Thursday 2nd to Friday 3rd June

Thursday, and this afternoon I had my induction at the John Radcliffe hospital. I had passed all the checks including health and disclosure, and I must have been given good references 😀

We were all handed two tests today which we had to complete before we could actually start our volunteering duties – Fire Awareness and Safeguarding Adults. So I decided to stay on after the meeting and complete them straight away as I knew I would be distracted with other things to do when I got back home. So they brought me another mug of tea and I made a start. For both subjects there was some reading to be done and then a whole load of questions to be answered. My concentration is not good at all, put this together with the fact that I was sat in the hospital restaurant (and I like people watching!) and I was sat near a lady that wanted to keep chatting to me, I had to keep re-reading some of the questions to try to make them clear in my head! I find out my results tomorrow … 😖

I met up with Dr Collier then to update her on things. She briefly introduced me to a man who is in the hospital at the moment and who I think might be my first ‘patient’.

For some reason this took me back to when I was just led in my hospital bed in critical care when I was so extremely weak. I can remember a time when the nurse brought me a pen and some paper as I was trying to communicate (I’m wondering if it was when I had pneumonia and had the really big very tight mask on so I couldn’t talk) but I couldn’t control the pen or was even able to press down hard enough to make any sort of mark on the paper. I wasn’t even strong enough to be able to suck water up through a straw! Even though at times I do get upset when I think back, I do also think it is a good thing for me to do, so I can remember just how ill I was and how well I am doing now, as I am very hard on myself and often think I should be doing more.

I think I eventually got home about 6.30. I quickly ate two small sausage rolls and a few crisps and was straight back out for my evening walk 🚶🚶🚶

Leah and Jack had been a little more energetic than me and had been to the gym 🏋

Friday, and this morning Robyn and Leah went away with their dad to Scotland for the weekend. They were going to visit the town of Dunbar, which is also their surname!

A sad day for me though. I had to be at work early so that I could finish in time to go to my friend Sue’s funeral. She certainly was, and quite rightly so, a much loved and very popular lady – the church was packed full. Sue will be greatly missed.

One tiny bit of good news that was waiting for me when I got back and checked my emails, was that I passed my tests yesterday 🤗 Can you believe that? And I only got 1 question wrong from each test. I’m cleverer than I thought!!

I DID IT 😃