The Next Big Move

What's new...

I’ve been reflecting recently on my life here in London, what I love about it, what I don’t, what I want for my future and how to get it. 

I’ve decided to move back to Melbourne by Christmas.

To move back and not extend my visa for another 2 years was a tough decision, and to cut my stay short by 4 months, instead of when my visa was up in March and return in December was another. Yet, considering what we’ve been through this year, I thought I’d need to be with Berni and my parents for Christmas. 

I’ve planned a going away party, really I’ve just told people to join me at a pub for drinks for almost 12 hours, which will definitely help me bury my emotions about leaving my friends behind. I wrote a little note on the event page on Facebook (yeah, I had to get it back to make the event, I’m not a fan but it’s temporary) and I cried reading it aloud to James at work before posting it. I don’t want to leave you all, but it’s something I need to do for me. I’ll miss you, my nearest and dearest here. You’ve all given me strength in one way or another, and I’ve learnt so much from watching how you handle your stresses, how you love your partners and friends, how you’re dedicated to achieving your dreams. I know I’ll miss you, but you’ll always be a part of me and I owe so much of my happiness over the last few years to you. 

-      Sam Canning

Bryony Bell

Amy Bryson

Brian Doherty

James Palmer

Jayleen Roberts

Ali Tariq

Steph Holloway

I’d heard the LAS recruited medics from Aus while I was in my 2^ndyear of the uni course. I told a friend of mine that I thought moving to London was what I was meant to do, I had a strong, positive feeling that I was meant to be in London. So I came. Honestly, it’s how I’ve made every big decision in my life. Before YOLO was around, I was using the phrase, ‘F**k it, why not.’ 

I chose my double degree because I liked maths, chemistry and biology, I saw it in a list of courses offered at uni. 

‘F**k it, why not.’ 

Five years and two degrees later, I took a year off to consider my next move. I didn’t want to work in either field so I travelled and joined St. John’s just for kicks. I thought, well this is pretty good; I could do this all the time and be a Paramedic.

‘F**k it, why not.’

I could work over in England for a bit.

‘F**k it, why not.’

And now, moving back seems like just as good a thing to do as any. My mantra hasn’t let me down so far. 

Moving forward...

Career-wise, I’ve been thinking of branching out a little by looking into companies that teach first aid to the wider community, getting involved with people such as the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS), helping to rid the environment of plastic waste as well as eventually joining the Army Reserves as a paramedic once I’m working as one in Oz – the only thing preventing me from joining next year. 

Ideally, I’d like to live somewhere in Victoria in a house I own myself with a large yard, working as a paramedic and I’m nowhere near close to obtaining that goal whilst I live in London, earning pittance. So it only makes sense that I head back to Oz, get a job and start saving. I would love to be in the bush near the coast – that sounds like perfection to me.

AND! Being back means I’ll be closer to Asia and the smaller islands of Oceania and therefore able to continue my exploration of the globe with my sister Berni who will love me no matter what, and my Camino sister/soulmate/lifelong best friend Alex. 

Travel plans for the next few years include Columbia’s La Ciudad Perdida and Borneo’s Orangutang Conservation Sanctuaries which Alex and I are pretty keen on and two little places called Bali and Thailand as I seem to be the only Aussie my age not to have been to either. 

As as for work here...

I know some of you like hearing about the jobs I go to and I'm sad to say that it really isn't as glamorous as you'd like to think it is. Most of the time people aren't glad to see us but we get a good giggle out of some of them. This is why, these are some jobs James and I have been to recently:

• -     Drunk homeless guy in a park that teenagers were worried about so they called us
• -      Drunk man tripped and fell, smacking his head on the pavement as we drove past him
• -     Drunk man stumbled onto a railing with lots of 1inch spikes that slashed his fingers
• -      A child who hit her head on a coffee table and her mother’s first reaction was to call us. The father asked “Sorry, I don’t mean to disrespect you and your job but if you’re not going to take her to hospital, what are we to expect from you?” I assure you, I held my tongue and did NOT say what I was thinking: “Ask your wife. What DO you expect us to do? It’s not an emergency and you can use your own common sense.”
• -      Lots of colds and flus that don’t want to take responsibility for their own health. Some people have absolutely no sense of self preservation. Oh, you haven’t been able to eat anything all day and you’re vomiting everything back up? And you’re hot and cold and sweaty and shivering, oh dear, you’re also 32. How have you managed to live to that age and not get a cold before? 
• -      Do you have any medical problems? No. 
• o  Do you take any regular medication? Yes. 
• o  Oh, I see you’re on blood pressure medication, you have high blood pressure. No, I don’t. 
• o  No it’s not a question, see, you do have high blood pressure, but because you’re taking the medication it’s under control.
• -      Man hurt his back, lower back, hit it on the kitchen bench and had resulting muscular back pain. Decided to call an emergency ambulance at 10pm and lie down. We arrive at 3am, he hasn’t moved since, and tell him he’s got to keep moving, actually take analgesia, do some stretches and that he doesn’t need us to take him to hospital. And the LOOK he gave US! Mate! You are an ADULT! You are in your 30s and you have muscular pain. Yes it may have pinched a nerve and yes it’s going to hurt like a mofo. But I am not going to pick you up off the floor, carry you to the truck, drive you to hospital where they will give you pain killers that you have in your kitchen and tell you to stretch and keep the muscles moving and warm
• -      Another man in his 30s, this one was a nurse, he had the exact same pain, actually had some prescribed strong analgesia and an appointment booked with a physio but was expecting us to give him more pain relief and take him to hospital. He would stretch his bad leg and back and said “see when I stretch it this way it doesn’t hurt”. Yep. Because that’s exactly what we told you that you need to do. You silly man. 
• -      Woman lifted her arm incorrectly and pulled a muscle. Daughter thought she was having a stroke. Nope. 
• -      A man with learning disabilities who’s stroke symptoms were more behavioural than neurological
• -      Nurses at a care home that spoke to a Doctor over the phone about a patient whose oxygen saturation levels were apparently low. We get there. Not low. Normal. Actually considering her COPD and sats of 97% I’d say she was bloody brilliant
• -      Nurse at a care home who said the patient fell the day before and then had a period of reduced mobility during the night. Day staff told night staff who told different next-day staff. But the patient was witnessed to lower himself to the ground for attention in front of the nurses as he had a bad habit of doing, and he is now currently moving around by himself
• -      A man who took cannabis oil and freaked out

All this reflecting has left me exhausted, I need to recharge my batteries before my next shift, luckily I have a few days off.

Any questions, feel free to ask and I hope you're enjoying my entries. 

From, me.

This part is about my travels.

The Travel Part

Since May I have been to:

• Egypt
• Cyprus
• Montenegro
• New York/Washington D.C.
• Paris/Bordeaux

Egypt

I can’t describe how I feel about not being able to see Alex as often as I’d like. Since we met in 2016 we’ve managed to organise a holiday each year together and I really hope we can continue this tradition. Last year we went hiking in Norway for the main event and then tagged onto the end a short stay in Budapest and Krakow. This year our main course was just over a week in Egypt, a cheese course of Cyprus in the middle and then Kotor, Montenegro for dessert. I’m not sure how that ended up being food related. 

Alex started her holiday in Spain with her friend Daniela and then they both met me in Cairo for the tour.

What can I say about Egypt? How do you start describing it? It’s been a dream of mine for years. I first watched the film The Mummy with my mum and Berni, and I remember Libby saying that her sister Nicole has seen it and “the scene with the bugs” really freaked her out. I was in primary school, I know that much but I’m not sure how old I was exactly. Anyway, I loved it. That bug scene was creepy but I was more distracted by how blue their shells were. I loved the clothes and the landscape and how Hamunaptra only appeared in the morning sun, I loved the slight comedy of it all and the hieroglyphics. Berni and I have seen that film so many times that we can quote it, follow along the entire thing and say the lines word for word with the actors. The second film was ok, it wasn’t as classic as the first but you did get to see much more of the country than just Cairo and a fictional city. And now I had finally been to each of those locations. I got to touch the walls and see the difference between the carvings being inlaid versus having them stand out of the wall. I was asked along the way what the highlight of that tour was for me and it was the first day we went to the pyramids. It was when we were able to step into one of the first ever constructed pyramids, down, down into the chambers underground. I looked up and there on the walls all around me were real hieroglyphics, from ANCEINT EGYPT! They were real, they weren’t just replicas in museums or paintings, and I could touch them and lay my fingers in each groove just like the original artists. 

This is the pyramid we entered

The hieroglyphics that took my breath away 

The places we visited:

• -      Pyramids and Sakkara
• -      Valley of the Kings
• -      Nubian Village and homecooked dinner
• -      Abu Simbel, Philea Temple, Felucca Cruise for two nights
• -      Hot air balloon ride over Luxor
• -      Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, Edfu (Temple of Horace)
• -      Cairo, Citadel of Saladin and Mosque of Mohammed Ali, Hanging Church and the Khan El Khalili Bazaar
• -      We also had a day in Alexandria once we arrived back to Cairo – separate from the organised tour

 

Swimming in the Nile

 

On the felucca

 

Me and Horace at his Temple (Edfu) trying not to burn anymore than I already had

 

Inside the Templ

I’m not going to describe each place, I can’t.  I will tell you however about my experience with the camel. That darned camel Charlie Brown. And if you want to see a photo of that creature, it’s on my Instagram. Before then I only had one known fear, and that was falling from height and not having complete control over my situation, as I found out the hard way when indoor rock climbing. Completely strapped into a harness and everything I just freaked and began crying uncontrollably. I eventually made it to the top of the wall but it took almost an hour and I couldn’t see through all the tears. I guess this experience was much the same, with the lack of the control being at its centre. I thought I’d be fine, but got really unsettled when the camel stood up and every time it took more than a slow step, if it hopped or gained a MICRO SECOND in speed, the tears came flowing. I was really scared of falling, I only had one little handle to hold onto and I didn’t like it. The guide had to come and hold onto my reigns and I think he was scared I’d dunno, hop off and run into the desert or scream, I’m not sure but Alex supported me the entire time. She laughed and took photos and I’m just glad I was wearing my sunnies and not wearing mascara. God, I was not pretending. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever get back on one of them again. Ships of the desert, sure, I’ll take the bus thanks. Or walk. I’d gladly walk over sitting atop a moving creature. But hey, the view was incredible. Camel ride through the desert towards the Great Pyramids of Giza. Ha! Incredible.  

The Nile is the only source of water for the country, so you’d think that they’d take better care of it downstream so due to the ill-education and idiocy of some of the locals, downstream in Cairo the Nile is part sewerage system, part landfill and part transport system. But upstream it’s clean and clear and beautiful and we all swam in it. Jumped off our feluccas into the Nile, as you do. Put that on your bucket list. As there’s only 1 inch of rainfall a year, the Nile is their everything. As we rode in our hot air balloon (yep) we could see the blue of the river, with a kilometre on either side of green where there were trees and vegetation and houses and roads, and then after that was just desert. On either side as far as the eye can see. Strip of blue boarded by thicker strips of green and then yellow. So much yellow. And it was beautiful. We owe a lot to our unbelievable tour guide Hassan with Travel Talk Tours, yeah let’s plug him. He’s incredibly educated and not only that, can tailor the tour to his specific group, had a dark and witty sense of humour which Alex, Daniela and I completely got on board with and he truly made the experience for us. 

Cyprus

Let’s do this one in dot points.

• -      Ayia Napa is basically Ibiza and I didn’t like it
• -      Nice beaches, clean water and relaxing atmosphere during the day
• -      Crazy nightlife
• -      Kinda got drunk
• -      Spent the next day in bed
• -      Paphos is more my speed, the old town of Paphos
• -      Lovely food and wine, great seafood
• -      Swam in the harbour
• -      Cute little shops
• -      So many cats!!! We stopped to pat nearly every one we came across
• -      Still hot. I got heat rash again.
• -      Went on a jeep safari up the whole west coast of the island and swam under waterfalls and in a blue lagoon, saw turtle nests, went into a gorge, through old neglected towns

 

A really cold waterfall we swam in

The really warm blue lagoon we swam in

Some of the tasty food

Montenegro

Alex told me last year that her dad’s favourite place in the whole world was Kotor, Montenegro. 

I told her that we’d go. 

So we did.

I knew how much it meant to her that we were there, I mean how could I do anything but add it to our travels? It was a little selfish of me, and they do say that every good deed is in fact selfish, because I liked seeing the joy on her face as we walked in. It’s a tiny town, tucked away in the corner of a bay. Look it up. A fortified town surrounded by massive mountains, the water crisp and perfect for summer dipping to relieve you of your mozzie bite and heat rash itches, I should know. It’s quaint and only just popular enough with tourists so that it still holds on to a lot of local charm. I won’t spoil the rest of the surprise; just promise me this one thing…

That you will live your life to it’s fullest. That you won’t settle. Go wild, get back to your roots, get lost out there and find yourself. Promise me you’ll travel, to somewhere that scares you, somewhere that challenges you, somewhere that inspires you and leaves you in absolute awe. Just get out of the house, out of your town, out of your country, out of your mind. 

Everything you read and everywhere you go will add something to your life, add a colour to your soul and when you take a step back and look at what you’ve created, you’ll see a goddamn rainbow. 

Go on. I dare you.

Old Town Kotor

NYC and Washington D.C.

Earlier this year I was riding a train with my friend Amy heading into the city for our girls’ date. We wanted to spend some quality time together and to treat ourselves to a night of luxury. We stayed in a hotel in town, had a lovely full body massage and scrub, got all dolled up and had a romantic Italian dinner and then grabbed an Uber back as it decided to pelt down with rain (London, not surprising). On our way into the city for this special day, Amy brought up the topic of the Foo Fighters, I’m not sure about what in particular but I told her that of all the artists out there, they would top my list, they’re the only one I’d want to see. I love them. I had never seen them. I then Googled them, oh look they’re on tour… and they’re in the UK when I’m not in the country but yeah they’re hitting plenty of other cities… I’ve never been to NYC oh wow, playing at Madison Square Garden, and tickets are available. * Messages uncle that lives in San Fran * Hey Want to see the Foo Fighters in New York? 

Berni was free too and wanted to get out of Aus for a while. She went to visit Danny on the West Coast and then we all met up in NYC. Berni and I planned the best exploration of the island. We hit up every movie filming location we could think of, we even recreated a scene from one of our favourite movies, You’ve Got Mail. We went to Riverside park and hugged in front of the garden at the spot where the paths cross like they do in the movie, ate at the café from Serendipity, we stood on the rock and looked out over the city just like they did in Made in Manhattan, passed the Palace from Bride Wars, had Breakfast at Tiffany’s, tried to call home from the pay phones on the basement level of the NY Public Library before the world froze over and Denis Quaid could save us, danced on the floor piano of Macy’s like Tom Hanks, stood in front of the Easter Island head from the exhibitions in the Museum of Natural History, and stood at the top of the Empire State Building like Cary Grant in An Affair to Remember. 

So we learnt a few things from this trip; that rollerblading should not be taken lightly once your adult brain takes over and forgets about that careless kid you used to be, that you must learn the art of zen when queuing for anything in Manhattan, chilli dogs are delicious and pretzels need to be consumed with a pint of beer and wearing a good pair of shoes is essential because walking from place to place can lead to exciting new finds. Like pizza!

As for Foo! I’m speechless. I have no words. Let’s continue.

Berni instead treated herself to a fantabulous night on Broadway. She saw Anastasia and Musical (not the singer Anastasia, I don’t know why they’re make a play about her, although I guess it would have a catchy soundtrack). The Russian Grand Duchess that went missing and they made a film about staring Meg Ryan and John Cusack. Just ask her about it, she loved it. 

We took a train to D.C. for the day and walked the length of the National Mall. Incredible experience walking the length of all that history. And no, we tried sneaking into the library to find the President’s book but that pesky middle-aged, unarmed security guard asking us to politely move along just had us trapped. 

 

Our Riverside Park moment

 

Breakfast at Tiffany's

 

Heart and Soul

 

Hiding the fear

Highlight of the trip = Running around with Berni.

Lowest point of the trip = Leaving her. I cried. Again! Every single time I leave her, it’s getting annoying. Then again I don’t wear makeup so I don’t ever need to worry about mascara running. I hate departure gates. 

Paris and Bordeaux

I am so honoured to be telling this story. Two years ago I spent 6 months in an ambulance with a man. Locked in! No no. We were crewed together. He was sweet and kind and for some unknown reason that still baffles me, he thought I was nice and we got along just fine without killing anyone and believe me, in this job that’s a really important thing. Brian, this man, invited me to his wedding in Bordeaux and I couldn’t contain my excitement so I think I probably giggled and hopped up and down and maybe exclaimed “Yes!” just a little louder than I should have. It was going to be in Bordeaux, France, at a chateau on a vineyard, there were three of us from work invited so we decided to make a week of it. We went to Paris for two nights and spent a day at Disneyland, drank quite a bit each night and a word of the wise; don’t drink the night before rollercoasters. I love Disneyland, I do, so much. Then we trained to Bordeaux and it’s such a beautiful town. Now to the wine. I quite enjoyed the Saint-Julien – Les Fifes de Lagrange and the Lussac Saint-Emilion – Chateau Du Courlat, curve Jean-Baptiste. Ok I’ve probably copied that incorrectly but I’m sure you can find those two online quite easily.

The night before the wedding Brian’s father Joe hosted a wine and canapé evening where we could all meet and celebrate the couple before their big day and it was stunning. We played the game ‘Spot Brian’s Four Brothers”, it’s an easy game, we succeeded within 30 seconds because they all five look so alike.  Great game, everyone’s a winner! 

As I said I was extremely excited about the wedding but now that it’s over, I am so much more grateful for being invited to this incredibly special day. The ceremony was sweet and the bride looked beautiful but it was the look on Brian’s face that brought a tear to my eye and made me glad I had on my sunnies (I’ve just realised this is a trend for me, crying with my sunnies on. First that blasted camel and now this). I have never seen Brian smile like that before, he had an absolutely ecstatic look on his face and I was so humbled by the experience. There was champagne, and hors d’oeuvres and then we were seated for dinner and wine. I danced all night and at one point ran around the dance floor wearing not-my-own jacket and we left after 3am.

Toasting the happy couple at a beach bar

 

Ready for wine and canapés

 

Wedding time at Chateau Le Thil

And I believe that’s all folks. The next trip I take might very well be the trip back to Australia. Hopefully if I get some time here or there I will go somewhere for a few days. Maybe back to Ireland or maybe just northern England. I have another friend’s wedding coming up in September; Bryony is marrying Frankie in Richmond Park!!! But other than that, nothing’s set in stone. 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me either down below this post or shoot me a message. 

Love, Patrice. 

This one's about books and work.

My last post was in May and since then I’ve done a lot of reading, traveling (some may say too much of both although I don’t believe that’s a thing), had some crazy jobs at work and have started looking to the future. I’ll upload two blogs this week seeing as I doubt anyone would read all this content in one sitting unless you’re my dad (Hi Pa). So sit back and relax. 

I’d like to firstly introduce you to Patrice’s Bookclub. 

Members: One - Patrice

President: Patrice

Scribe: Patrice

Tea and Coffee provided by: Patrice

The Book Part...

Since June 1^stI have read the following:

• Dune by Frank Herbert
• All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
• Ape House by Sara Gruen
• Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
• Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Ahern
• Matched, Crossed and Reached, a trilogy by Ally Conde
• The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
• When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

I used to love reading. Immensely. I’d stay up until 2 or 3am on a school night for one more chapter, just one more, just one more chapter then I’ll turn off the light, I swear. Since moving to London I had forgotten that love, I’d misplaced it in the move or maybe it had stayed behind in a box back in Melbourne. Either way, I just wasn’t reading here. I am still inflicted with the self-diagnosed illness of needing to buy a book every time I step into a bookstore. It is a pretty nice disease to have, really. But they were pilling up in the corner of my room, 5 of them all dog-eared at the 20^thor so page but no further. It wasn’t until I went on holiday this year that I found again my love for reading. 

You may be aware that I’m planning on moving back to Australia this year, by Christmas and as such I wanted to get in as much travel as possible. Within 2 weeks of obtaining my 2018 annual leave I had managed to book it all in. I wanted to explore and take advantage of my living over here because as I’ve said earlier, that’s why us Aussie medics are here after all. So I booked holidays. But I’ll get to those in a moment, first, to the books. 

If you don’t like reading then just skip ahead.

First, Dune. 

When picking out this book at Waterstones bookstore, the description written on a note underneath it on the shelf said it was the best science fiction book ever written. I bought it for my dad as a Christmas present BUT as he previously stipulated, he’d rather me have spent my money on something for myself than him. So I bought a book we could both enjoy. I’d heard from a few people that it takes a few chapters (about 100 pages really) to get into it but once you’re there, once you’re hooked, you’ll fly through it. Well, yeah, to be honest I got the book off him in March and only made it to page 50 by June 1^st. Then I went to Egypt. I thought brilliant, I’ve got a 3 week holiday coming up, this will see me through the entire trip. I went to Egypt first and I was *taken aback/shocked because I was reading about what I was seeing out the window of the coach as we drove across the country. I could so easily visualise the story because I was living it somewhat. I could actually feel the heat from the story, I would feel dehydrated just like the characters and tired all the time from being so hot, I was in love with the desert just like them and find beauty in the desert flowers and sand dunes and every single drop of water that touched my dry mouth. It is everything you could want from a sci-fi book, or even just a book in general. It’s not just about aliens on spaceships, that’s not it at all, that’s completely missed the point. These characters are complex and intense and their lives affect you and you can picture yourself there in a sand suit sipping your own desalinated recycled water from a straw in your hood, treading across the sand without a rhythmic pattern to your steps. You can picture all the sand being thrown in the air as a massive sand worm erupts from below your feet and you jump back hoping it doesn’t swallow you whole. If you want to escape into another reality, I cannot recommend this book enough. Nothing about it feels fiction. There are 550 pages to the book before the appendices. I read 500 in 7 days whilst on a crazy, full-scheduled tour of Egypt, so that should give you an idea of how much I consider this a real page-turner. 

The next stop was Cyprus and I had run out of reading material so I took one from the hotel we were staying at in Ayia Napa. I read All The Missing Girls and read it in about 2 days. It’s a whodunnit and it’s written backwards, in that you read from day 15, to day 14, to day 13 etc back to the day when you first find out who went missing. I didn’t think it would work and when I was reading it, there’s a point in the middle where little progress is made, not much changes but then as you get to days 3, 2 and 1 it all comes together and you think aaahhhh (and you tap your index finger to your temple) I see what you’ve done there Megan. An easy read that I enjoyed on a hot few days where all you want to do is sit with an iced drink in your bathers under an umbrella at the beach and read something simple. At this point of my trip it had been about 10-11 days of +35degree heat every day and my brain had started to slow down a little. Just taking it slow and it needed something easy but captivating.

So then once I got to Paphos I bought 3 more books. I was dreading reading one of them, despite picking it up first and choosing it myself, it wasn’t like I was forced, so I started with that one. Ape House. Honestly I thought it was going to be more about the apes but it’s mostly about the people in the story, about their personal lives and why this character is a journalist and how he and his wife decide to live on opposite sides of the country for a while for work. Aspects of the book are based on true events and I found it incredible that these bonobos have learnt how to communicate via sign language but also that they have their own thoughts and emotions and that they’re able to communicate them; like the matriarch ordering a caramel latte, or something, I forget the exact drink she likes. Spoiler alert: none of the bonobos die. I was dreading it the entire book so I’d flick ahead to the back few pages to see if they lived or not, because I don’t think I could’ve kept reading. I can’t stand animals dying in books or movies. Happy ending. I enjoyed it.

And then I bought Case Studies. It was alright. I thought the pace of it was a bit slow throughout the entire book. I didn’t see the ending coming though, the ending to each of the case studies that are mentioned but also the protagonist ended up dating a bizarre character that I found hard to believe he’d date at all – that reminded me of Marianne ending up in love with Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, I just couldn’t see how those two personalities matched at all. I didn’t really enjoy the book, I finished it but I wouldn’t want to read it again and as it’s a tv show, it’s one that I’d probably go boil the kettle during the middle of and you could still pick up on the main plotline. Moving swiftly on…

One book I absolutely loved was Thanks For The Memories by Cecelia Ahern. I was laughing out loud until there were tears in my eyes in public and I wasn’t ashamed of it at all. I then cried tears of sadness and again I didn’t care. Yes it’s a romantic comedy, fate and destiny or sheer dumb luck depending on the colour of your soul, but it is the detail that really gets you. Alex asked me what had me laughing like a crazy person and I tried so hard to describe the scenes but I just couldn’t do it justice. The way Ahern writes people is impressive. She knows people. She knows how to write complex women, honest and genuine men, the protagonist’s best friends came alive on the page and you can just picture the banter between them, but most impressive of all was how she wrote the dad. She captured the love of a parent, the innocence of the untraveled, all wrapped up with stubbornness and smarts and cheekiness and you just can’t help yourself but love him. 

By this point I’m back in London and thinking somehow about a friend of mine and how she read a YA dystopian novel a few years ago about a girl who was somehow given two matches for a life-partner by the society in which she lives, instead of just one. It’s a trilogy and so with all series I enjoy, I buy all of them straight away in the hopes that I’ll get through them all. It didn’t work for Game of Throne or Throne of Glass but I did it anyway, went onto Amazon and ordered all three books. They arrived the next week and I read them all in about a day or two each. They’re not written particularly well and they’re awfully predictable, but I liked the general concept for the storyline and wanted to see how she’d end it. AND! Just by chance my favourite poem was a major influence to the plot and it’s relevance to our lives is highlighted. 

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

I don’t know very much about poems, I’m not one to have a book about prose just lying about but there are a few over the years that have stuck with me and this is at the top of my list. 

Now in the middle here I had started two books but didn’t take them any further. Instead, when I was in New York, I bought two new books from the oldest bookstore in the city and read those instead.

The best person for a book reference...

I asked Berni for advice on what I should read next and she directed me to Liane Moriarty, the author of Big Little Lies. If you’re looking for a novel to read, ask Berni. Shout out to Berni! Hi there! She loves literature, has read more than I have, has studied it in higher education, has written her own stories, helps critique others’ and she’s able to chose stories for you that you didn’t even realise you were missing from your life. It’s a great insight that she has. I chose The Husband’s Secret. My Camino sister Alex afterwards told me she loved that book as well so I knew that if these two women who I regard as closest to me (other than my mamma, who I know would love this book so Ma, go buy it) both think that I’d enjoy this book, well, god who am I to question fate. I flew through it. It had me questioning my own morals and pride and the entire time I was wondering what I’d do in any of the situations the characters found themselves in. I loved this book and I’m thinking I should buy more from Moriarty. She writes so well, it’s so relatable and you feel genuinely connected to these people, they feel so real and before you know it the book’s finished and you just want more. Yes, would recommend.

OK and finally I’m 100 pages away from finishing my last novel, When We Were Orphans, the second book I bought in NYC. It’s evident that the author is well educated in literature, writing and history and I think that because I live in England and have had some not-so-nice encounters with the upper middle class that I didn’t warm to the book initially. It’s about a man who is born and raised in China to two English parents who both go missing when he’s about ten years old and he is taken to England for a good education and upbringing and becomes a decorated detective. Years later he returns to Shanghai to solve the mystery of his parents’ disappearance during the Sino-Japanese war. I was hoping for more about the actual detective work on each case he solves but I’m starting to like that the author’s discussing more the intimate details of this mans’ life and the people he meets. Hopefully I finish it soon and don’t get too distracted by work and other things.

The Work Part...

James is good, he’s officially moved into his new flat with his girlfriend and they absolutely love it. He hated me being away for so long and I know how he feels, working with other people now just seems wrong, and really hard because no one else operates the way we like it done. He’s started his bulk now so he’s eating a lot more and I don’t know how he does it; he just keeps shovelling food in all day. I’d be sick if I ate that much. James talks so much and I sound quiet around him, and you probably know how much of a chatterbox I can be, especially when I’m passionate about something. And I guess that’s it, James is a very passionate person about so many things that when he speaks, it’s with such emotion that it’s hard not to listen to every word. But when I want to say something I have to whack his arm to get my two-bob in, he listens though; he’s a very good listener. Now some stories from work – I’ll try not to make them too gorey for those of you with weak stomachs.

James and I went to a patient who was involved in a hit and run incident. She was riding her pushbike at night and was struck by a car that fled the scene immediately. I believe there was a witness to the event that filled in a few details to the Police on scene. Her bike was broken into two pieces and her shoes flew off her feet to opposite sides of the road. It was James’ turn to take the lead so while I grabbed the bed and a few other bits and bobs, it was his job to keep one of her arms still enough to get some obs (blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation level) and to keep the cannula already in her arm from the first paramedic on scene from coming out. She was so combative due to her head injuries and she had a reduced conscious state so James’ task of holding her arm down and straight was a tough one. She wasn’t in the best state so we acted quickly, called additional resources and took her to a Trauma Hospital. I don’t know what’s happened to her, I haven’t been able to follow up on her progress so I can only hope she’s alright. 

We also visited a woman who had twisted incorrectly and pulled something in her back. She and her husband were so lovely and genuine that we stayed with them for a while, in their sweet home, just because we were so tired of attending ungrateful patients and needed that breathe of fresh air.

Job number three I guess was a stabbing, the first stabbing I’d been to in two and a half years. I guess it’s true that the West is Best in London and that East is more stabby. I do not mean any offence by that. 

The only other trauma that I can think of was a 20yo man that went to a corner shop at around 2am one night to get more cigarettes and he was assaulted. He stated he was jumped by about 10 guys that started punching and kicking him in the head, that he fell to the ground and then they stabbed him a few times, in the shoulder, lower back and then up his trousers. By the time we arrived on scene the cops had him undressed and bandaged (except for that third wound) and wrapped in a foil blanket, the first medic on scene had the entire story and obs and was about to cannulate to administer analgesia. So basically we rocked up and drove him to hospital. 

I’ve recently spent a day with the ICRS team in West London, the Integrated Community Response Service, part of the NHS. It’s a team consisting of physiotherapists, social workers, occupational therapists, GPs, nurses, a pharmacist and a handyman. Their role is to prevent people going to hospital if they don’t need it and help review their progress once discharged if they’d been admitted. It was a good day, being able to see the job from their point of view, and now I’m more aware of the kinds of patients we can refer on instead of conveying them to hospital. Hospital isn’t the be all and end all, plus it’s full of germs, and I’m still surprised why people actually want to be there when they’re not sick. Madness. I also attended a course that has now allowed me to appropriately assess students. I’ve completed 1/3 of the Practice Educator course. 

Tomorrow I start a run of three late shifts, from 1400 – 0200, which is find for tomorrow, means I get to run to the shop and buy groceries as I’m out of everything and cook something up before work. I’ve had my one day off today which was nice. I spent it saying goodbye (for now) to Nick as he leaves to go back to Aus. I’ll see him in a few months so yes it was a little sad and I may have been a little upset at his going away party on the weekend but I know I’ll see him soon. I also had lunch with Liz at a café in Notting Hill, one of a few owned by an Aussie – delicious food – Granger and Co.. 

And a touch of Harry Potter...

Today I also joined Pottermore again. I had an account when the website first launched and I was a lot younger. I was sorted into Hufflepuff and I’ve always thought of myself as a very proud Hufflepuff. Yet today, I was sorted into Gryffindor. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’ll need some time to process this new information. My patronus is a Manx Cat and it’s qualities are that they’re calm under pressure and good in difficult situations, that they choose witches with ferocity – fierce to those against them and fiercely loyal to their friends. That sounds like me. I like that one.

Enough for now. I have the next coming this week when I get my act together.