I might use that to one again.

I don't often write about my patients. After  all, I visit them, trim and file their toenails, maybe get rid of some hard skin or even a painful corn. I very rarely get a verruca to treat although this year I have managed to get rid of some for someone who had suffered with terrible verrucas and warts on her hand. I did a bit of research and got the right ointment to use and within 6-8 weeks they had completely disappeared.  Not only did my patient feel on top of the world but so did I. I've seen her a few times around town and she always comes up and waves her hands at me delightedly. It's nice to have a success every now  and again. That's not to say that every visit I do is a success. For the patient in question I arrive and sort out their feet and when I leave I hope that they feel better than when I arrived. It's a nice feeling, I enjoy seeing people, and I really enjoy the feeling of being able to help someone, make them feel better, because there is nothing worse than painful feet!
I often find it funny that most people I visit think that they have the worst feet in the world or at least the worst feet I've ever seen. Obviously I assess their feet and try to explain what I will do for them. Some of my regular patients are a little easier because their treatment, on the whole, stays the same each time. Luckily their feet are never as bad as the very first time I see them, because we keep on top of it with regular visits.
Some  patients like to make sure I'm doing a proper job, by pointing out things on their feet and asking me to file this nail a bit shorter or trim a bit more off this one here. I don't mind at all, after all they are their feet! 
One lady I visit regularly made me inwardly laugh the other day because she kept saying, 'you will cut that nail shorter won't you?'. If she said it once she said it ten times and each time I replied that yes I would, no problem. It was her reply that made me chuckle though. 
"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to tell you your job, I'm just thinking aloud".

I might use that myself!

Things happen in threes!

They say that things happen in 3's. 
Yesterday seemed like one of those days.

Occurrence number 1. 
The first happened when I got out of bed, well tried to get out of bed. I could hardly move. For a couple of days my back had felt a bit delicate, it hurt to move in certain directions and when I went to sit up in bed yesterday morning it was as if it was shouting out, " noooooo I'm not moving". I really felt like a woman double my age! I managed to roll over and sit up on the edge of my bed and gradually get myself into a standing position. It hurt to stand up straight so I was bent over slightly and hobbled off to the toilet. I got into the shower in the hope it would loosen up some muscles so I could move a bit more smoothly. It did work a little and hubby very kindly massaged some wondrous, miracle working Tiger balm into my back. Have you come across Tiger Balm, it's brilliant! We swear by it.
Anyway after a bit of breakfast I organised my bits and went off to work, making sure I was very careful lifting my equipment in and out of the car.

Occurence number 2-
After visiting two patients I had to drop back home to pick up hubby, drop him off at the dentist and then carry on to my next patient before returning to pick him up. That was the plan anyway. When I turned up at home and pulled up on the driveway I noticed what looked like steam appearing from the side of the car but when i opened the door I realised it was actually smoke, which smelt awful and it was coming from where the exhaust adjoins the engine. Luckily hubby witnessed this and after I had turned off the engine it stopped. However I needed to drive the car so I started it up again, luckily without the smoke. Hubby called the garage and thankfully they were able to arrange to see the car today.  I felt a bit nervous driving it after that but no more smoke was spotted. 

Occurence number 3-
Once I dropped off hubby to the dentist I went to the last patient of  the morning. I trimmed the gentlemans toe nails and then went to use my extremely useful foot drill/file. It is battery operated and when fitted with a small file(bur) I am able to quickly and efficiently file the patients nails. Much easier than using an emery board especially on the stubborn thick nails. For a couple of weeks now it has been cutting out and would only operate after wiggling the wire around a bit. Obviously a loose connection in the cable. I had arranged to send it off to be serviced after work yesterday but it obviously had other ideas. I could not get it to work at all when it came to filing this mans nails. 

Quite frankly by now I was completely hacked off. I managed to file his nails and left. My back was still hurting and I was wondering whether the car would get me safely home. Whilst I waited for my hubby to come out of the dentist I made the decision to cancel my afternoon patients. I really don't like cancelling but I really felt everything was against me yesterday! I went home, got changed and spent the rest of the day resting my back. Hubby very kindly posted my foot file off to be serviced.

I'm pleased to report that this morning I'm feeling a lot better. My back was not as painful when I awoke this mornings, I have dropped the car off at the garage and await the phone call to explain the diagnosis!

A Lady at Sea.

Some of you may have read a blog post I wrote in January 2013 about ' Having the Ability to say No.'
I mentioned then that I had been asked to do a talk at the RNLI Fish and Chip supper about my career in the Merchant Navy.
Well just over a year after my talk entitled 'A Lady at Sea' debuted in front of about 80 people, it has gone from strength to strength. Feedback from that very first evening was really favourable and complimentary. Several people suggested that I ought to go round and talk to WI groups.
I decided this would be great idea and after a little bit of tweaking to the original, a talk has evolved which I have now presented six times.
I have even got  two bookings for 2015 already!
I do keep rereading and rewriting it, adding and taking out bits that I think work better and changing the photos that I show.
It has given me a real boost of confidence and I'm so pleased at how interested people are in my story and they always ask questions!
As someone said at a recent talk I did, 'it beats learning about icing a cake or country hedgerows!'

Overheard

Sometimes you overhear a conversation and wonder whether you heard it correctly.
I've been working in the box office for our local arts festival in Ludlow which starts in a couple of weeks time. We have a wide array of events on which will be fab. The box office is situated in the gift shop of the castle.
Last week whilst I was at my desk I noticed a young couple come into the gift shop, both licking ice creams. They could only have been late teens or early twenties.
The conversation went as follows:
Young girl: hello we want to go in the castle but can you tell me, we saw the sign outside, it said senior citizen, what does that mean?
Shop assistant: err well a senior citizen is over 60years of age.
Young girl: oh right. Do I get a discount if I live in Ludlow?
Shop assistant: sorry no. Are you a student?
Young girl: no
Shop assistant: ok well that will be £5 each please. This is your ticket, it also has a plan of the castle and some information on the back.
Young girl( handing over the money): oh no it's ok, I don't need that. I've been in the castle loads of times. I know all there is to know about this castle.

As you can imagine, after they had left and gone into the castle I had to go and check that I had heard it correctly.
Yes said the assistant, she has no idea what a senior citizen is but knows all there is to know about Ludlow castle!!

Firstly, surely the clue is in the two words, secondly, given the fact she didn't know this fact it does make you wonder what exactly she does know about the castle and finally, what the hell are they teaching kids in school today?


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Tall man

Grey/blue snowy clouds shroud hilltops
The sun warms the land and helps cast shadows
Stretched fences and a very tall man taking a photo

The view from the window

Low grey rainy clouds cloaking the distant hills
A bright sun, lighting up the green fields
casting rays of light and happiness on soggy bogs
White dots of sheep, stood firm against the blustering, windy wind as it blows the clouds racing and scurrying across the sky.
As quick as the rain and hailstones are bashing and knocking on the window, they are gone.
Gone to knock somewhere else.

A place to sit

At the hospital today I saw this.
Ok so you are not allowed to park here and it seems nor are you allowed to sit here either!
How strange!



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