HHmmmm....... been a weird couple of days, with much reflection and learning going on. Got to review an interesting piece of television for my soon-to-be course leader. "the best of men" a program on a few weeks ago, showed very interesting nursing values and some valuable pre-nursing lessons. Catch it if  you can, twas good! On the bad side, my buddy tells me she has just been diagnosed with non hoskins lymphoma, high grade. Just had her first PET scan, and is glowing green, she tells me. Several lessons here - health is a lottery (she is 32, a triathlete, among other super fit qualities) regardless of lifestyle and it can bite you on the ass at any time. Positivism is an amazingly effective attitude in dealing full throttle with ones afflictions and lastly,  a sense of humor  however hard to attain, is crucial!


Love you kittykat 

Been, this bank holiday weekend, to a friend's for a street party. On reflection, getting all "hello, yes I AM a student nurse, aren't I wonderful!" was all fine and dandy, until I found out I was in the company of two doctors, one psychiatrist and one 30+ years experience nurse. Herewith lies the first fundemental lesson: Don't get cocky, there is always someone greater and you may just look silly!    And so the reflection begins .......................................................... :)

So, here we are. I am officially a student nurse :) Yes, me! How the hell did that happen? Well, I guess it started over ten years ago really, although I didn't know it at the time. A number of experiences, some good and some not so, have led me to this point, starting with my first foray into higher education back in 2000. That time I was a single 30 yr old looking for a life change. Did I get one! Met the man of my dreams and future daddy of my precious child, met a crazy, troubled man who turned his life around completely, became a nurse himself and who would inspire me to join him all these years later.

 After graduating with a 2.1 in Zoology, a huge overdraft and in total amazement that I actually passed at all, I began my career working with animals. I was a guide dog trainer and welfare worker ( lots of A&P, health, first aid, snappy patients), a primate / gorilla keeper (masses of nutrition, general healthcare, grumpy patients) and a wildlife rehabilitator (wound care, injury care, aggressive patients ...... see where I'm going with this?). I was a regular Miss Doolittle. happily bandaging torn doggy ears, bottle feeding baby bunnies and being peed on by rogue squirrel monkeys. Then I fell pregnant.  And then I had a baby. And that was it. My need to nurture humans burst through. 

I now find myself at a point that is right and ripe for me. My daughter is now at school, my partner is doing whatever he does, my dog doesn't do anything anyway and I am gearing up to be the best I've ever been.

You are welcome to follow my journey. I can't promise it will always be pretty. I can't promise it will always be pleasant but come anyway, at least it may make you smile xx