Up The Farway Tree

Drama Queen

It's Seb's 5th birthday today - he didn't get a cake but he did get a really long walk off lead and a whole cocktail sausage afterwards ;-) It's hard to believe the wee guy has been around for so long. He arrived just as I started to decline health wise and although some people might think I was daft getting a dog at that time, I really think it was the best decision I ever made. He has been a life saver at times - as my health declined he gave me motivation to still try and walk every day and he kept me company through the long days when I had to give up work. He has been a great source of amusement with his hilarious antics and naughty behaviour - and to be fair he really is the cutest wee thing!

Last week was a bit mixed for me. I have still been feeling a bit down at times and this does make work very difficult as I spend the day listening to other peoples problems. One of the major problems just now is my sinuses which for some reason flared up when I got back from Tuscany and I have been popping pills like sweeties but there is not much relief. This does make it really hard to concentrate at work and makes me rather irritable (not to patients though!) By the end of last week I was feeling a bit better about work so hopefully I will have a good week ahead. I also facilitated a couple of sessions at the university so perhaps I over did things a little (not like me at all ;)) I do really enjoy the university work though as it makes me read up on topics I have long forgotten and I also enjoy interacting with the students - it is a nice change from my normal working day.

On a lighter note I forgot to mention the coffee incident that happened while waiting at the airport for the flight to Tuscany. We were sitting having coffee and I was perched at one of those really high tables where you sit on bar stools. I have been even more clumsy than normal since I started the gabapentin for pain. I am not sure exactly how it happened but I basically knocked over by cup of boiling hot black coffee, covering both Andrew and myself. I leapt off the stool and stood in the middle of the coffee shop shouting "It's burning, it's burning" (although my uncle insists I actually said "it's burny!") very loudly while jumping up and down. I did realise that everyone in the coffee shop was now staring at me, open mouthed waiting to see what happened next. I darted off to the toilets to try and get some cold water as I had scalded by hand and the hot jeans were sticking to my leg which was really quite sore. I then realised there was no cold water in the toilets - just one tap with hot water! I got myself into a cubicle to strip the jeans off while mum went off to try and find some cold water. She managed to get the cleaner to let her into the storage room beside the toilets which had a cold water tap - so I dived out into the toilets in my pants and then stood in this wee room surrounded by mops and buckets running cold water on my hand. The cleaner (who was male) took my jeans and dried them under the blow drier for me. It wasn't until afterwards I realised how bizarre the whole situation was! Of course when I got back to the coffee shop I realised I had covered Andrew more than myself yet he was just sitting quietly with his soaking wet and now stained beige trousers. No fuss. No drama. But maybe I should have been on the stage...

I think this week will be interesting - I have arranged to set up a stall in one of the university unions to promote organ donation. I spent yesterday making up a board with facts and information and I have lots of leaflets to give out with all the FAQ and a form to join the organ donor register. My friend Lucie is helping me so I am not too nervous about it and I will have someone to talk to if it is quiet. I have no idea if this will be successful but I do think students are a good group to target so fingers crossed :-)