with all the drama around cleo, and yes she is about 90% back to her old self except for a few shaved spots on her front legs and neck (pics to follow)….i forgot that i had a good talk with someone at work that peaked my interest.
i used to be a fairly good walker, used to be quite fit and strong actually and the lady i talked to is one year older than me…she and another younger runner were trying to drum up interest for this little test of endurance…the national three peaks challenge
apparently it is best done in the long days of summer, you start on one mountain (?) at 5pm, hike for 5 hours and come down about 10pm just as it is getting really dark drive to the next one and start up that one at 4-5am….finish around 10am and head to the third and finish it all…or collapse…in 24 hours.
The mountains climbed, in order of elevation, are Ben Nevis in Western Scotland, 1,344 metres (4,409 ft), Snowdon in North Wales, 1,085 metres (3,560 ft), and Scafell Pike in North-Western England, 978 metres (3,209 ft). In all the challenge involves some 42 kilometres (26 mi) of ascent and descent, with total travel approaching 765 kilometres (475 mi). The challenge is usually undertaken starting with Ben Nevis, the highest, and for many the most distant.
it’s called the national three peaks because one of the mountains is in scotland, england, and wales…
needless to say the two nurses trying to organize it did not get enough people to sign up (and fork out the cash for the accommodation) so now they have backtracked a little and have scheduled a training hike of just mt snowdon for the 4th of may…i am seriously considering giving it a go…at least i will get a ride a car~~
our girl cleo, is not well. she has been not herself for a few days. sunday it all got serious.
first clue? she didn’t come running down the stairs for the first of several feedings…even when i called her, shook her packet of food… she didn’t come. eventually i went up and carried her down, gathered up a few prawns and took her out to the greenhouse…she didn’t eat her prawns…
that alone is an ominous sign in a cat that usually takes up a permanent position next to the fridge when she knows prawns are about…she wouldn’t lay down and after i carried her back in she pretty much just collapsed flat on her tummy right where i placed her. she was obviously breathing heavy…increasingly noisy…
being a critical care nurse i started looking at her more as a patient than a big lovable ball of fur. i looked up the normal respiratory rate for a cat…20-40…and using the stopwatch on my phone counted hers at about 40. what else can you do to assess a cat?? at least a baby cries, tugs at their ear, turns red or warm….
about 10pm she really started coughing and struggling, i called the vet and got the numbers for the vet ER, got the cat carrier out of the loft and pretty much made an urgent plan B. she settled for awhile until about 2am, she started coughing again and her breathing got very shallow…i know all to well that people and cats, i assume, tire out after many hours of laboured breathing.
so i took her by taxi to the all night vet, where the vet nurse sally was the perkiest nightshift person i have ever seen. the vet thinks she has a chest infection not asthma…she got 5 shots…antibiotics, two for her breathing, a diuretic (in case its fluid overload due an undiagnosed heart condition) and something to help her relax.
the vet couldn’t be sure until they do an xray, which she thought would be cheaper if i waited and took her in to the regular vet during office hours…so we came home,
she was definitely better but still just laid there with her eyes wide open and still not eating, even when i brought her a small dish of food to her favorite warm spot at the top of the stairs. i called the vet in the morning and brought her in, by taxi…i was surprised that they planned to keep her all day….
i called for an update at 2pm, she had blood work done and they said she was able to lie still for the xray…no sedation. i’m going to pick her up shortly and they will give me the diagnosis.
i miss her and teared up when i had to leave her at the vet…i wonder if she thinks i abandoned her.
why do i feel like an unemployed american?? because i don’t have pet insurance and this is heading towards a £400 bill….but what else could i do??? she’s our girl, cleo~~
in case anyone is interested and hasn’t noticed my little ticker on the side with the airplane which is counting down…my middle child, oldest son, matt is coming to visit in one month, one week and two days…
we’ve only seen each other a few days in the past five years and so it will be nice to just relax and catch up.
anyone who comes to visit me from the states should expect a list of things (mostly food) for me. so far here’s mine…
my favorite snack for which there is no suitable sub in england
okay, just bring the truckload...
i'm going to teach matt how to make his favorite christmas cookies with these...one minute oats. not regular and not instant....
gold toe socks...
there will be a few more things but can’t get any photos…packets of hidden valley ranch and good season’s salad dressing…
oh yeah, some fresh real new york bagels!!!!!!!
mr a sent me this in response to the shopping in PJ’s post……
You can happily shop here looking like a fucking tramp, claims Aldi
After a Tesco store asked customers not to shop in their pyjamas or barefoot, supermarket chain Aldi has made it clear it is happy for their customers to continue looking like a bunch of inebriated vagrants.
The Tesco store in St Mellon in Cardiff has posted notices asking customers to “stop dressing like a fucking tramp all of the fucking time” alienating large numbers of tramp resembling local residents.
A Tesco spokesperson said, “Look, we’re not killjoys here, but we’d prefer it if you made just a slight effort when giving us all of your benefit money.”
“The one concession we ask for when dealing with the generally disgusting public, is that they make themselves look respectable. We know they’re not, but we’re happy with a shallow façade.”
“When that’s gone, it’s more than we can stomach, to be honest.”
Welcome
However, Aldi has claimed it would welcome such shoppers with open arms, so long as they have a few pennies in their pockets.
“We’re not fussy. At all.” said a spokesperson.
“We’ve built a thriving business based on shoppers who look like they’ve stepped off the set of a Zombie movie, so we’ll take them if Tesco don’t want them.
“After a while, the stench of shit and piss tends to fade, and you can focus on all the money they’re giving you. From a small purse. Kept in their underpants.”
“In fact, most of our offers rely on you shopping with the urgency of someone who has recently soiled themselves.”
“The only people we don’t want in our store are people called Kerry Katona.”
hilarious!! it’s from a BBC spoof website…check it out here
i went to london again today…early there 0730 and early return 1420…
the day was okay but the train rides…both of them were amazingly civilized and enjoyable!
in the morning, instead of the usual cattle car of suits and well, women in suits…the train was half empty! i got a seat at a table all to myself and had internet connection all the way to london! which i now know makes the time go so much faster……
the trip home was a completely different crowd…lots of couples, ladies having a day out and grans going to visit the grandkids out in the country for the weekend. it was a really pleasant relaxed atmosphere and once again i had a seat to myself…and the internet!!
the journey home included lots of nice scenery of the english countryside in the sunshine….cows, sheep and horses…..
it made me remember some of the good things about living here and i have a remote grumbling urge to get a drivers licence so i can get out and enjoy what’s out there.
i thought this was funny…
Tesco ban on shoppers in pyjamas
A Tesco store has asked customers not to shop in their pyjamas or barefoot.
Notices have been put up in the chain’s supermarket in St Mellons in Cardiff saying: “Footwear must be worn at all times and no nightwear is permitted.”
A spokesman said Tesco did not have a strict dress code but it did not want people shopping in their nightwear in case it offended other customers.
He said he was not aware of any other Tesco stores having to put up similar signs.
The signs are placed at the entrance to the store, on the city’s outskirts.
They read: “To avoid causing offence or embarrassment to others we ask that our customers are appropriately dressed when visiting our store (footwear must be worn at all times and no nightwear is permitted).”
EdgeOfReason, St Albans, UKThe spokesman said: “We’re not a nightclub with a strict dress code, and jeans and trainers are of course more than welcome.
“We do, however, request that customers do not shop in their PJs or nightgowns. “This is to avoid causing offence or embarrassment to others.”
Elaine Carmody, 24, a full-time mother of two young boys, described the ban as “ridiculous” and “pathetic”.
She said she had regularly gone shopping at the store in her pyjamas until about a week ago when she was turned away when she went to buy cigarettes.
She said she had been “popping in for a pack of fags,” but if she had been doing a full shop “then we obviously would have gone in clothed”.
“But we only wanted fags and they still refused us to go in for a pack of cigarettes,” she added.
Ms Carmody, who spoke after spending £102 in the supermarket, added: “If you’re allowed to wear jogging bottoms, why aren’t you allowed to wear pyjamas in there? That’s what I don’t understand.
“I think it’s stupid really not being allowed in the supermarket with pyjamas on.
“It’s not as if they’re going to fall down or anything like that. They should be happy because you’re going to spend all that money.”
She went on: “It’s not as if you’re making a show. If anything, they should be happy because you’re spending your money in their shop, but obviously they’re not, because you’re not allowed in with pyjamas.
“So they’re going to lose their custom, with people going to other shops to buy stuff and they’re allowed in with their pyjamas on.”
Elaine Carmody was refused service at the Tesco store for wearing pyjamas 
well, funny in a weird kind of..i saw a woman once in her pajamas and slippers at the shop by my house…way. i know all the english people will point out that story was in cardiff (wales) but obviously it happens across the border too!
i see her point that there isn’t much difference between sweat pants and pajama bottoms but….if you bought them in the sleepwear section of the store that should be pretty self explanatory. if you want to sleep in a 3 piece suit and then go shopping at tesco that’s another story…or if you want to wear the same clothes and skip bathing for a week i guess that’s okay too…
and just in case you’ve missed this and want to see what we wear to go shopping in the states….we, meaning everyone of the 3 billion americans…check out the people of walmart
i went to london today…it was a mixed bag of really good stuff where my opinion was needed and a bunch of cringe-worthy moments.
one of the best things was that i saw the junior IT lady, who happens to be black on the stairs and asked if my boss had replied to her email asking for his decision about 3 things….she hadn’t and i explained that it was because he was working on the unit and i would be happy to make sure he responds tomorrow. we all discussed it at the afternoon meeting, without my boss, and the IT woman passed me a note. it said “hi tracy, i still want to have JB’s feedback”. i smiled and nodded…
i guess i just have to learn to make my own relationships and alliances…maybe it paid off that i always thank this IT lady for all her hard work.
the highlight of my trips to london are now my choice of sandwich…i have a current craving for pret manger
A classic recipe (stolen from our stateside friends) of salt beef, gherkins, mustard mayo and leaf spinach on our 7-grain bloomer bread (we counted!).
salt beef=corned beef….the best part?? pickles on the sandwich!! love pickles on my sandwiches….just remembered how you always get a pickle on your plate in the US…
today they were all out of the new yorker (a testament to its popularity i think) so i tried something equally adventerous…
Prosciutto, Italian Matured Cheese, Tomatoes, Mayo, Whole-Leaf Basil
didn’t like the mayo so much but the rest was yummy!
i’m going again friday anybody see something from the menu they’s like me to taste test???
Dear All
Please may I remind all staff that chairs taken from desks around the building must be put back in its original place after they have been borrowed. It makes it difficult for facilities staff to locate chairs especially if that chair has been made for that employee specifically. Before borrowing a chair, please can I encourage you to ask a member of that team if it is available for that day. And could I also encourage employees to put their names on the chairs which would make it easier for facilities to find.
And lastly, please do not remove chairs and take them to another floor.
maybe i am just out of touch but when i work in the hospital we are happy to have any opportunity to sit down…four legs and a seat…i’m on it!!
and from the same detail oriented person
Dear All
When entering the lift (for those of you who use it), please mind the step when entering. For some reason, the lift has raised itself a few inches above normal when reaching the ground floor. The engineers have been called, and a notice has been put up. We ask you to please be aware. Thank you.
i can’t seem to find the other stupid emails i get…someone took my yogurt from the fridge, the lifts are out of order, the lifts are working,, book club meeting is today at 3pm, whoever spilled a clear liquid on the floor please clean it up….
last i knew you had to be at least 18 years old to work and maybe i find it an extra waste of my time because i am 2 hours away from london so i couldn’t care less if the lifts are working!!!
maybe i will rewrite that to reveal its “real” meaning….instead of “hi all”…maybe
HEY YOU! the inconsiderate, selfish idiot who took sam jones specially fitted, hand measured, mega costlychair….
i don’t think my previous post made much sense even to me but that’s exactly how i feel…i can’t concentrate, my thoughts are all over the place and i don’t know what i want/need or even weirder what pisses me off!
that’s one thing i am reliable for…being really annoyed at something! but just like nothing really excites me~nothing really gets me angry anymore.
matt is coming in just over a month, that is the only thing that makes me perk up…on a scale of 1>10 in my current state it only hits about 5…and it’s nothing to do with him…
i was looking at around the world plane tickets just to get an idea for the paper i’m writing…something that in the past would have sent me into hours of blissful daydreaming…nothing-nada…couldn’t really think of someplace i’d like to go and just felt it would be so much hassle to carry bags around through all those airports….
i was standing by my front door waiting for a taxi to work sunday morning, looking at the piece of glass hanging there (that i made)…clear, textured glass surrounded by blue, green and yellow…do you think i was inspired? proud?admiring how it sparkled?? nope….all i could think about was the crappy frame and how i used two slightly different colours of green…no joy at all…
i know everyone will say it’s the mental menopause or just plain middle age or some other crap…maybe it is but this is what i always thought being on anti depressant would be like…feeling flat…..no ups and downs….and i never wanted that. i thought menopause was all ups and downs and mood swings…other than my big waterworks last week i’ve been amazingly without drama….although maybe i should ask mr a about that.
so, today i am up at my usual insanely perfect wake up time of 8am…i will be attempting t least a partial canal walk to town (barring rain) to collect yet more articles that julie has printed out for me, i will be looking for a nursing research book to have for myself, i need a notebook to put the articles in and i may look for a pair of sweat pants….
where does all that hit on the aforementioned excitement scale??? about 1.5
there’s nothing great going on here…it’s pretty bad actually….inside my head. james apparently didn’t like cleo’s letter but that hasn’t stopped him from asking for money~~~
my job??? i am so fucking fed up with everyone and the truth is they probably don’t realize how shitty i feel about the whole thing.
i worked at my “real” job yesterday and my boss was being well…the boss! i had two patients and he was so fucking good it made all the research bullshit worthwhile. he was on the unit ALL day, on a sunday. one person died and another needed a brain stem death test at 5pm and he talked to one of my patients family for nearly an hour with the patience of a saint mainly because the mum kicked off and was screaming the day before. apparently she made the nurse cry and was in my bosses face….he has a habit of taking a deep breath and a pause before responding to some questions and this woman shouted at him…”aren’t you going to answer me???” not good…
today i thought it all over and decided that i used to feel torn between the ones down there in london and my boss (nutter that he is) now they have forced me to choose and i have to say that my loyalty is definitely with my boss.
oh yeah, he embarrassed me twice yesterday by introducing me to the registrar and the SHO and the crazy mum’s family as ” a research nurse working on a quality improvement project with national resposibilities who carries her experience quietly”
i am working on my first assignment for my master’s degree, i have about 30 research articles (thanks to julie j) and 1013 of the 3000+ words i need. i am getting really good at reading research articles…i check the date and i can pick out the good ones and not so good ones…
we had some snow again today~so the cats are in hibernation mode
i have been soothing myself during the day with listening to WXRT, the chicago radio station. i am fixated on one song. they have a playlist but it was NOT there!!! this is a personal mission…the lyrics go something loike…
c’mon over to my yard
let your troubles melt away
c’mon over to my yard
heavens right here
this reminds me of another song~~~~
this song used to haunt my sleep after night shifts…and it’s just as good now….
sometimes it’s all in the journey
