Up The Farway Tree

Chaos

That's my life just now - total chaos!  It has been ages since I managed to update so here are the highlights:

Cambridge

Myself and Andrew headed down to Cambridge last week because I was attending a Transplant Psychiatry  Interest Group - it was a group of psychiatrists (mostly Liaison) who are involved with transplant patients and also transplant surgeons and physicians.  The format was several presentations throughout the day and then a lot of discussion about what the transplant teams need from psychiatrists and how ideas for putting this in motion can be developed.  Particularly interesting was a talk on altruistic kidney donation - where people donate a kidney to an unknown person.   The transplant doctor from Papworth gave a talk about lung transplant and I piped up to get my tuppence worth in at this point.  They were discussing support for patients with regards what to expect after transplant and I was bringing up the topic of peer support and how within the CF community there are strong links allowing patients to contact other people who have had transplants.  I personally found talking to people who had been through transplant a really helpful experience.

On the Saturday we did manage to go into Cambridge and wander around - seeing the Colleges, going punting and wandering down the little cobbled streets.  It was a lovely sunny day and it was nice to just be away from everything :-)  We headed back on Sunday and straight back into chaos to find the plumber was there working all day!

Extension

Update on the extension is that they are battering away and working very hard.  The electrician was here at the weekend and the plumber didn't leave until 9pm the other night.   It is however at a really horrible stage, where the extension is not usable yet but our current kitchen was ripped out last week.  The new utility room and shower room are just shells at the moment so the entire contents of my utility room and kitchen are in the dining room - along with a new toilet, sink etc.  Everyday I come home there is a thick layer of dust everywhere so I have just given up dusting now as it just settles again!    We have been eating microwaves since our return but the novelty is fast wearing off!  Yesterday I spent the day at Lucie's in order to escape the mess and very cheekily took my washing with me :-)  Hopefully things will be looking a lot better within next week or so, but I do know it will all be worth it in the end.

Dining room at moment..

New Kitchen - you can see why can't use it yet

Old Kitchen - gone and partition wall up to make hallway and utility area

Hallway on a good day :-)

Work

Very busy just now and not great fun at the moment.  Myself and the other staff grade are having to do extra cover at the moment which is really stretching me time wise but hopefully it wont be too long.  I also start another half day tomorrow at another resource centre because they have not filled a post yet and patients need to be seen!  Not sure how this will go but hopefully I will enjoy it and not find the extra half day too tiring.  The PBL is going well and I have a really nice group, which helps!  I am facilitating the next block until the end of November as well, but to be honest, it is better to be out the house as much as possible at the moment.

Ball

Most tickets have been sold although I have about 4 still available due to a few people pulling out so if anyone interested let me know as we are stopping ticket sales this weekend as final numbers are needed by the venue.   I have been making lists of all the last minute tasks we need to organise and there is always loads more that you think!  I am sure it is going to be a great night though and hopefully it will go very smoothly :-)

Seb

He was apparently very good for his Uncle Bob and Aunty Nan when we were in Cambridge.  I think that is because he has a wee blanket on the sofa especially for him!  He has been really good with the builders though and I think he might actually like having people around the house all day.  He is sneaking into the extension at every opportunity to look out the patio doors - he just can't believe his luck that we have full glass doors like giant windows at his level.  He thinks they are just for him :-)

Seb tolerates me wrapping him up in my scarf

This was just the cutest photo!  Dad was picking all the apples from their apple tree a few weeks ago and Seb insisted on lying at bottom of the ladder.   I just love his face here...a kind of "what am I mean to do with these?!" expression.