End of 2010

I have not really stopped for the last few months. Work at my normal place went quiet and l enjoyed getting out and about and seeing how the other half lives. Last night was the first night l have slept in my own bed for over a month. The time l was home over Christmas and wasn't working it was too cold to sleep upstairs l huddled under duvets on the sofa with heating on and doors shut.

I went to stay with a friend for 3 days down London but then the first lot of snow hit and l was stuck there for a week. Finally got home at just gone midnight of the Friday missed 3 nights work and felt awful for having let them down even though there was nothing l could do and they were fine knowing l would never let them down on purpose.

Work has carried me down to the south of England where l stayed with a friend of ours in Hastings Brian was his surrogate Dad.
I drove to work up in Sussex and Kent and back each day and worked at l think it was 5 different practices in 2 weeks but have lost track. The round trip was about 140mile each day, but l would rather stay with a friend so l didn't care. What l hated was the bit of M25 l had to drive on OMG the thought of doing that daily would drive me nuts.
His crazy dog, a Labrador, need l say more ate the bag of double pink poppy seeds l took down for him to plant in Brian's memory. However poppies will grow all over the small woods l am sure as Rosie was dashing around off a lead in the undergrowth!

I met a friend of his who has become a fantastic new friend to me, he has driven me to distraction at times, although good friends do that.
Kev was the only one l would allow to come with me to Brian's inquest. By that l mean anyone was welcome to go but l didn't want to sit with them. Kev isn't a skydiver he is is a fireman who teaches BA and has never met Brian.
I felt that Brian's death had hurt so many not just myself but skydivers, l knew l would find the inquest hard and couldn't l suppose the word would be "carry" more hurt from his friends mine was enough to cope with that day.
A lot offered and l couldn't explain easily so if they read this l hope they understand why l said "no thanks l want to be alone, but you are welcome to go just not with me". It was not them it was how much l felt l could carry.
I have already put a small bit in about the inquest in an earlier blog. It is over it was the expected verdict, and it changed nothing in that Brian is still dead so there really is nothing to add.

I worked at a place in a town with a weird name won't say where as l really disliked the practice, although the locum vet (only the 2 of us there) was lovely. The up side was l was placed in a nice huge pub for B & B.

Down to the Fenland's of Cambridgeshire, 3 different practices and staying in 2 different towns to the practices that was yet more driving. My sat nav broke on me. Thankfully he came back on but l had a nasty shock. Luckily l managed to remember part of my route and then it came on again, no tom and l go into meltdown.

My final practice for 2 weeks before Christmas them Christmas week off and worked over new year was one in Bristol. Which l enjoyed it was all night work but they were very quiet.

I decided to treat myself to a new sat nav as tom has played up a couple of times, he is nearly 4 years old and as stated my sense of direction is abysmal.
I am now the proud owner of the Tom Tom live 1000 not all the functions are working yet but they are coming on line. It guides me round traffic jams, at junctions splits into lane view so l can work out what road to go on. Tells me street numbers and names all sorts of nice things I did look at the 1005 it has a 5" screen as opposed to 4 3/4 but decided the present one fits in my little case and l would need to pay a fortune for another one.

Health wise end of year sort of crammed it in. Washing machine died on me so l have another coming have had to change delivery date 2xs due to family and work.

I got multiple chomps on the hand from a dog, luckily smallish dog but still left a few deep holes which l decided to get antibiotics for as being run down l knew sods law would get infected a 3 hour wait at an empty NHS walk in did not do my temper any good.

I had to go to the emergency dentist while l was away due to a cavity, he put me on anti B for an infection, took an x-ray and talked garbage telling me that the bone was fine. WTF l didn't expect it not to be, he told me off for putting in temp filler from the chemist. I don't like BS and wasted money but l was in too much pain to argue.
My dentist went nuts at other dentist (didn't ring him but was tempted)& said l didn't need anti B l needed it filled and my temp. fill was why the pain died away, the nerve that was exposed and swollen and got a rest.

I had a huge build up of my allergy. Have never discovered to what exactly just general chemicals seem to affect me, think being all over and the different washing powders etc triggered it. I was dosing myself with antihistamines 3xs a day to try hold the itching off. I finally caved in and had to get some stronger ones from my idiot Dr. 3 weeks later l am finally less purple on my legs and not scratching myself raw.

The worst one was the leptospirosis (weils disease) scare. This is one of the few notifiable diseases in humans. In fact in October 10 it killed an Olympic rower.
I was intense nursing a dog and asked a couple of vets about lepto but was told no way, then he died and life moved on.
I went back over the new year to be told "we were trying to decide if we should tell you sammi died of lepto, but l decided to tell you as l don't think any one else was going to bother to."
I was furious, one of the minor side effects can be death or any or all of the following liver, kidney, heart failure. It is a very painful disease having seen dogs with it and knowing a vetnurse that caught it.
It can manifest as severe headaches something l had been having but figured was the tooth due to nerve problems to be sure l rang the OOH Dr who agreed but we had a pleasant chat, then she commented about the cold like symptoms.
I burst out laughing at this point and told her it was either going to be swine flu or lepto so there was no point in worrying. Thankfully l was ok but l was not a happy puppy.
Had we not known fine but to know and try to decide whether to "bother" telling someone is another thing entirely.

So now we are into 2011. No proper work on the horizon but to be honest l need a bit of a break. I recon Brian is behind this work bottleneck to force me to rest, work will come in when he unblocks the log jam l have no doubt.