This is Going to Hurt - Secret diaries of a Junior Doctor - Adam Kay

Welcome to the life of a junior doctor, 97 hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you. 

Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam kay's This is Going to Hurt provides a no holds barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking, this diary is everything you wanted to know and more than a few things you don't - about life on and off the hospital ward. 

I had seen this book on the supermarket book shelf many times and never really thought about picking it up to read.  I have worked in the NHS for 30 years and over that time some things have changed for our junior doctors but for the most part there is an incredible responsibility put on their shoulders at a very young age. The hours they are expected to work have improved but for the majority they are still working incredibly long shifts.

A colleague at work was given the book for her birthday and passed it onto me to read.  Even then I wasn't sure whether it was a book I would be able to get into.  How wrong I was.  It is written as a diary at varying points within Adam Kay's career.  His account is a true reflection on the highs and lows of a junior doctor. Adam Kay tells his story in good humour and will have you laughing out loud. At times he will have you shedding a tear as he also tells you of the emotional turmoil our doctors go through when presented with life or death decisions and what ultimately made him give up medicine. 

Brilliantly written unputdownable and definitely worth reading. 

M x

Hat & Scarf set {Adult}

Firstly I would just like to thank all of you who left such lovely comments on my previous post about our little grandson.   He's had a slight cold this week so has not been his usual self as this also meant he earned himself a few days back in his little incubator. 

The photograph above shows the scarf and hat sets that I made for three members of the family last year and as it turned out with the winter that we had with so much snow and ice they were much needed.

Now that Autumn is in full swing I usually start and turn my attention to any Christmas makes. Yes I did mention the dreaded c word - sorry.  This year seems to have flown by and I've really not turned my attention to much other than to making some very tiny items for a very tiny young man. I suddenly realised this morning that it is in fact only 62 days until Christmas or just shy of 9 weeks if that makes you feel better.

It was a few years ago now that a boyfriend of my daughters requested a knitted scarf for Christmas.   Now my daughter can knit but very, very slowly.  She didn't say she wouldn't do it but did enquire as to which Christmas he would in fact like the scarf. The task was then passed over to me and a scarf duly made and he was very pleased with it.  Since then the boyfriend has changed but thankfully not the appreciation of something hand knitted and all the many hours that entails.

I know some of you have been thinking of making up hats and scarves for the homeless and these sets are easy to make and quick to knit up too. Each scarf took approximately 250g of wool and the hat took just under 100g. 

Working abbreviation	Meaning
alt	alternate
cont	continue
dec	decrease(ing)
foll	following
inc	increase(ing)
k	knit
0	no stitches or times
p	purl
psso	pass slipped stitch over
rem	remain(ing)
rep	repeat
rs	right side
s1	slip 1 stitch knitways
sts	stitch(es)
tbl	through back of loop
tog	together
ws	wrong side
yfwd	Yarn forward
yrn	yarn round needle
cm	centimetres
mm	millimmetres
in	inch(es)

Equipment 1 x 40cm circular needle size 3.75mm

1 x 40cm circular needle size 4.00mm

1 x 9cm circular needle or 1 x set of 4mm DPN's

The scarf is worked over 70 stitches in 2 x 2 rib (K2, P2) until it measures 145 cm or 58 inches when completed using a 4mm needle.

The hat is 160 stitches for an adult female and 168 for an adult male working in 2 x 2 rib  (K2, P2)throughout on a 40cm circular needle or DPN’s so that you don't have to join the seam down the back..  The first 10cm are worked on a 3.75 mm then change to a 4mm and continue working 2 x 2 rib until  22cm has been worked or required length and then shape the crown as follows:

Shape crown

  1st rnd:    K2tog, P2,K2,P2 (20:21 times)

 2nd rnd:    K1,P2,K2 P2 (20:21 times)

  3rd rnd:    K2tog, K3, P2 (20:21 times)

  4th rnd:    K4, P2 (20:21 times)

  5th rnd:    K2tog, K2, P2 (20:21 times)

  6th rnd:    K3, P2 (20:21 times)

  7th rnd:    K2tog, K1, P2 (20:21 times)

  8th rnd:    K2, P2 (20:21 times)

  9th rnd:    K2tog, P2 (20:21 times)

10th rnd:    K1, P2 (20:21 times)

11th rnd:    K2tog, P1 (20:21 times)

12th rnd:    K1, P1 (20:21 times)

13th rnd:    K2tog (20:21 times) 

You should have 20:21 stitches remaining break off the yarn, run the yarn through the remaining stitches and draw up and fasten off.

Break yarn, run yarn through rem sts, draw up and fasten off.

As these sets were for gifts the Yarn I used was 100% wool but if you are making for one of the homeless charities a good quality acrylic wool of double knit weight would equally do the job and is great for using up oddments from your stash if you want to go all creative and use more than one colour. 

Whether you are thinking of  making as a gift or for charity I am sure they would be very much appreciated by the recipient I know mine were.  

Happy knitting

Mx

Early arrival

Some of you may  remember that back in March I shared my news that I was to become a grandmother.  I was beyond excited as this would be our first grandchild and baby was due in November.  At the time my son and his squadron were based down in Salisbury following the aftermath of what has become known as the Russian affair.  Because of this it meant his partner spent a lot of time on her own.  Luckily she has a very supportive family close by and I visit as often as I can.

It was after such a visit with my daughter for a girlie weekend that things went a little crazy.  We had, had a lovely relaxed weekend which included heading into their local town for a bit of baby prep retail therapy.  Much to my son's partner's amusement as this included buying all the necessities for going into hospital.

After dropping my daughter off home I arrived home around 10.30 in the evening and after a quick catch up with the bearded one and a much needed cup of tea I headed off to bed.   As my head was about to hit the pillow my phone signalled I had a text message.  I sat back up thinking  I'm sure I sent a text to both girls informing them I had reached home safe and sound,  as I do get told off when I forget just the same as they do.  The message was from my son's partner saying 'if you are still awake could you please call me'.  I duly called her and she said that after we had left she had not felt quite right.  She had spoken with the out of hours Gp and they advised she should go to her local maternity unit.  Upon arrival she thought it would be a quick check over make sure that baby was behaving and back home before midnight.  On speaking to her it appeared she was going into premature labour and her poor mum had rushed back to their house to grab the bag that we had only packed that afternoon. At this point she was almost 26 weeks.  She informed me that she was to be blue lighted to the nearest hospital with a NICU bed available for babies under 30 weeks gestation.  Her main concern was to get my son back from Salisbury which is 3-4 hour drive from their home.  On that score she need not have worried as by the time I spoke to him he had already spoken with his Sargent and was put in a car and driven back to Suffolk arriving at the hospital in the early hours of the morning.  I don't think any of us got much sleep that night but by the morning they had managed to stop labour but were monitoring her closely.  Little baby was still at this time playing fantasy football inside his mummy and the doctors didn't seem to have any major concerns about him, but had started preparing him for arriving early by giving mum steroids for his lungs and extra fluids for his brain.  For the next 48 hours things went a little quiet and we were hopeful that things would settle back down at least for a couple more weeks. Unfortunately by the Wednesday labour had started again and this time things were progressing rather quickly and they were unable to stop the labour.

Our little grandson Freddie arrived on Wednesday 8th August at 12.20 in the afternoon weighing 866g, not even a bag of sugar bless him, but he came out with arms and legs flaying and soon found his voice much to everyone's relief.  They were told that the first 48 hours would be critical and every day after that a bonus.

He was so tiny that even the smallest knitted hats I made were still too big. 

The first weeks of his life were spent in an incubator and at the beginning these little bonding triangles were the only skin to skin contact he could have with his mummy. I made several batches of these in very bright colours so after they had been washed she would know which ones belonged to Freddie. He even had a trip down to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for a procedure. I don't think either of them dared to hope everything would be alright for at least the first 6 weeks.  I am so incredibly proud in the way my son and his partner have coped.  They are still only in their 20's and to me at least, have dealt with this whole situation so amazingly well and should be very proud of themselves. 

There were several occasions when he was put under the lamp for jaundice although he teetered on the threshold for requiring treatment.  He looked so funny with the mask over his little eyes. We said he looked like he was on a spa day or heading to the disco.

At 8 weeks he upgraded to a cot within the NICU unit and classed as high dependence rather than intensive care.   He is now 10 weeks old and doing so well that I felt able to share our news with you. He still has away to go before he can go home with his mummy, daddy and Ralph Cat, but his mummy and daddy have been working very hard to get his room ready for when he does come home. 

    

Even I have had a job to do.  This old chest of draws was in need of a little TLC before its upcycling transformation, using  Rustoleum chalk paint in Winter Grey and sealed with their finishing wax.

It has been an incredibly worrying time for all the family but I finally feel we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for this little one and I will finally get to have my grandma cuddles.

Saturday 17th November is  World Prematurity Day and you can find out more about this here on the BLISS website. I was amazed to learn that around 15 million premature babies are born around the world each year and sadly is still the biggest cause of death in the under 5's.  Those babies born at 26 weeks like our Freddie now  have a 95% chance of surviving. My own sister, now in her 40's was born at 28 weeks and we were told she only had a 50% chance of survival.  Babies as young as 23 weeks are now surviving, so it just goes to show how far the medical teams and the research into premature birth has come.

This week marks Baby loss week and  many have been lighting candles for those little ones who could not stay.    I never thought as a family we would find ourselves in this situation but I am so grateful that we have had such support from the medical staff who have been looking after our beautiful boy.  He is truly a little fighter and our little miracle.

Mx

The Crow Trap (Vera Stanhope) Book 1 - Ann Cleeves

Three very different women come together to complete an environmental survey on the Northumberland countryside. Three women who, in some way or another, know the meaning of betrayal... For team leader Rachael Lambert the project is the project opportunity to rebuild her confidence after a double-betrayal by her lover and boss, Peter Kemp. Botanist Ann Preece, on the other hand, sees it as a chance to indulge in a little deception of her own. And there is Grace Fulwell, a strange, uncommunicative young women with plenty of her own secrets to hide...

When Rachael arrives at the cottage, however, she is horrified to discover the body of her friend Bella Furness. Bella, it appears has committed suicide - a verdict Rachael finds impossible to accept. 

Only when the next death occurs does a fourth women enter the picture - the unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope, who must piece together the truth from these women's tangled lives in The Crow Trap.

Written in a completely different style to that of the Shetland series Ann Cleeves introduces to one of  her other well known characters Vera Stanhope. The Crow Trap is the first in the series of books and is written in 3 parts over 537 pages.

Part one introduces you to the three main characters Rachael Lambert, Ann Preece and Grace Fulwell.  You get to know each of these women and the trials and tribulations of their lives and their perception of their other house mates.  For some they may find that becoming so involved in the lives of these women is not necessarily relevant to the crux of the story but I actually preferred getting to know each of the characters as individuals before the introducing DI Stanhope. At the end of Part one a crime has been committed and a body found.

Part two brings in DI Vera Stanhope to investigate the crime, who comes across as a female version of Columbo.  Now he came across as the bumbling detective but we all know  behind that persona was a very intuitive man. In part two Ann Cleeves introduces the wider characters, each has something to gain from the demise and be responsible for the murder of not one but two.


Part three we start and get to know more about Vera and her background from her turbulent relationship with her father to Vera herself.  She continues to investigate the murders that have taken place and gradually puts together pieces of the jigsaw. By this stage in the book I think you will probably have your own suspects and its more about finding out whether you are right or whether a curve ball  has been thrown right at the end....

I have watched some of the tv series Vera but don't remember seeing this one which was better in away as it meant I didn't have preconceived ideas on how the book would go.  I really enjoyed reading The Crow Trap and will definitely be reading further books in this and the Shetland series of novels, for now though I will move onto one or two other authors for a while.

Mx

Yarndale 2018

So Autumn is with us once more.  I have to say that Autumn is my favourite season with all its glorious deep colours for me there is just nothing like it.  With Autumn arriving it usually means there are those long awaited shows back on the TV. Bake Off and Strictly to name but two.  But most of all with Autumn arriving brings the countdown to another weekend of YARNDALE.....

As with last year myself and my companion finished work on Thursday lunchtime and normally we would head back to the farm house.

This year however we decided to call into  East Bridgeford Garden Centre  which has recently been refurbished and we had heard lots of nice things about it.There is a lovely gift area and food hall including a deli, bakery and butchers and of course a restaurant that has the most gorgeous looking cakes.

We were very restrained and settled for a cup of tea and a scone the size of a doorstop as we already had a table booked for a meal later in the evening, but we will certainly be back before Christmas for afternoon tea, well it would be rude not to.

Once back at the farm house we checked we have all the essentials.  Sweets for the journey. All the postcodes required for the sat nav to get us to our destination of choice. Wool sorted for the wool amnesty, well this tricks the bearded one into thinking I'm getting rid of some of my stash when in reality its only the leftovers from previous projects that isn't enough to create something else so it goes to the amnesty which is for a very good cause and in turn creates room, meaning I can then purchase yet more wool over the Yarndale weekend.  Reservation details for our hotel booking and of course the most essential item our tickets to Yarndale.

We treated ourselves to a meal out  to our local Brewers Fayre. They seem to cater for everyone no matter what your dietary requirements may be, even if we did confuse the poor waiter who thought we had snuffled the next tables deserts. Turned out the waitress who took our order had put the wrong table number on her docket.





Come the Friday morning we set off like Thelma & Louise off up the A1.  Last year we stopped off at Haworth where we had a lovely lunch at the  Apothecary Tea Rooms  and visited the Bronte museum and vicarage both of which were well worth a visit en route to Skipton.

This year we headed to Crimple Hall Antiques & Garden Centre wondering around the garden centre, gift area and the antiques before stopping for a light lunch.

We then headed on into Harrogate.  We didn't go into Bettys as before this picture was taken the queue was right around the corner and some.  May be another time just so we can say you have been.  We had a lovely afternoon of retail therapy and yes a couple of Christmas presents were purchased. 

We also discovered this hat shop that must be the biggest display of hats for all occasions that I have ever seen.

Tired and wiry we headed onto Skipton and booked into our hotel.  We chose to stay at the Rendezvous Hotel  again this year.  The staff are very accommodating, even putting us in exactly the same rooms as we had last year looking over the canal and always find us a table in their Baby Swan restaurant.   

Saturday morning arrived and we headed off to the auction mart parked the car and headed over to Kelham Farm Shop where we enjoyed a gorgeous breakfast and picked up one or two snacks for later in the day.

As in all the previous years the bunting was up its amazing that after six years of Yarndale it still looks fabulous as you walk into the hub.

The staff were there ready to help and answer any questions and all the previous years bags were there on sale together with note books and pens, pin badges and the new project bags.  No calendar unfortunately this year, which for me was a little disappointing as I usually have it on my office wall where I can see lovely yarny things all day whilst at my desk.

This years charity project was butterflies.  I have always contributed in previous years but I'm afraid my skills do not run to the making of one of these.  They did look splendid and there were some that had been made into broaches which you could purchase for a donation.

and I just have to show you this amazing display of poppies which were up in the hub this year and to hear people talking about what the poppies mean to them and their families.

We did of course pop along to see Lucy and Christine in the Knit & Knatter lounge and enjoyed a catch up with both these lovely ladies.

The knit & knatter lounge has had a face lift this year and the seating is a lot kinder on your derriere now. No need to bring a comfy cushion or to fold up your coat to sit on.

I did manage to find my socks on the sockline and whilst there managed to bump into a couple of my IG pals, which was lovely to say hi face to face, unfortunately I didn't take any photo's so that's a note to self for next year.

I did smile when I saw the board outside Coopers this year, I think it just about sums up Yarndale.  We didn't get a chance to call in this year but we did get to have the most gorgeous fish & chips at Bizzie Lizzies and will definitely be returning again in the future.

After a wonderful weekend we returned home my purse feeling a little lighter but with every penny well spent.

I bought these little stitch holders and I'm ashamed to say I cannot remember from which stall holder,  but I think they represent our little crafting community don't you. I heard so many different languages being spoken as we went around this year. It always amazes me that some will come far and wide just for a weekend or include a stop at Yarndale as part of their holiday.

Now here is an important bit of info.  Next year the UCI cycle race will be on at the same time as Yarndale and some hotels have been asked to block out any available rooms for those who are following the races across the week, so you if you are thinking of coming along next year you may want to start and think about your accommodation now.  B & B's don't seem to be too bad and there are plenty of cottages available,  we have managed to book into the Craven Heifer Hotel at Kelbrook. The race doesn't actually come through Skipton until the Sunday and then not until around lunchtime. By the sounds of it the Yarndale team have done their homework and apparently there will be rolling road closures on that day and should not therefore affect Yarndaler's getting in on the train and picking up the buses but I'm sure they will keep us all informed.

Well that is my Yarndale journey over for another year and we are already making plans for next years trip.

Mx