Christmas

Here are a few pics from Christmas with family at Anson's Bay.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!!!

Slacker!!!

Hi All, Yes, I know that I am a slacker and haven't posted recently.

Truth is apart from lots of work, not mush has happened in my life.

I managed to get to our church camp at Liffey a couple of weekends ago. For more info and pictures, see the Pastor's blog at http://montifioremanse.blogspot.com/

I am rapidly approaching the end of my graduate transition year and am now looking for work to keep the finances ticking over into the next year. I would appreciate prayers in this regard.

Well when there is news I will post again.

Noosa part 2

The first beaches we came to and we had to check them out.

Some shots of the resort we stayed at. Culgoa Point.



A couple of views from the balcony of our apartment. Nice Huh?




Nathan and Julie’s pool, we got to spend some time with them and we are all looking forward to Christmas 2010 when we all get there. The pool is big enough and so is the yard.

This just a taste of our magical weekend. I am hoping it won't be too long before we get away for a break again, although, I don't think that we will venture so far next time.
You have to admit it was a nice tropical get away.

Whatch this space

Hi all, Steve and I have just spent four days in sunny Qld.
As I only get one weekend a month off and I usually have four days, we decided it would be nice to do something out of the ordinary. Well we did. We flew up to Maroochydore and then hired a car to go to Noosa where we had a lovely beachside apartment complete with a pool to laze around. We also managed to catch up with Nathan and Julie while there.

I am working today and have just caught up on the house work so I will add the pics next time.

work

Hi All,
Work is going well at the moment. I have begun to settle in now. Over the past week, I have had the chance to be the RN in charge twice. I have realised that I am only just able to manage that. I felt like I had run around and achieved little yesterday. My performance was praised, though, so I can't have done too badly for a new grad.

I have decided what kind of RN I want to be, just have to make it happen now. I want to be calm and in control but flexible at the same time. Haven't manged either yet. When I am in control, I am not flexible at present.

Days off now, so I can organize something a little less demanding today.

days off

Well, I have just had two days off and I feel like I have managed to catch up with my housework and some gardening. Don't get me wrong, I still have a very long to do list, but I have started.

Yesterday it was wonderful to manage a day without deadlines. I had lots to do but the day was mine and I did it at my pace. I haven't felt like that for ages.

Ah well today I have deadlines, I start work this afternoon and I have biblestudy this morning. Can't hang around here any longer.

Catch you all soon

Holiday and New Job

Well, it ahs been a while since I posted last. Most of you know what I have been up to anyway, but here is a recap.

My husband had a hernia repair almost three weeks ago now and he is still on the slow road to recovery. He will probably return to work next week but at present is making the most of living with a nurse.

We went off to Melbourne so he could have the surgery and I was supposed to be on holiday. Not really as he needed and expected 24 hour care. My first unbroken night was at the 10 day mark as he had needed some pain relief once or twice during the night. After 5 nights in East St Kilda we drove down to Phillip Island to use a time share there. It was a nice place, if a little old. In a great location and I didn't need to use the car much. I managed to escape for walks and some shopping (necessities mostly). Steve holed up inside and only managed to venture out a little on the final couple of days. We were visited by Ben and Bec and the kids and also Steve's mum and dad which was nice.

My second rotation began on Tuesday and I am slowly finding my feet in a new environment. Thankfully i get two weeks of orientation to help me work out what goes on when and my place in the team. I think that it will go well and fly past as the previous rotation did.

I will try to keep you all posted.

Update on nothing much

I suppose it is time I posted again, but I really haven’t much to report. I haven’t had a birthday, lost weight or got a new hair cut, so there is little here to excite anyone. Sorry!!!!
Work is going well and taking up too much of my week. I finish as a community nurse in 4 weeks. I will be very sad to leave as I really like it and I feel like this where I belong. Ah well in six months I can apply to return and I will have even more experience to offer.
I get two weeks holiday before starting at Beaconsfield District Hospital on the 2nd of August. I am sure that I will enjoy it and I am only doing 0.8 which means eight days a fortnight instead of 76 hours which is 9 and ½ days. The extra day and an ½ off will be good for the garden.

cars

Okay it is time I posted again. Hopefully if I write this in word and let it spell check for me and manage some paragraph divisions it will be more acceptable to all.

I seem to spend a great deal of my life in a car one way or another. I drive to work and back every day which takes about 40 minutes each way if I don’t have any errands to run on the way. When I get to work I get into another car, courtesy of the government and travel around visiting clients in their homes. I average around 30 kms in the work car daily.

Most of you know that I have finally bought a car that I like. My little sporty fiesta XR4 is great. I actually enjoy the drive into and out of town. I find it fun to watch the people that are staring at my racy little car. Steve thinks it could sound better; it is a little too quiet for his taste, but it still turns heads. I can hide inside and not be noticed as I have quite tinted windows.

Well up until this week I was driving a very ordinary Holden Viva station wagon while at work which smelled of pickled onions for some unknown reason. This car was rejected by one of the other nursing rounds as it was not very nice to drive at all. My manager sent an email to tell me it was to be replaced this week, and when the new car arrived, I got to move all the stuff over into it and farewell the Viva. I took possession of the new “grad” car on Tuesday, a Hyundai i30. Although Korean cars aren’t highly thought of this one is much nicer to drive than the Holden. The only drawback is the overwhelming new car smell. Ah well you can’t have everything.

Work Work and more work

Yep, that is really all the I have done recently. I love my job, but it gets a bit monotonous getting up at six every day to make breakfast, lunch and then hurry off to work by 7:30. My first client has been arriving at the clinic by then for a dressing and I have had to be there too. It is not light when I leave and it isn't light when I get home most nights either. I really don't enjoy that part of winter at all, I also don't like the cold. I wear a fleecy jacket over my uniform and I keep on having to shed it and put it on all day long. People's homes are usually warm and then I have to go outside again. My car doesn't like frost either. There is some sort of sensor on it that causes a yellow snow flake to light up if it goes below 4 degrees and then a red one if it is below 0. I think it is scared I will crash it if there is ice around. I was laughing at Steve last week, as I used to have to clear frost off the car and his was safely in the carport, now my car is newer, I have the carport and he has frosty windows. Then I got to work and had to scrape the frost off the work car. Poetic justice?

Well this would make a great ad for the West Coast of Tasmania at Easter wouldn't it? This was taken one evening while Em and Rob attempted to catch fish in the surf. Sadly unsuccessful at the fishing they still look great at sunset.

Easter camping

Well we survived a camping trip to the west coast of Tasmania at Easter time. Yay!!!! Actually it was fun, we spent Friday travelling to Sundown point just below Arthur River via some forestry roads which the Mio (GPS) didn't seem to know existed. We managed to find a grassy sheltered spot that was not already spoken for and set up our little tent city. Em, Rob and Clinton all had their own tents and there was our tent and a shelter for a kitchen, a sun shelter (yes there was sun) and last but not least a little tent for you know what. The weather was kind in the most part, quite sunny during the days and then very cold overnight. Even with good sleeping bags and thermals it was chilly for sleeping. We didn't actually do much, just read books, played board games, chatted, cooked stuff over a campfire, strolled along the beach and attempted to surf fish. It was all very relaxing and I am beginning to think that is what we all need most. Rob and Em were recovering from colds, Steve was recovering from working too much, Clint from study and I was simply enjoying a break from both work and house work. The only thing that would have made it more enjoyable was having some more family or friends to share it with. ah well maybe next time.

Busy, busy, busy

Sorry for the long pause between posts. Life is busy, but not very interesting for me at present. My job is full of challenges and interesting people, but I can't talk about that much and my private life consists of sleep and housework with the occassional tv show thrown in.
We are planning a camping trip for Easter, so hopefully there will be something to report after that. It is great to read what all of you are doing so keep up the posting.

Long Weekend

Well folks, a long weekend has been and almost gone and I have done nothing really. Yes, I have done some housework and spent some time with my husband and son, but, I have acheived nothing more than being less tired and not living in such a mess.
I hope that others think that this is a good use of my time and energy, as I am beginning to. I have also checked the blogs of my family members and they haven't posted recently so maybe I am the only one that has time to waste this way. Perhaps that means that I should get off here and do something constructive with the remaining 5 1/2 hours of the long weekend. Enjoy yours.

Saturday

Well now that I have a full time job, working 8-4.30 daily, I find that I have to use my Saturdays for the awful task of housework. What a waste of a great day off.

birthday surprises

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that not only was Steve taking me out for tea, but he had arraonged for Rob adn Em to meet us there. I put a spanner in the works when I made a booking at the restuarant which was our second choice and the kids were off the the other one. A quick phone call when Steve pretended to have some ebay stuff to tend to fixed it and the kids went there instead. We had a great night and both of them stayed overnight. Nice end to a nice day.

46

Well i am officially 46 years old. Steve was surprised to hear that last night as I think that he thought if he was 48 turning 49, I must be older.
I had a birthday bonus today, I have a half day holiday.
This week I have been, in the words of the manager, a proper community nurse and I love it. I have a small round at present so that there is room to fit in learning new stuff and visiting interesting clients with the primary nurse. I am sure that I would love to do this forever, it is rewarding and interesting and you are not stuck indoors all day. One draw back is the car I am alotted, a Holden Viva station wagon which smells like pickled onion. I have just put an airfreshener in it and if that doesn't work, I will scrub the floors and seats. I am struggling to remember which side the indicators are on the work car and then get confused when I get back in my car and have been indicating with the wipers quite a lot. Still it is all good.
Hope that you are all having a great day and a good week.

Friday

Hi all, Praise the Lord it is now Friday! I have survived a very long week as I have worked every day since Monday 9th of Feb. As well as my real job as a community nurse I did the weekend in the residential aged care facility. I love both jobs but it is very tiring to do both.
I now have clients of my own so I will be out and about next week, Yay!
Matthew and Liz and co arrived safely on Wednesday night at 2205 and we have been enjoying their company bery much. Matthew is feeling the cooler weather, he wears a coat until around 10 am. It has been very autumn like lately, cool morning and evening and around 25 in the middle of the day. I drove through heavy rain to get home tonight so I am waiting for it to reach here with great anticipation as it is almost as dry here as it was in Victoria.
Well, I hope that you all had a good week and are going to have an even better weekend.

this week's thoughts

Well, I have now had two weeks as a community nurse and I love it. I haven't been let loose on my own, but that is ever closer and I am really looking forward to having some clients for whom I am at least partly responsible.
Another event to which I am looking forward, is Matt and Liz and co arriving on Wednesday night. I have missed them, well Liz anyway and will be glad to see them again.
I am very poor at proof reading stuff so if this blog of mine makes little sense, I appologize, I know what I meant and you can guess.

just beginning

Well it is my turn to start a blog. I am very boring and not necessarily consistent with things I start but I will give this a go. I can't be outdone by either my sister, sister in law or kids.
I hope that this will provide a way to keep in touch and let anyone who really wants to know what I am up to at present.