcomed by a very friendly lady who gave me a

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-66617561283562872762011-02-25T21:52:00.000Z2011-02-25T21:59:26.732Z

I have been spending time bonding* with my landlady. I don't think I could have found a more congenial place to stay, the main reasons being that a) she doesn't watch TV, b) she reads books, and c) she likes films. She is not bothered when I retreat to my room to work, and is currently engaging with the occupants of the house next door, to try and tackle the night-time noise that wakes me up in

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-80763170352798275072011-02-22T22:03:00.001Z2011-03-09T16:53:59.707Z

It's going well up here in GNT, although people still keep asking if I'm enjoying myself. Would they expect me to be enjoying myself during an exam? I'm constantly under supervision, being tested and assessed and asked to do difficult and sometimes challenging things that I've never done before while someone watches like a hawk, making notes about my performance, and then tells me what they think

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-59203511181085627542011-02-20T20:22:00.000Z2011-02-20T20:22:23.795Z

Home for the weekend: I was talking to a friend earlier, who likened my experience to being at boarding school. Luckily, I'm as happy in GNT as I am at home, which makes an enormous difference - I don't dread the thought of returning on Sunday night at all. In fact, next weekend I'm planning to stay in GNT and do some sightseeing, since Mr A will be away.So, the second half of last week included

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-31151688541985382752011-02-15T21:06:00.000Z2011-02-15T21:17:59.146Z

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

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-91436645320358575272011-02-12T19:03:00.002Z2011-02-12T19:10:37.969Z

I'm home for the weekend, allowed to travel south for good behaviour in my first week on placement in GNT. There are three of us students in the department, and we have spent much of the first week together, meeting a large number of dietitians, and starting to find our way around the hospital.After this first week we will split up, and we have been allocated to various dietetic services

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7028308200374866866.post-41997781465560537122011-02-09T21:36:00.003Z2011-02-09T21:58:45.153Z

I have somehow managed to transfer myself and sufficient of my belongings to GNT, and even survived the first three days. So that's a relief. But before writing any more about the placement, I shall finish documenting our holiday, by way of a string of photos, as threatened in the last post.First, the hotel: a very high class establishment, far better than any I have stayed in before. The only

Lolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929723020089651115noreply@blogger.com0