Working from Home

Back titivating the Brixham house this weekend and the novelty of camping out in a near empty dwelling is wearing off.  It'll be wonderful when I move in properly beside the seaside but for now I'd prefer to be enjoying Lovelygrey Cottage on the edge of Dartmoor where there's a fridge, proper beds and all the other everyday stuff that it's so easy to take for granted.

So it was great when, this week, after months of fannying around I finally got secure remote access to NHS computers.   It meant that on Friday, I could enjoy working in my current home.  I saved the diesel associated with a day's commute, slobbed around in comfy clothes with the laptop on my lap and cracked on with reviews.  If I'd done these in the office I'm absolutely certain it would have taken longer because I'd have sought distraction from this ultra tedious task.   As an added perk I also took delivery of two parcels and was home so that a repair man could call.

I don't think for a moment I'd like home based working all the time as miss the hustle, bustle and bonhommie.
of the office.  But having an extra option to manage where I work is sure to improve my quality of life and productivity

What Animal Would You Be?

Photo: Kirk

Did anyone see that strange sad  Channel 4 programme Dogging Tales backalong about people who have sex in public places with strangers?  Lord lummy, how bizarre!  I must reassure Mama, Papa and Nana Lovelygrey that it's not a hobby I'm thinking of taking up any time soon.  As I demonstrated yesterday I'm far too busy for one thing.  Moreover, my family and friends will be reassured to know that exposing my jubblies to all and sundry disguised as an animal in a  freezing cold car park isn't really my bag.

Nevertheless the programme got us talking at the office.  We briefly considered that a trip up to a secluded wooded spot could be an idea for our next work's night out but quickly settled on a nice pub meal instead.   Our other thread of conversation was pondering over what  mask we'd wear to preserve our anonymity. This is my choice!

Sorry....

....not only for the crap image of a tearful puppy that's no doubt pooped somewhere inappropriate but also because I haven't blogged earlier today. But I have....

• ...completed the Guardian crossword with only the tinsiest insiest bit of cheating.
• ...dropped Salty Dog off at Totnes train station as she's off to warmer climes.
• ...popped off to a double glazing merchants and ordered a new back door for Great Tits' House.  I reckoned that if a door needs to be made of more than 50% polyfilla it might require replacing.
• ...wrote up two assessments
• ...checked a letter and emails
• ...attended a meeting
• ...tried to set up my computer to work remotely from home sometimes.  This should be a breeze but you know how long these things inevitably take.
• ...munched my way through a rather lovely lunch of ham, eggs and chips.  Not diet food but hell you only live once!  And it happens to be the only thing that I've had time to eat all day.
• ...tidied the bedroom so I can now see the floor.
• ...helped at the school disco 
• etc., etc., etc.

And all this with a bit of a headache caused by revelry on a school night as it was Salty Dog's last  in the UK for a few months.  

So, now I've explained my tardiness, am I excused?

Five A Day

We all like a good old moan about our employers.  Come on, admit it; You know you do!  My personal work related bug bear at the moment is the new computerised expense system introduced to stop us fiddling our mileage claims.  You just pop in the postcodes of A and B destinations after a sometimes lengthy search on Google and there you go.  It gives you the mileage for the shortest route between say, the hospitals at Totnes and Dartmouth, ten miles apart.

Hang on! Along with my colleagues, I have been claiming 13-14 miles for that particular journey the last nine years.   That's without taking into account the distance covered at each end whilst being held in a holding pattern for parking!  We defy anyone to do the journey in ten miles without a  helicopter or at the very least a state of the art  4x4 to traverse the mucky farm tracks.  The system kindly acknowledges that a longer distance route might be quicker so at our manager's discretion there is provision to claim the additional miles covered.  But all this pfaffing about takes far more time than when I just used to pop the figures on a trusty old spreadsheet.  And I didn't ever fiddle my figures.  Honest guv!

However my own particular nugget of the NHS, Devon Partnership Trust produces some jolly useful stuff that deserves to be publicised wider. It's a shame that it sometimes overlooked by a workforce overburdened by sometimes nonsensical bureaucracy.  For example some of the literature it has produced on recovery, helping people live well in spite of mental illness, is second to none.   And then there's this little booklet that I've unearthed that's so sensible and  useful that it's going to form the basis of groups that I'm soon to start.  You have peruse it further by clicking here.  It describes the '5 ways to wellbeing' and  suggests actions that individuals and organisations can take to look after their wellbeing.  What I like is that the ideas aren't just pertinent for those with serious mental health problems, they're universally applicable. I'll be delving more into this little booklet over the next few weeks to explore what I can practically do, with its help, to improve my va va voom!

When Everything Gets Too Much.....

.....just draw yourself a chalk mama, take off your shoes and curl up in her tummy!

Effing Gulls! Part 2

I had in mind to write something contemplative and uplifting this morning, perhaps about the power of mindfulness in everyday life. Instead I'm back on the topic of shite-hawks, the rather apt slang name for the herring gull that I've newly discovered. Thanks Wiki!

Yesterday there was a rumpus on the rooftops over the road from Great Tits' House(!) and I paused from my exterior painting to discover that one gull on the rooftop holding another who was slipping down the roof by the wing.  What looked like a heroic mountain rescue, which initially had me thinking that I had to seriously revise my opinion about these hulking seabirds was in fact a vicious attack. The 'rescuer' had grabbed its victim, the other by the wing as he was flying off and giving him an almighty drubbing.  Well, he won't be looking at other birds' missuses ever again!  The 'Spawn of Satan' label remains firmly in place.

I don't think I've mentioned that the herring gulls at the hospital where I work who liberally dowse our cars with their paint stripping poo.  Well, I was right there with matron, who as part of rooftop repairs installed a hawk kite.  We were gull free for a day and then they returned with a vengeance to mock the franking unconvincing fake prey bird.  If you're tempted to try this deterrent yourself don't bother with forking out the £150  - unless of course you want a blooming good laugh!

What's In A Name?

Howdy to my friends in the US of A!  Now  you lot across the pond know that a 'knob' is a feature in a mountainous landscape whereas for us Brits the word can reduce us to childish sniggering.  For it's a term used to describe a man's winkie, yet another euphemism that might be lost in an international context.  Tricorner Knob may be an innocuous name for a hut on the Appalachian trail to you guys but for us it's something that sounds as if urgent medical attention is needed.

I've been giving thought to changing the name of my new home and, seeing as bits of my frontal lobes are probably missing, this was the first idea that I had!  Thankfully I'm not so disinhibited that I'll actually act on this, even though Mr Metrosexual is keen for this particular house name change to go ahead.   But I've been toying with including the word 'Grey' in my house name because a) that's the eventual colour of the exterior paintwork when I can afford to change it and b) it will reflect my hair colour and philosophy on life.  I was loving the plan until I met the neighbour over the road whose relative built the house  for her nana who named the house back then.  So now I know that I'm in a bit of a quandary.  Shall I keep the historic name that dates back to the 1930s, change it slightly to incorporate the word 'grey' or change it altogether when I move in?  I don't think my neighbour should be too offended if I reflect my ornithological bent and she has to live opposite Great Tits' House, will she?