Medical 'Care'?

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When The Boy was born, the standard of care that I, and many of the other mothers there, received was pretty abismal. After all he had developed an infection at 12 hours old and I followed suit after three days. Contrastingly, the medical attention that I saw exhibited by a different set of paediatricians and nurses, when he was rushed in at three weeks old, was second to none.

During my father's various hospitalisations for his cancers over the past three years, I've seen different levels of care, which is quite worrying on cancer wards. All cancer removed twice due to a brilliant surgeon and brilliant aftercare. Then three weeks into chemotheraphy he's rushed in with an infection in his PICC line, and DVT in his arm, because the district nurse didn't clean it properly.

Earlier today, I was sat in the outpatients department of a hospital waiting for my 2.30 appointment. One of the other patients (what an appropriate word) was still waiting to be seen from her allocated time of 1.30. I was finally called at 3.25, bizarrely, she was still sat there. The hospital wasn't my local hospital (trust me, this is a good thing); I battled to be seen there for eight long months for a second opinion as I didn't trust the first doctor!

This is all an aside to my main point. The corridors were full of chatting nurses and doctors walking around in a sedatory manner. I felt like grabbing one of them by the shoulders, showing them the over-crowded waiting room and shaking them into awareness. "Pull your finger out! Get a move on!"

Last night my poor five year old nephew had to go to the local Accident & Emergency department with a bad burn to his hand; a Pancake Day injury. My sister took him in at 7.30pm and he was finally seen by the doctor at midnight! That only happened because our mum went and asked the packed staffroom if someone would be tending to him soon.

Similarly, when my mother was taken in with a broken upper arm (falling off a 6 foot high ladder, the fool!), it was five hours before she was seen by a doctor, treated and discharged. Five long hours with minimal painkillers, whilst the staff stood around chatting about their shopping lists and nights out. At the age of 63, she was deemed too old to be operated on! The fractured elbow was missed and only diagnosed a month later. It was absolutely appalling treatment.

Need another example of shoddy work? Look at how Mammywoo's poorly son was treated.

I know that any public sector job is hard. I'm not in the medical profession (although my brother is a paramedic married to a nurse practitioner) but I know the grief that comes with being the front-line of working with the public. I am fully aware that the hours are long, the pay is far from compensatory for the workload and the recognition is non-existant.

But just what the hell is going on in hospitals nowadays? Why is the standard of care and attention so variable?

Listography – Top 5 Children's Books

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The Listography guru that is KateTakes5 has set a topical theme this week. With World Book Day and the library closures in the news, we are to identify our top five children's books.

The Boy adores books almost as much as his daddy and I do, so this shouldn't be difficult to create a list of five books. Actually it's more difficult to only list five! However, here we go:

  • 'Dear Zoo' by Rod Campbell.

This is a firm favourite for bed times in our house and The Boy likes to 'read' it along with us, finishing off the lines from each page. We have the version that has flaps hiding the animals underneath.

  • 'I Love You Through and Through' by Bernadette Rosetti-Shustack

As I explained in my post the other day, this is probably the favourite bedtime book at the moment. It's either 'zoo', 'through' or one of the next ones on the list that is requested. It is such a loving and caring book to send a child to bed with warm and loving thoughts. I can not recommend it enough!

  • 'My Mum/Dad' by Anthony Browne

I The Boy bought 'My Dad' for hubby daddy last year for Fathers' Day and they both adored it immensely. I felt ridiculously jealous, so hubby had to go and buy me the mummy version! It is a brilliant book of why children love their mums and dads, including the fact that daddy 'isn't afraid of anyone, not even the big, bad wolf' (but he's petrified of spiders though!). I am depicted as Marilyn Monroe and I can live with that! The illustrations are as funny and clever as the book.

  • 'The Jolly Postman' by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

There should be an Ahlberg classic in everyone's list; they are such brilliant books that children love and parents find amusing. This book is a little too old for The Boy at the moment, but he already has the full set of the Jolly Postman books from when I trained to be a nursery teacher. He will enjoy fishing out the letters, presents and games because I do! In all seriousness, the way that there are mini-books and games within the main book is brilliant. Beautiful illustrations as well.

  • 'Tom's Midnight Garden' by Philippa Pearce

My all-time favourite children's novel. I adore it and probably still read it once every year or so. I always read it to my class (older juniors) and show them the DVD to help their understanding of some of the more complicated concepts. I think it is a fantastic piece of writing with humour, tenderness and mystery in it. LOVE this book!

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Movie Meme: The Director's Cut

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Well Hannah has completely gone and thrown me this week. After spending the past few days on twitter discussing one idea for this week's theme, she's gone and chosen another!

This week’s theme is Directors

Who is your favourite director? What film(s) are the reason why you love this director so much?

Um… pass?

I can't think of any? Hmmm… The problem is that whilst I really enjoy watching films and love the cinematography and storylines, I don't think I'm able to turn around and identify one single director as my favourite. I'm too 'middle of the road'. However, after much deliberation I have managed to choose one that has directed a couple of films that I adore.

Guess Who:

  • His real name is Mark Anthony (+surname)
  • His parents competed in ballroom competitions
  • He worked on the family gas station and farm
  • In 2004 he directed the world's most expensive advertisement for Chanel No 5, costing £18 million for 4 minutes
  • He was born in Australia
  • He directed the "Red Curtain Trilogy" (two of which are the aforementioned favourite films, the third only because I've not seen it)
  • In 1998 he released a brilliant single called "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)"

And if you haven't guessed it yet, my director of choice is:

Baz Luhrmann

I adore this film, completely and utterly! Everything about it makes me chuckle and I cannot break off for a drink or to use the necessary facilities. Probably just as well that I don't have a drink then!

The underlying humour and good-natured mocking at the ballroom dancing world is genius. I know a few people in the ballroom circuit who weren't happy with the portrayal of the fake-tan and sequins brigade at the time, but it is clearly not meant maliciously, especially bearing in mind his parents competed themselves.

Think Dirty Dancing come Ugly Duckling with a little of Come Dancing thrown in and you're there.

My other example of his work is probably the only film that I can stand to watch Nicole Kidman in, and that's only because of Ewan McGregor's brilliant singing and acting in it! They are completely indicative of Luhrmann's ingenuity and brilliance. McGregor is dashing and suave, and what a fantastic singer. To this day, his version of 'Your Song' is my favourite.

The ensemble cast gels together really well, and the villian of Richard Roxburgh is alarmingly creepy. Jim Broadbent is such a surprise casting but really clever, and John Leguizamo as Toulouse-Lautrec is hilarious! Don't forget little old Kylie as the Absinthe fairy!

I love the flamboyance of these two films: the lights; the camera; the deep, rich, overtly exuberant colours. I haven't seen much of his other work, mainly because he keeps employing simpering females that I can't stand, to act in the lead roles.

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I am a shape!

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The Boy sat in his high chair at lunchtime, looked at the slice of mini pizza that I had give him and declared, "triangle!". He was right, it was. He had a big kiss as congratulations and looked, quite rightly, pleased with himself.

(Today he had a vegetarian lunch. When meat is involved lunch can be a game of cat and mouse with him offering me his ham sandwich and lovely sloppy chicken kisses. I've succeeded in avoiding sharing his food, but who can resist a 'tiss'?)

Last week at the soft-play centre, we were building towers with giant lego. He broke off from play, glanced up at the shapes painted on the wall and said 'cirtle, tri-gle, skwar' (I do know how to spell in case you were wondering if I'm the worst teacher ever).

Of course, he was completely correct but how on Earth does he know this? I know we play together and it is directed to facilitate his learning, but that's not what I mean. I find it fascinating how babies and toddlers learn. My mum and I were discussing this last week. The Boy has a very expressive face and as a result, you can see his thought processes especially when he glances up to the top-left, like when a person lies and is accessing the creative part of their brain. (I don't think he's lying anyway. First of all he's 20 months old so I hope he doesn't know how to. Secondly, he comes out with factual statements, so if he is trying to lie he's a bit rubbish at it!).

Watching The Boy learn is like nothing short of seeing the neural pathways fuse together and make a new connection. In older children, when they have an extensive vocabulary and a sense of reasoning and logic, it is easier to see a 'learning moment', but in a toddler with a limited lexicon it's not so easy to pinpoint why he has 'picked something up'. Either way, this is why I love watching him play; the wealth of information that his little mind has to acknowledge, digest and assimilate. They are nothing short of miracles really!

Although, I do believe that Mister Maker may have something to do with it. Altogether now,

"I am a ….."

Flashback Friday – Arabian Adventures

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When hubby and I first started going out, his parents were living in the United Arab Emirates for a short time. We were lucky enough to have two trips out there to visit them and completely embraced the tourist attractions. One of the activities that we did was a 4×4 trek into the desert ending in a feast and evening of entertainment  at a 'traditional'-style Bedouin camp.

The 4×4 trek was fantastic; a whole convey of Toyotas traversing the sand-dunes at a range of angles which are not the norm! Every so often, you'd see a Toyota pull-over a middle-aged, middle-class lady lean out and vomit all over the once-pristine sand. Made me chuckle.

When we arrived at the Bedouin camp, we entered into the spirit of the Arabian adventure and rode a camel. This I nearly vomited at! They lurch up bum-end first, onto their knees, then bum up again until they're properly up. Hilarious though.

We had an amazing feast, sat on thick carpets in the desert, beside a roaring fire and belly-dancers etc. I had a henna tattoo done on my ankle which is the closest I'll get to a real one! A brilliant evening, well remembered by this photograph.

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This post was put together as part of CafeBebe's carnival of flashbacks.

Listography – Pet Hates

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Oh what a hard topic to narrow down to only 5 items. KateTakes5 has provided me with a brilliant sounding board for one of my favourite hobbies: ranting! It is especially relevant for me this week.

  • Unfairness

As a teacher I have always tried to demonstrate fairness in my role; it's something that children feel strongly about and the one thing guaranteed to turn a child against you. I've always hated certain aspects:

  1. picking teams (yes, probably because I wasn't sporty so I was left 'til last) – I won't allow children to pick groups or teams because there is always one heart-broken child, I'd rather they blame me than each other;
  2. lying – I can't do it, physically can't. I go bright red, my heart races and I can't look the person in the eye. I may even cry;
  3. cheating – I hit the roof if I see a pupil copying. It is entirely unfair that one child has made all the effort and the other either completely lacks confidence in their own ability to write down their own thoughts, hasn't learnt whatever themselves, or is just too lazy to do it themselves. It's not just children, adults need to get their own ideas and not pinch my blog posts!
  • Insolence

No child, when I tell you off, have the God-damned decency to look ashamed and do not answer me back!

Don’t raise your eyebrows at me like that; you are the one in the wrong, not me.

No, don’t say ‘whatever’ to me; it’s incredibly rude!

And darling sister, if you do that ‘tongue pushing your bottom lip out’ thing like I’m a spam-head once more, I will smack you in it, understand?

  • Bad driving

Seriously, how did you pass your test? Are you not aware that there are other drivers and pedestrians around you? Have you realised that the lump of metal that you are driving is a lethal weapon? PAY ATTENTION! Stop texting, stop picking your nose (we can see you), put your seatbelt on, put the seatbelt on your child who is crawling across the back seat, put your dog in the boot with one of those metal mesh things between it and the main car, use your indicators for God’s sake, and learn how to reverse-park your Smart car it is not a flipping Sherman tank!

  • Pierced ears on children under the age of 8, specifically babies and toddlers

Religious reasons aside (although I’m still not sure I agree with doing that to an infant), why the hell would you pierce a baby or toddler’s ears? They are beautiful enough as it is; don’t spoil their innocent beauty by making holes in their bodies and putting a metal stud in their perfect little ears. That’s just cruel!

  • Speaking with your mouth full of food

Ew! I do not want to see masticated food between your gammy lips. First of all close your mouth when you eat. Secondly, don’t even try and talk to me; whatever you have to say can wait thirty seconds until you’ve finished that mouthful, ok? If my 20 month old toddler can manage it, then so can you.

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Now pop over to Kate's blog using the widget on the left, and see what everyone else is moaning about!

'I love you through and through'

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Today is World Book Day. I've just read a lovely post over at The Moiderer about the favourite bedtime books she likes to read to her Little One and it has prompted me to tell you about The Boy's absolute favourite bedtime book.*

I love you through and through.

I love your top side. I love your bottom side.

I love your inside and outside.

I love your happy side, and your blue side,

your silly side, your hullabaloo side.

I love your fingers and toes, your ears and nose.

I love your hair and eyes, your giggles and cries.

I love you running and walking, silent and talking.

I love you through and though…

yesterday, today and tomorrow too.

We all adore this book, and have little actions that go with each declaration. The Boy knows it so well now that he can recite the ends of each line and complete the action; he also turns the pages and says the main word associated with it. It is such a lovely book to read at bedtime and send your little one off to the land of nod with happy thoughts of how much he is loved.

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*That's what you should do if a post inspires you, link to it and then you won't get accused of plagiarising and p*ss me off!

Movie Meme: My Fair Lady

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This week’s prompt is Black and White.

Whether it be a silent film, a 40s film, a 50s film or a modern film with a black and white twist, I would love to read about the film that gets you going from this genre. It doesn’t even have to be a black and white movie. It could be a movie about something black and white (admittedly, all I can think about is a penguin, but I’m sure there’s plenty more options out there!)

The lovely Hannah over at MetalMummy has set the theme and so we have 'Black and White'. Yes I know that 'My Fair Lady' was filmed in colour, but she does say it doesn't have to be a black and white film. And I just don't love 'Roman Holiday' enough to choose it over this one. So the reason that I have chose this film comes from this:

How absolutely stunningly beautiful are these dresses? God, Cecil Beaton was a master!

Not forgetting of course, the inimitable line, "Come on, Dover, move yer bloomin' arse!"

I first watched this film when I was approximately 10 years old and I was completely and utterly captivated by the Cinderella story. Even at that young age I watched the entire thing from start to finish, all 2 hours and 50 minutes of it.

Favourite quotes:

  • My Aunt died of influenza, or so they said. But it's my belief they done the old woman in.
  • You impudent hussy!
  • I ain't dirty! I washed my face and hands before I come, I did.
  • I shall not feel alone without you, I can stand on my own without you. So go back in your shell, I can do bloody well without…

Oh the songs, the songs are fantastic! They really do complement the story so well. I was devastated that Audrey Hepburn didn't sing the musical numbers in the film: "Most of Audrey Hepburn's singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon, despite Hepburn's lengthy vocal preparation for the role. A dubber was required because Eliza Doolittle's songs were not transposed down to accommodate Audrey Hepburn's "low-mezzo voice". Audrey Hepburn sang most of "Just You Wait", as well as the reprise to the song, herself, showcasing her ability to sing perfectly at ease when the songs were set in a reasonable tessitura. Audrey also sang one or two lines, elsewhere in the score, such as 'Sleep, sleep, I couldn't sleep tonight!' in "I Could Have Danced All Night"."(IMDB)

Wrong, wrong, wrong! She was more than capable of singing in that film; has no-one heard her singing 'Moonriver' in Breakfast at Tiffany's?

Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn are a phenomenal pairing, although the age difference has always concerned me slightly. Other considerations for the role of Henry Higgins: Cary Grant and Peter O'Toole. Most surprising performance? Jeremy Brett as Eliza's suitor.

I'm not going to try and sell it to you anymore, go and watch it. I defy you not to love 'I could have danced all night', and 'I've grown accustomed to her face'.

Now pop over to the linky and see which other films you can be persuaded to watch!

Butterflies and Scary Slides

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This morning we woke up for the last time in our little cabin. I want one of my own, I'm not going to pretend I don't! They are the most gorgeous, relaxing and luxurious places to stay when self-catering. Check-out was 10am so we rushed around madly packing up. I tried to be efficient and dropped the plug for baby monitor on my big toe. I screamed, I cried, I sobbed, I wailed. There was blood, tears and swear words. Hubby tried to help by giving me an ice-pack: an 8×4 inch ice-block for my big toe. He got sworn at and returned with a cold, wet, flexible compress instead.

After we waved goodbye to the stunning Forest of Dean we headed to Butterfly World at Symonds Yat. I'd been there as an 11/12 year old and remembered it vividly. I wanted The Boy to experience it. We were the only people there and it wasn't that hot in the tropical house, so the butterflies were quite sleepy at the time. Turns out this is a good thing as it appears this is where my phobia of moths/flying things might have stemmed from. I assumed my memory of it was a happy one; apparently not. After the first butterfly flew within two feet of me, I fled back out and returned with a net and hat over my bonce. The Boy was initially disturbed as he wondered who this monster was and what she'd done with his mother. I'd post a photo but I look stupid so instead admire the prettiness of a newly hatched (1o minutes old) butterfly.

After I'd recovered from a near heart-attack (I managed 30 minutes in there, but then I had to flee whilst trying to pretend to the owners that I'd had a lovely time!), we drove back to Cardiff and stopped off in a soft-play centre that I'd wanted to go to for a while.

Jump is a fabulous play-centre and I now understand the peak prices. However, we went mid-week, mid-term so adults were free and 1yr olds (how convenient?) were only £3! A complete and utter bargain because we could easily have spent a whole afternoon there. There was the most amazing dedicated under 5s area I've ever seen in one of these places: a sensory room; a puzzle, dressing up and construction room; climbing equipment; a trampoline; a ball-pit; and ride-ons. In the main play area, there was three different climbing 'frames' with huge ceiling-floor helter-skelters (I rediscovered my 12 year old self who wasn't frightened of flying objects), bouncy castles, ball pits, bowling alleys, trampolines and air-hockey! We had a really good quality lunch served by helpful and friendly staff.

All in all a good end to our mini-holiday!

'Star' Attractions

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Last night I fell asleep watching the stars twinkling overhead in the sky.

No, I haven't taken up camping, that is so never going to happen! The Forest Holidays cabins have large floor-ceiling windows (in the living room and main bedroom) which allow the light to stream in and cleverly illuminate the solid wooden floors and help to bring the outside 'in'. This morning when The (poorly) Boy came in with us at 4.55, he also pointed out the stars. At 7.25 when we all woke up, he glanced up to look at the trees and declared 'stars, gone.'

After a hearty continental breakfast we set off for a local attraction intriguingly called 'Puzzlewood'. It is so called because the whole place is a bit of a puzzle. It is full of scowles (a geological feature originated through the erosion of natural underground cave systems, uplift and erosion caused the cave system to become exposed at the surface) and  a mile of pathways which were laid down by a local landowner in the early 1800s. These pathways meander through the trees and gulleys to open up this ancient forest, originally for the amusement of his friends and children. It's a little bit of a local celebrity having been used in the latest series of Merlin (the episodes: 'The Crystal Cave', 'The Eye of the Pheonix', and 'The Coming of Arthur', plus the one with the giant scorpions shudder) and a Doctor Who episode entitled 'Flesh and Stone'.

This was a completely different attraction to yesterday's debacle and looked promising from the outset. At the entrance there is a lovely little coffee shop selling home-made items, which doubles as a gift shop. Next to this there is a timber-trail playground set amongst 10-15 picnic benches. Follow the path along to a few farmyard animals (chickens, ducks, geese, a pig wallowing in mud), and just before the wood there is a barn half of which houses more farm animals (sheep, goats), the other half is home to a wooden puzzle; 'a maze of secret doors, dead ends, ups and downs and rounds and rounds'. We didn't go in this because The Boy is too young at the moment, I would imagine that children six and up would have great fun in there.

The wood itself is glorious! Even in this monochrome and dreary season, it is awash with colour from the mosses, ferns and lichens covering all the rock formations and banks. As you enter into the main glade, it is perfectly obvious as to why people think that it is the inspiration behind the elves' woods in JRR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings. It is magnificent! The whole wood is riddled with paths twisting and turning through this chasm in the rocks or over these tree-trunks or under this fallen tree. It is stunning and awe-inspiring. We loved it, The Boy had fun squelching through the mud until he was faced with the first of many sets of steps. Daddy carried him and he soon fell asleep nestled in.

Be warned: there is no way you could take a pushchair along the paths, heavily pregnant women may want to give it a miss (lots of slippery, steep steps and paths) and there are no sign-posts for the way out, you have to explore (the paths do seem to loop back around to the main glade, but if you keep the field with the cows on your right, it heads back to the entrance). Saying that, this is a must-see local attraction; absolutely magnificent!

Our timing turned out to be impeccable as always; just as we sat down in the cabin the heavens opened and pelted the forest with huge and heavy hailstones!

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