Hogmanay

It was very quiet in the office today, although the wards were jumping, and so the two therapists who were working with inpatients were run off their feet from 8am.  Anticipating that this would be the case, I stopped off at the Co-op on the way in this morning, and bought us all a bacon roll.  Very nice way to start the day, we had a coffee and a roll, and then the ladies disappeared upstairs to try and see everyone they could before the 4-day break. 

Before I came to work here, I thought speech therapists just worked with children who couldn't pronounce their sounds properly.  Oh how very far from the truth that is!  Paediatric speech therapists do work with children who can't speak clearly, but also with children with much greater communication problems such as social communication difficulties caused by Autism or cerebral palsy for instance.  Some are feeding specialists, working with babies and children who lack the proper mechanism for sucking or swallowing, which we all take for granted. 

Adult patients are sometimes seen by therapists because of voice problems, but mostly it is following a neurological incident, or because they have been aspirating and are at risk of choking, etc.  All speech therapists are very highly skilled in what they do, and it is always a very busy time just before a holiday, as they want to get round as many patients as possible before the break. 

It was a dull, grey, damp day, and I wasn't sure what on earth would be my last blip of 2014. I came home for lunch and was not inspired.  By the time I went back to work, the therapists had finished up and were heading off home. 

I wanted to do some of those mundane end-of-year jobs, like taking down the old calendars and holiday planners, and replacing them with the 2015 (2015!!) ones. 

As I was finishing up, I had a visit from two of my night-time co-workers, Karen and Lauren the Domestic Executives who work in the Rehab unit.  I see more of these ladies than the rest of my colleagues, because I work in the evenings, and we often have a wee chat and a catch up about life in general. Therefore, I was absolutelydelighted to hear that Karen (the wee blonde one) got engaged on Christmas Day. Her lovely boyfriend had done the whole thing - down on one knee, beautiful (and it IS beautiful) ring proferred, and he asked her to be his wife as she made him so happy. 

Gulp. Watery eyes.  Lump in throat. Hmm-hmm (throat clearing, pull yourself together woman!)

How bloody lovely is that? Love is not just for the youngsters. Those of us (and at least one of my new Blip-mates knows who I'm talking about!) who are slightly further away from our teens than we are from our pensions (sorry, but true!) still appreciate that feeling of someone special in our lives, who makes us smile even when the s*** is hitting the fan!

Young Lauren is a student, working in the evenings as a Domestic so as to avoid having to take out a student loan.  She is a scream, and is working tonight with her rollers in so she can get glammed up and get out on the town as quick as possible when she clocks out at 9pm. 

Both of these ladies are stars, and when you hear about the NHS on the TV and radio, you probably tend not to think of the likes of them working away behind the scenes for modest salaries.  

Anyway, they are the inspiration for my last Blip of 2014. So here's to everyone who is quietly doing their bit towards making the world a better place, whether they are being paid for it or not, and I hope 2015 brings each of us exactly what we need to be happy and healthy. 

Happy New Year to you all at Blipfoto and to my new Blip friends, and thanks for the wonderful company you have provided this year.