BAYLEAF NEVILLE

This post is one I knew I would have to write but never wanted to!
Today, One of the Shire horses from the museum had to cross the rainbow bridge (Sorry I can't bring myself to write it any other way!)
He was 27 years old, he worked hard all his life but had a naughty / cheeky side which I adored. This boy was a big part of museum life, he was known by generations of museum visitors who would ask where he was if we were working a different horse.
Popular hard working and handsome.
Your work is done Big Boy, sleep well. XXX

Big Boy.

Here and Back

Well, The Northern Bird has flown, she is at this moment winging her way north again back to her family.
We have had some fun whilst she has been down, although not our usual out every day type visit we have still packed things in!
Crazy Golf, Coffee mornings, films, and lots of catching up!
Next time we will do our homework and make sure all the places we want to go to are actually open! Oops!!
Today is super foggy too, so I hope it doesn't cause her too much trouble on her 300ish mile journey home.

Happy New Year

Well I know its a bit late! But all the same.
The first 16 days of this year have gone past so quickly its incredible.
I am looking forward to the northern bird coming down for a visit very soon, it feels like more than the six months its been since we last caught up with each other.
Only two days to go

4th in Advent

Blackout Friday!

A post with this title should really only have a one word body... DON'T!

This is the night that Ambulance services across the country (World maybe, who knows) get totally crippled by people who :-

Can't hold their drink,

Think of nothing but themselves,

Spend a week or more's wages on alcohol in one night,

Embarrass themselves in front of their co workers, friends and possibly family

Kill someone or cause them suffering. Yes I did mean to write that. When someone gets so drunk that they become unconscious or their "Friends" (Inverted commas as real friends wouldn't let them get that bad!) are worried because someone has had their drink spiked!!! or isn't responding properly due to the amount of alcohol consumed, an ambulance gets called, an ambulance which will then be tied up for an hour or so dealing with some stupid person who has caused their own situation by stupidity, when it could be attending to someone who has life threatening condition and needs an ambulance through no fault of their own!

This is the night which sees Ambulance service and Police personnel assaulted  in the line of duty due to intoxicated people.

Is it OK to go out of control when so much is at stake?

One last thing... DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE, STAY ALIVE, And let everyone have a Happy Christmas!

Image from The Telegraph.

Nightmare before Christmas.

The other night I had a nightmare, I dreamed I was having a heart attack, I could feel the pain and everything, I woke up and couldn't get my breath which made me panic even more desperately trying to get a deep breath....Then, I really woke up! The whole episode had been a dream, including the bit where I thought I had woken up! This has never happened to me before, the panic and fear were so great and so real.
I have decided that I need to loose weight and also get a bit fitter, maybe this nightmare was the WAKE UP call I needed.
At Christmas I shall eat drink and be merry but up to then and after then I shall be swimming and going to the gym and eating more sensibly than I have been!

My year month by month!

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Well..... what did you expect!!

Third in Advent (Pink is not for Mary!)

John the Baptist

The Inn Keeper

I have just been talking to my brother on the phone, he suggested that we should be celebrating the Inn Keeper at Christmas as he showed the greatest humility by allowing Mary and Joseph to stay in the stable rather than not have anywhere to go.
He also thinks we should celebrate the Inn keeper by helping him...(You can see where this is going I am sure!) As I was saying, helping him by frequenting his business at Christmas. I think my brother is thinking of a few pints and a good meal. Hmm, I may have to google what drink and food would have been on offer 2016 years ago, I have a sneaky suspicion it wasn't anywhere near what my brother has in mind!

Decorations and carols

Today I put the Christmas tree up and all the Christmas decorations. After all the sadness this past couple of weeks I really don't feel Christmassy at all.
This evening was the carols round the Christmas tree followed by mulled wine and mince pies. Well it rained so the Christmas carols were sung inside the church.
Maybe its a little bit Christmassy after all!

Counting the days when you don't actually know the day you are counting down to!

This is what I am doing at the moment.
Obviously there are the big days like Christmas day and New Years day, but there are also the not so International count downs, for instance
The double Baptism             -One day.
The Dentist!!                        -Twelve days.
The Farrier                           -Thirty five days.
The charity coffee morning -Forty three days.
But just when the Northern bird is going to fly south for a visit is a complete mystery!

Today

Today's bloods were mainly taken thanks to Douwe Egberts and Malteser mini reindeer, I am now out of mini reindeer so watch yourself tomorrow people!

Nativity

Today I am going to see a school Nativity play. I can remember the last one, it was 8 years ago, it was my granddaughters and she was 4 and she was an angel! (She is always an angel, such a good girl!)

Today I am going to see my (soon to be) Goddaughter in hers, and I am so excited! Christmas has begun!

To Russia, With my love!

So today my Husband and I were discussing holidays, we have two holidays booked for next year, but the year after we hadn't thought about.
I happened to mention that a Volga cruise might be nice as neither of us have been to Russia, he thought it might be an idea so it looks as if we are going to Russia.

Oranges and.....more oranges!

Today our church held its "The Children's Society" Christingle service, there were a lot of oranges! All the children present received a christingle and any that were left were given to adults.
The candles were all lit and to my knowledge no one set fire to anyone or anything, unlike the time when my daughters were younger, our youngest daughter managed to set fire to the others hair, fortunately it was only slight and I was able to sort it out quickly!

Second in Advent

Lord in your mercy

We give back to you lord, those whom you gave to us.
 You did not loose them when you gave them to us, and we do not loose them by their return to you.

Two simple sentences.
Very comforting words.

First in Advent

AmDram

Last night my Mum, myself and our friend went to see a play put on by our local players.
The play was hilariously funny and well acted, there were a couple of forgotten lines (I have seen David Suchet in a play and forget his lines) and an almost dropped lace "Loin cloth!" (Every one roared with laughter at that too) In the interval the non acting members of the players came round with teas coffees and biscuits, all included in the price of the ticket and collected the cups away too.
A really enjoyable evening no queue's for the loo or for extortionately priced ice creams a brilliant performance and all for the non bank breaking price of £8.
 It seems to me the theatres have become out priced and ever more highbrow, to mention nothing of the fact that if you are not a "Member" of the theatre your chances of getting any tickets is super slim.
So with that in mind I shall pay the price of a theatre ice cream and get a ticket a cup of tea and a biscuit and a great performance.
May there be many more to come!

Gutted!

When your best friend sends you a message saying she has seen some one so you think she has traveled all the way down south from up north. Then she sends you a photo of a van with that persons name on it, a coincidence and funny but still a bit gutted that she hasn't come down to stay!
Miss ya Northern Bird!

Hail Mary...

Father forgive me its been 10 months since my last post!
A lot has happened in those months too!
But I shall say my Hail Mary's and move on without dwelling on them.
Suffice to say I am back with a Lowland Search and Rescue team, less the dog who now has dementia to go with her deafness, it doesn't make her any less lovely though!
I have also changed my job, I have become a vampire again...!

November December January February March......

I know its only November (For a few more hours} but I have good things going on each month for at least the next 5 months.
To start with the Denver Broncos beat the unbeaten New England Patriots 30 - 24 big news, literally as it made the sky news headlines. Next month (Also in a few hours time) It will be December and  Christmas with all the run up excitement, I love Christmas! January starts a new year, February sees the visit by the Northern Bird always have fun when she is down, also in February we are trying to arrange a big family get together which will be great! Then March we are going on holiday and although I know where we are going I am not saying anything yet!

A dirty job but someone has to do it.

During my years with the ambulance service I was both verbally and physically abused by our service users. Some would do it because they were ill, others because they were either high on drugs or drunk. Others still just because they wanted to, maybe they were just bored.
So taking all this into consideration why should one "customer" coming into my place of work now, throwing her weight around cause such a bad feeling?  I am due back tomorrow and for the first time since starting work there, I actually don't want to go in!

Ten and a half pounds!

I have decided to loose some weight.
I started a new eating plan three weeks ago and have managed to loose ten and a half pounds, I think that's quite good going really, its easy to follow too. I have cut out crisps and bread though just to start with.
The trials of being a kept woman! Hahaha

Farewell to a friend

You taught me how to protect myself whilst at work, when confronted by a violent patient.
I will always be grateful.
Rest In Peace my friend.

Resignation

Today I posted my resignation. I don't have a job to go to but I know I can no longer do the job I am doing at the moment!

Veg garden

Well it is now official. Everybody knows where we will be moving to, we think we will be moving in June/July and once all the rigmarole of the actual move is over I shall be having a veg garden!
 Now as my Dad was a very keen gardener specializing in vegetables I am sure at some point I have eaten produce that I have grown myself, but for the life of me I cannot remember doing it!
 This is going to be something new and I am looking forward to it, I have looked round the garden of the new house and found the spot I intend to use, and then today I have ordered some veg seed and seed trays to start them off, hopefully they won't mind moving when we do!
All I can do now is wait for their arrival.

Tonsillitis and a chill

Today I have been sent home from work! Maybe shouldn't have even gone in to start with! It feels as if I have a throat full of razor blades, I can barely speak and I have all the symptoms of a chill, with I high temp, sneezes and all the other delights that accompany it. If I booked sick I would have got into trouble, for a job that deals with sick people all the time they are not very accommodating towards their own staff when we inadvertently catch something from our patients! Which is why I went in to start with, ahh well I wonder what punishment I will receive for being ill this time? 

Announcement

Well, its official, the announcement has been made in both churches so now everyone can know which church my husband will be going to.
That said, I was (obviously) only in one church, our present one for the announcement so I am presuming it was said in the other, it should have been!
We also have a date for the instillation (It sounds as if we are
having a sky dish erected!) of my husband into the new church.
As well as feeling excited I am also quite scared, I hope they like us and what will they expect of us? We will have to move house, move mouse to a new yard! Change doctor and all our local shops.
Its very exciting and I am looking forward to it we have links to this area already so at least  its not going to be complete upheaval just a partial one!

Times, they are a changing!

Well Yesterday my husband had an interview for a new parish Priest job. He got it!
We have known this was in the pipe line but until very recently we have not known where it might be. Well now we know ...until Sunday when it will be made known in both our present church and the new church very few people know.
Keeping this from friends and family has been very tough, its exciting news and we want to tell people...roll on Sunday!
It will mean big changes all round, moving my horse, dropping shifts at work to a more workable number (due to travelling and family) are another two big factors for me. For my husband it will mean a change of job house and everything. We are looking forward to the changes however many there turn out to be.
There are a couple of things I wont miss, Andy on night shifts being one and having to spend less time with my family being the other. Having less shifts means I get to spend more time at home and after the year we had last year I will be making the most of friends and family time.

Long may it continue

What a lovely four days off I had, and how lucky was I?

Four days off and I ate out every one of them. I am refusing to step on the scales for a while though, but it was so worth it.

The weather was lovely, I did a lot of walking be it in town with my friend before a lovely gastro pub lunch, off into the woods with another friend and three dogs before a cuppa and some yummy cheesy chips, around a National Trust property with my husband having had an amazing meal in yet another gastro pub, then there was the impromptu pub lunch followed by a walk along a very muddy foot path, before putting my horse to bed and settling down to watch a couple of good films. (Pride and The flight)

Still work beckons... there is the small ray of light which is the fact that after 5 shifts I get to have another 4 days off. Ahh roll on the next set.

Days off. (Or drowning in tea!)

One last shift for this set then I have four days off!
I have a night shift tonight which I am really quite looking forward to as it is with one of my favorite people to work with, she is doing it as overtime so I am rather lucky!
Tomorrow I am meeting up with one of my friends for lunch and a catch up and tea, its been ages since we last had a good natter so this could get raucous!!
Then I have a day off with my husband which is very rare at the moment so we may go out for a cup of tea and a slice of cake and then I am going to take the dog out with another friend for a good walk followed by a cup of tea and a catch up. I am really looking forward to this set of four off!
In other news..still no news yet as to where we might end up. On the plus side my Granddaughter managed to get into the school of her choice so we are very pleased with that!

THE NAMES THE SAME BUT THE CONTENT WILL BE SUBTLY DIFFERENT!

So, our lives are about to change big time and here's how...
My husband will be changing from a full time fire fighter to a full time Priest! With this change comes a multitude of other changes,
* We will be moving house!
*I may have to move my horse!
*I will be either dropping my own work hours or giving up entirely!
*My husband wants my car, I will have to get another one!
We will have to move into a house provided by the parish that we move to, these range from regular sized houses to rather large rambling places, we could be in the middle of a town or city or in the heart of the country who knows, certainly not us at the moment! This also means we will be selling our present house!
Depending on how far away we end up I may have to move my horse from where she is stabled at the moment, this will also be difficult as I love being where we are.
Because of the possibility of a very long drive to work, the fact that I will need to play a part in my husbands work, and the fact that last year saw some very shocking events, I am dropping my shifts so that  I can spend more time at home and with my family.
My husband wants my car, I was going to sell it and get another anyway so in a way this has saved me the trouble of putting mine on the market.
Even with all the above I think the biggest worry I have is how far away I will be moving from my Mum, Daughters, Granddaughter and friends( The boys are already far flung meaning we don't see as much of them as we would like) so I hope we manage to stay at least within a two hour drive of them.
So this is the story  of my life right now. My Husband finishes in the Fire Service in June this year, so all of the above will be happening before then!
My Husband has to deal with all of the above plus the bonus of a new Parish, and he can't wait,
I am confident that the Bishop and his Arch Deacon are onto it, but as we don't know anything it makes it all just a teeny bit scary.

Lent

Its Lent!

Back and forth.

The clock is ticking... time is marching on.. soon we wont be here we will have moved on.
But not to a "better place" in "That" sense of the word! Eek I hope not anyway! 😲
In four months a new chapter will begin and while I don't want to rush time on, good grief I'm old enough already!, I am excited to see how it pans out.
Where we will be and what I will be doing, less hours at work would be a good start. That is actually a done deal, I know I will be dropping at least three shifts of my five shift block but will I drop more and become a kept woman? Who knows!
What would be good right now would be for a morsel of information just a mere sliver would be good, because right now we have nothing and if I'm honest, which I do try to be, its a bit scary not knowing anything at all.
So until I know something I shall be forced to pace back and forth...back and forth.....

Aaaagggghhhhh!

I have a shiny new laptop!
It is very shiny and it is very new!
Its also very different from any laptop I have ever had before, to the extent I nearly launched it through the nearest window!
Grateful for litlun coming round in her lunch break to pick up her post, she managed to show me how to do a few things!
Now all I have to do is remember all my log ins and pass words which were automatically saved to my old laptop which has died and gone to cyber heaven!

December already, in more ways than one!

December already! It's just started to be cold! I hope it kills off the darn midge's which make Mouse itch so badly! Her sweet itch has been bad again this year to the extent that she is still on 6 antihistamine a day.
I woke this morning to the news of yet another of my friends passing away! Very shocking, she was younger than me! We were both pregnant at the same time 25 years ago, I remember walking into town with her and going for coffee, we then got our baby bumps out to see who's was the biggest! When our babies were born her's three weeks older was half the size of mine! The last time we met up was to ride together, it was frosty and slippery under foot, she rode one of my horses whilst I rode the other, even then the talk went back to when our first born's were babies. Sleep well lovely lady, you can rest now.

STRIKE! Part Deux.

I wonder what my boss would say if I went in to work an hour and a half late and said "Sorry I'm late my life had an over run", I can put money on him not being as accepting as my husband, when almost every shift I call him or text him and say "Going to be late home, sorry, I have another over run!" I'm just not feeling the love right now! The reason for all the over runs is people calling an ambulance for ridiculous things, ever heard of pharmacists and GPs? Well have you? And a lack of staff!
There is another strike on Monday morning, Ambulance staff have not had a pay rise for over 4 years, the Politicians get one every year amounting to 10% per year I believe, or there about! They set unrealistic goals for us to attain, but take away the money required to be able to reach those goals. Is it any wonder Paramedics, Technicians and ECA's are jumping from the sinking ship? (That was a rhetorical question, the answer is blatantly obvious!) Some of the best Para's and Tech's I have worked with have either gone or are going. The government is succeeding in its challenge to break the service if not the whole NHS.
Very sad!

Anniversary.

Today is my Wedding Anniversary, the weather is very much as it was the day we married, it was maybe a little dryer that day. We had a vintage fire appliance to take Myself and the bridesmaids to the ceremony it was a Dennis F8! My mum made our wedding cake and my dress had been in a wedding dress sale. The best thing though was that our families and friends were there! Looking back at the day, so many have passed away since, including my Dad and my husbands Mom!
Today we exchanged cards and went out for lunch, this evening we are going to have cheese, biscuits and port and watch a film.
Today has been a good day.

ILLICIT CANDYFLOSS AND SMUGGLED PETS.

Sometimes you just have one of those days, you know the sort, thunderbolts and lightening, fever, flood and famine, and 999 calls which make you wonder how some people manage to make it into adulthood at all. I read on a social network site that a woman had called 999 for trapped wind! I have been called out on 999 calls to someone who forgot to pick up their prescription...for a month! And needed medication, I once had to climb to the 6 floor of a block of flats on a 999 call to someone who had run out of sanitary towels (The lift wasn't working! Of course!) Someone who wanted their blanket pulled up higher, this person became a frequent caller and had to be dealt with by other agencies in the end! I know all my Ambulance service colleagues have countless similar tales to tell...
Then there are the days where you attend a multi car pile up, a coach crash, a "One under" a sick child, a teenage resus days you would rather forget even if they are the real reason for the job, real emergencies. They can still make the day feel Meh!
So when little things happen to brighten up your day,and make you proper laugh out loud it puts everything right even if its just for a few moments... When it goes on for over an hour, well you know its been worth whatever the day threw at you, on that note I would like to thank the 2200 hour finishers, the single manned Night vehicle and my crewmate on the midnight finish, it was worth it. That is all!

The Last Post - RBL2012 - 720p HD

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

My Chains Are Gone..

When my daughters 18 year old friend died suddenly with no warning, everyone was stunned and upset, such a young life on the verge of scooting off to uni. Who knows when our last day, hour minute might be! This year has been a particularly bad one for us with people passing away, My Aunt died earlier in the year of cancer, and although she was in her eighty's it still cut her life short! Another Two deaths we have had were the sudden passing of my old crewmate, who went home from work one day, went to bed and literally didn't get up in the morning. This was a huge shock to me as we had worked together for the first 18 months of my ambulance service career. He wasn't everybody's cup of tea but he was a loyal crewmate and a good friend, we kept in contact even though I have transferred into another NHS trust area, all be it, mainly random phone calls. The other a friend who had tumours on his brain and decided to take his own life rather than have his family watch him slowly regress!

Most people hope for a long prosperous and healthy life but how many actually get that? 

I for one am hoping that next year brings less heartache and more peace and happiness!

***

 *

           MY CHAINS ARE GONE, I'VE BEEN SET FREE

             MY GOD, MY SAVIOUR HAS RANSOMED ME

                                                    AND LIKE A FLOOD HIS  MERCY REIGNS                                                           UNENDING LOVE, AMAZING GRACE.    

Strike!

No one wants to strike! No one wants to loose money, or put peoples life/property at risk!
Why to the government see fit to take a 40% pay rise (on top of their free second home, massive expenses budget, enforced summer leave and already bulging pay packets oh and its on a sedentary lifestyle which they may retire at any time and still get their full pension when the time comes!)... But I digress, where was I oh yes 40% pay rise, when they won't allow a 1% pay rise (did I mention they get an annual pay rise and for the last 4 years the NHS has had a pay freeze!) And if you leave the fire service before you are 60 or fail the fitness tests (non sedentary lifestyle) you will have your pension cut by the amount of years you cant work! Having been a firefighter I know that at 60, I for one could not carry (at a walk) half the kit that they are expected to carry at a run! let alone carry someone down a ladder from a second storey window (and the population continues to get fatter!) so how is it fair to penalise someone for what nature does to everyone! MAKES THEM OLDER AND NOT SO FIT! If fire fighters only had to push paper round a desk, and swear at each other across a table (I don't mean the mess table here boys!) and shout" here here" together with the odd insulting snide comment, then yes fair enough, but its a physical job heavy dirty and sometimes dangerous! Back to the Ambulance service, the job is heavy, dirty and sometimes dangerous too and we are not worth a 1% pay rise?? Shame on you Government, you fail to keep promises you fail to support your troops, you sit in your comfy seats and bitch at each other, the most dangerous thing you do is pass a  file! Perish the thought you might get a paper cut! And when your paper mountain catches fire YOU KNOW WHO WILL BE THERE! And when you have a heart attack from all that arguing and eating of rich fatty foods YOU KNOW WHO WILL BE THERE! (Oh and that last sentence, I WAS THERE! When one of you had an MI, and you asked my crewmate and I to use the trades entrance to your huge house, I know my place, I know I am worth more than to be treated like that, Tepic and I went in through the front door!
Fair Pay, Fair Pension for the work we do Mr Prime Minister!

FRIENDS

At school I had one or two friends. I wasn't part of the in crowd and never got chosen first for sports teams. That didn't bother me then and still doesn't today.
Now I' m well beyond school days I am still not part of the in crowd. I don't have dozens of friends, but what I do have are a few really good friends who I trust and confide in and a great number of aquaintances who I like and have a laugh with.
Anybody who thinks that I can be used to get to my friends can think again. Today I have had one such thing happen. I am not about to be used by anyone to get one of my friends to do something they do not wish to do. Who do they think they are? Also to have the nerve to thank me for being a friend to this person as if its some kind of favour or chore is also laughable. I knew my friend long before you did and have no intention of being manipulated for your purpose.
That is all.

Slacker....(or writers block)

Father forgive me for I have sinned... it has been months since my last blog update!
I must try harder!
Today I have mainly spent in the warm snugglyness of my bed I am not sick, and I don't consider myself lazy...I just had a hellish night shift. I was always under the impression you could only have one job at a time in the ambulance service! Multiple casualties yes but just one job. Sadly people this is not the case as last night I was given (together with my crewmate...) two genuine jobs. We have six jobs stacking and no vehicle to send sorry! Well what can I say.. Chaos ( utter confusion.utterly without order. Formless welter of matter conceived as preceding creation.....the choice is yours!) An hour and fifteen minutes overtime, well thanks but after the night I just had I would have prefered to finish on time!
Still a fried egg sandwich three cups of tea and three hours sleep later I think I'm good to go!
So the battle plan is this... feed hay water muck out the horse, walk the dog, cook and eat dinner then and only then shall I be off out for a drink with one of my friends... and a well deserved drink it will be too!
Amen.