Give me one good reason

I think I've got to slow down. I am so tired, I don't seem to have the energy.

I'm working extra hours doing clinics as one of the physiologists is away for five weeks over Christmas/New Year.

My three week holiday at the end of next week cannot come fast enough. I used to take holidays all the time in the UK, but I don't think I have done much holidaying since arriving in NZ. I've collected so much vacation time in the last two years. Luckily we can role it over from year to year.

Respectful tact pays off

I view the improvements going on within the Sleep Clinic as a microcosm of the current/future improvements going on in the world.

The red-tape and bureaucracy of the hospital has always had us scratching our heads with its complicated pathways of getting anything done. The Sleep Clinic used to mirror this, but is now flowing better and is completely transparent.

Laurie Penny: The Unforgiving Minute

I came across this excellently written article. She has nailed it in a way I've never been able to express.


Longreads November 2017

“I’m sick of being asked to suffer so a man can grow.”

– Alexandra Petri

“Everyone. Fucking. Knew.”

– Scott Rosenberg

This is actually happening.

Change all change

Woohoo!

I got it.

I cannot tell you how much the wait has been preying on my mind.

Change of mind-set

We have some new neighbours that moved in about two weeks ago.

They've had more fights than the amount of days they've lived there. There are two little kids that the woman yells and swears at regularly, when she is not screaming at the guy, who never seems to say anything but leave the house, before slamming the door that the whole neighbourhood reverberates with.

Redwoods Treewalk, Rotorua, New Zealand

Mid July we went to Rotorua for a weekend - Ash, Traev, Jack, Greg and I.

One of the places we visited was the Redwoods Treewalk. I have a fear of heights, but was determined to do it. Wasn't too bad until they started jumping on the rope walks which freaked me out somewhat!

Oh and it was bloody cold...obviously as it was the middle of winter!

Long eventful winter

It's been a long and very eventful winter down here in the southern hemisphere.

Taking on the position of Team Leader, completely making over the Sleep Clinic - how it operates, it's protocols, re-arranging the configuration of rooms, interviewing and training new staff, meeting after meeting, etc., feeling so knackered after long hard hours of work putting everything into place. And then to top it all, our daughter leaving to go back to Sydney, the neglect of my husband, son and daughter. Pure exhaustion trying to fit in Skype conversations with family and friends in other parts of the world, juggling visits with family and friends here. Mostly everyone has been very understanding, supportive and not too demanding as I find my feet. It was my need to always be perfectly on top of everything that was not only (I realise now) impossible, but silly. But...I'd do it again in the blink of an eye.

I'm still standing

I am loving every moment, well most moments, in the position.

I've always been shy and, what most would call, aloof. That has changed without me noticing. I find myself being pushed into situations with strangers and to my surprise, I'm okay with it.

The British-ness of being British

Every so often, I get hit with a wave of homesickness for the UK, for being surrounded by British-ness, English accents in all their various forms, the subtle and not so subtle humour, the ability to laugh at themselves, English gardens, houses...just everything, including the weather.

De-cluttering and moving forward

The first two weeks in the position of Acting Team Leader has been quite a challenge, an exciting challenge. I was starting to get a bit bored with my job, feeling like I needed more stimulation and boy, did I get it in bucketloads!!

The next stepping stone

It's been an up and down week full of surprises and uncertainties.

I'd not heard anything from the business manager since her answer to my email last week. I was starting to worry that maybe I was jumping the gun in assuming.

Acting Team Leader proposal

I took the bull by the horns yesterday afternoon.

Quite simply put, it seemed that nothing was being put in place once our manager leaves tomorrow. Place is in an uproar cos no-one is taking charge and making decisions.

It is stressing everyone out.

Personalities and perceptions

Personality profiling has come to my attention again.

When my kids enrolled at the Steiner/Waldorf schools in South Africa (and later in the UK) they used this profiling to understand each child in the class. I found it fascinating.

Gridlock and Responsibility

Richard's in Melbourne this weekend. Says it's a great city with a good vibe.

But...he misses Hamilton and its laid back life.

Haha...I said I'd gotten a bit freaked this last week as instead of 5 cars on the road there were 10!

Smoke and mirrors

We had our second meeting early this morning. It was very long and extremely fruitful.

The whole change is and has been handled with compassion and understanding, and....they listen, actually listen, take note and ask for/make suggestions. Things are crawling out of the woodwork that have the managers going :-0.

Lawn mowing service

Greg and I have this ongoing "growly" issue about the lawn mowing service.

They've been mowing the lawn every two weeks (except winter time) since I moved in March last year.

He hates that we are paying someone else to do the lawn. Why? I still haven't gotten a proper answer from him and every two weeks when they come to do it, we have this growly session about it.

Scurrying back to that which we know

Have you noticed that the energy feels lighter this week?

Richard and I (working at night) have been discussing the energies lately. Last week we both felt dragged down, heavy and desperate to get back to where we thought we belonged. Me back to the UK, him back to Texas to be with his family. I half filled out the job application for the deputy manager job and he contacted recruitment agents in Texas.

Community spirit

A few Friday's ago, Ashlee, Traevis and I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. Since then the song Brandy You're a Fine Girl has been playing in my head ALL of the time. I even wake to it...lol. We all really enjoyed it's lightheartedness and the amazing music. In fact, I think it is far better than the first one.

Exhausted, over tired and yet very positive

It's been a while since I last posted anything.

I find myself going "yes that's an interesting article to upload" and by the time I get around to doing it, it seems irrelevant, so I don't bother.

That's how fast things are moving for me...and I reckon for most of us. We cannot keep up!

We can barely hang on to this roller coaster, let alone take time to stop and smell the roses.

New improved being

I've been on-call since Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, it's difficult to do much. We've been out at dinner and I've been called back, in the middle of my meal, by the hospital to attend a patient in the High Dependency Unit. So as a result, I try not to organise much for these times.

Of course now that we are one woman down, we will be on-call more often.