Pinnacle

Ian and Sarah managed to make it up to Sheffield yesterday. Their COVID isolation period was over. Neither of them had had any COVID symptoms but Sarah had tested positive twice. Like God, this damned virus moves in mysterious ways.

Shirley  got a message from my younger brother Simon. He had just been watching the popular late afternoon quiz show - "Tipping Point" hosted by Ben Shephard. Apparently there had been a question about "Bosh!"

With some difficulty I located the show via the ITV catch up service. It was in the second section that Ben Shephard asked smiley contestant Naureen this: "In 2019, vegan chefs  Henry Firth and Ian Theasby published a recipe book that had a three word title - "Bish! Bash!..." and?"

Naureen said "Bosh!" which was of course correct.

Then I turned to Ian and said, "That's bloody amazing! Forget everything else that "Bosh!" have achieved. Having a question asked about you on 'Tipping Point' is the pinnacle. Things don't get any better than this!"

Ian and Henry have just published their seventh book. It is called "Bosh! On a Budget". It is packed with wallet-friendly recipes, including one for a chocolate bar named after me - 'Neil's Tiger Bar'! Can you believe it? I haven't made it yet but I will be doing real soon. I am sure it will be delicious!

In other "Bosh!" news, I am proud to let you know that over all they have now sold more than a million vegan recipe books. This is truly awesome

Ian is sleeping now - upstairs in his old room with his lovely girlfriend and we are off to The Crucible theatre on Wednesday afternoon to see a musical called "She Loves Me". Unfortunately, the evening football match that we also have tickets for  has been called off because of COVID amongst the players. 

For me, Sheffield United versus Hull City is a home match and I was so looking forward to it. My good friend Tony was going to drive over for it from East Yorkshire but that plan has now been scuppered. Bloody, horrible, nasty, shitty, tiresome, annoying, blasted, bloody COVID! I am heartily sick of it. Perhaps I have reached my own "tipping point"!

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Flirt

 

Yesterday I had to trouble shoot a medicine problem and organise some much needed emergency medication from a main pharmacy down the coast.

It was a bank holiday so things were tight with departments closed and on minimal staffing 

I am pretty efficient when supporting problems and always find talking to senior staff first is pragmatic and time saving. 

I spoke to a friendly senior pharmacist with a delightful Lancashire accent and we bounced off each other like two ping pong balls .

He sorted my problem out with much laughing and I suddenly found myself wanting to flirt with the person behind the voice 

His name is Ian 

I’m looking for an excuse to call again 

I’m a daft old fool 

Hey ho

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Love it

 Live it

Love it

And give thanks

For all

You have.                                                                                 

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Teams

Well it’s a time for a change from Christmas Card Gate.

The cottage looks like the Wreck Of The Hesperus and I’m getting things ship shape again, with cards being wrapped up and put away, clothes washed and floors scrubbed clean

I’m also sorting out my Christmas gifts one of which is a lovely Lino cut of a wood, a gift from my twin sister. 

I’ve taken down a framed award I received on behalf of a ward team I once ran and swapped it for the linocut. 

I’m in the process of finding a place for the award and have been left musing about all of the teams I have been a part of over the years

Each team I have worked with has possessed it’s own strengths and weaknesses.

Of course this is governed in part by the type of leadership employed for and by each one and the mutual support systems set up between the individual members.

The massive Intensive Care Team was perhaps the most structured, technically astute and cohesive team whereas the  psychiatric ward team, by nature of the work was more lateral thinking, humorous and anarchic. 

I am conceited enough to think of the spinal injury team I once lead was one of the happiest but it was certainly the most eclectic given it’s teaching hospital status, speciality and situation in the melting pot that is Sheffield in South Yorkshire. 

Sheffield nurses, in my experience are much more vocal and militant than any others I have worked alongside.

Not a bad trait I think.

The hospice nurses in general  have a pace all of their own and remind me of the African nurses I have had the pleasure of working alongside with in Yorkshire . 

Nurses that glided but were never hurried

Teams run well where support and respect is mutual, management is fair, evident and consistent and humour is encouraged.  

A mixture of sexes, ages and lifestyles help too

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