The Unfamiliar Familiar

Today was my first day back on the hospital site for 3 weeks. I was a little apprehensive about it I’ll be honest. Not particularly about being back at work after a week’s annual leave, but being on site, where there are people, lots of people and patients, lots of patients. I think I was more apprehensive about that than the fact that I actually had to go and sit in my old office to cover for my number two whilst she’s on annual leave, which meant being back with the team that I moved on from just over a month ago.

I went straight to my old office, and set up my laptop and settled back into the smells and sounds that are along that corridor. Then I went in to the main office where everyone else is and said hello. There were a few comments like “where have you been?” but some nice enquiries about how I was getting on in my secondment role. I asked after each of them and how they were getting on generally, and explained that I’d been sitting in my old office for a couple of days whilst V was on annual leave, so if there was anything they needed, to just shout. To be honest, they know what they are doing and are quite capable of getting on with it but every now and then someone throws a curve ball that puts things out of kilter so I was just here to make sure that they were ok. They don’t need me, and that’s fine.

I had occasion to walk through the hospital site where nothing much seemed to have changed since I was last here. Although there was the vaccine hub outside and new tented waiting area. There were fewer people wandering around, only people that absolutely should be here are being allowed in the front door.

At lunchtime I went for what used to be my usual walk around the perimetre of the hospital site. Sometimes that walk became a bit of a chore, doing it because I felt I ought to do some exercise, but also rather boring as you can’t go very far in half an hour. Today, it almost seemed like a brand new walk. The season has been marching on and buds are starting to sprout as the first throws of spring are imminent.

The sights and sounds of a busy hospital go on, with or without you. It was quite reassuring that there was some familiarity about it, even if it did feel a bit odd being here.

Fundraising Baking

My team are holding a socially distanced MacMillan coffee morning on Monday to raise funds. We do this every year in memory of a colleague who died a few years ago. I’ve done my bit by baking some chocolate and lemon cupcakes.

Its going to be a little strange holding the event this year, when we can’t gather all together. The team is split across two shifts in order to maintain social distancing. That means we’ll get to do it twice though. A coffee morning and a coffee afternoon. We usually hold a raffle as well to augment our fundraising.

For all the cake scoffing and prize winning of course the point is to raise funds to help support MacMillan cancer support. Lets hope we can raise a good amount.

Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

I love looking through the finalists in this annual photographic competition. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/in-pictures-54118899

I wonder whether the photographers intend to find an amusing shot, or its happy circumstance, or they just rattle off so many shots that one of them is bound to be funny.

This year’s finalists were a smiley fish, photo bombing giraffes, a bear waving hello, a violin playing Tern, a really unhappy turtle, parakeets keeping socially distanced, a bored gorilla, silly brown bears, a fox and rodent having a very intense debate, a puking penguin, a butt scratching baboon, smiley mongoose, an egret having a really bad hair day, a laughing seal, a sarcastic kingfisher, a boiling snow monkey, magical pelicans, a cute red squirrel, a racoon sticking put of a tree, and swinging langurs.

I think my favourites were the smiley fish 🐟 as it looked like it was having a great time and was bright and cheerful, and the photo bombing giraffe 🦒 that looked like it was trying to cheer up its more serious looking friend, and the rather displeased turtle 🐢

Behind the giggles the competition has a serious message to support wildlife conservation and is partnered by the Born Free Foundation. The winners will be announced on 22nd October.

Hello again

As you know I was off work last week taking some annual leave and doing all sorts of random things which was thoroughly enjoyable. At 07:30 this morning I was back at my office desk.

The first thing to do was navigate logging back into my PC trying to remember the new password I’d set the day before I went on leave. Then opening the email inbox to see the 290 new emails received over last week. Didn’t think that was too bad actually. I can hear my number two in her office next door talking to someone so I’ll have to wait for her to update me on what’s been going on.

Then time to check the diary to see what I’ve got on this week. I’m interviewing for new staff this morning and have 3 candidates, all internal, to see. Then a conference call later on. The rest of the week is a patchwork of meetings, investigation interviews and video conference calls. Good job I’ve got my strong, home ground coffee with me.

So, here goes, let’s get Monday underway.