Clocks are back so Kim is back.....

Yo TGIFers

Long time no blog.....I guess I feel that Facebook has taken a lot of the Blog out of me - as I tend to seize the moment these days...and now I'm 'Tweeting' to 'Twitter' too - so it's like e-overload! I've found though it's better to follow than be followed......so I wonder about you TGIFers whether you ought to start tweeting and blogging - some of you are - and I love it! I'll tell you later out this week's Tweet from Symphony Hall when I suffered a severe wardrobe malfunction and felt the need to share my embarrassment!

I am going to try and turn over a new leaf starting now - and start gym up again - as I've been neglecting the body beautiful and someone is storing tyres without asking - cheeky sods! 5lb of tyres have made their way round my middle and lower regions - and it isn't good. I've sort of got out of my usual OCD routine - so I do need to pick it up again really - and that goes for the TGIFs whether you like it or not.

Thing is with Facebook (and it's not like I haven't got a life) I've become addicted to a few of the games on there - so I've ended up running two 'virtual' farms and a cafe which I thought was bad enough until I heard some of my friends have aquariums, gardens, rollercoasters.... the list is endless - so I feel I'm maybe not too bad? If I've got time for farms I've got the time to bore the asses off you....

Job is going swimmingly - love the people I'm working with though I do think they may be suffering from project overload and are sometimes humouring me - like I can't tell the difference between a face that says "Wow!" and a face that says "Whoa!"

It's really great though getting back amongst the ward banter. Time will tell I suppose - the ethos behind the project is something most nurses only dream about - and that is to free up time doing wasteful poohy jobs like triplicate documentation, chasing stores, and it's about having things in the right place at the right time and communicating....so the impetus is there - I think nurses are generally happy at work, but no-one wants to work harder than they have to - one of our super housekeepers summed it up - she said it was about working smarter not harder - she's right.

Anyway, I'm still keeping work and home separate and off out doing my 'thang'. Me and dad are still going woodcarving once a week - it's very relaxing. He's turning a rolling pin into a totem pole while I'm doing well with my Orang-U-Tan - he's causing quite a stir cos he is holding something in his feet - that's the Orang-U-Tan..not dad ;-).... and it's debatable whether it is his toe or something only a nurse would carve in JeluTong wood ;-)

I've been busy doing cakes too - just finished a 4 tier 18th birthday pink spectacular - and this weekend have another Shrek and Christening cake. Done a Night Garden Roundabout which was a bit of a corker for a little one's first birthday which was quite a challenge too. I did a 'cook'  in the kitchen - and it was so funny when I put the lid on - he was peeping out of the box - what do you think?

I'll end with my fashion disaster tweet.....really was the culmination of a few recent wardrobe malfunctions....the other two being at work and rather boring in comparison - a shirt collar problem which had me imitating Harry Hill all day - looking like I was taking off....with lots of 'important' meetings to go to.... then I flopped my left boob out bending down in the office with a new wrap around top....... but this week at Symphony Hall - looking forward to chilling out and seeing Ludovico Einaudi for the third time - a prominent pianist... I spelt that right....I decided to go to the loo first.... and tucked my skirt in my knickers....well thong to be precise - and tho I had tights on - how unsexy... I was basically mooning to all the ladies in the loo....till one kind soul with her friend giggling away tapped me on the shoulder and put me right....so I quickly headed for my seat and relieved sat down and had a great position overlooking the stage - and was sitting reading the programme while the throng poured in, then I had to stand when someone needed to pass... and yes... you've guessed it... the seat flicked my skirt up so I ended up mooning again at the row behind.......

and on that note.... have a fab weekend....

Kim x

Yo TGIFers

Brace yourself for an update which will you leave you either a) begging for more b) begging for your server to crash or c) begging for idioms to be banned from Blogs or boring weekly e-mails.....

That was a bit clever wasn't it for a Friday?

Well, I'm now about two months into my new 'albeit temporary' job, and have left behind the World of 'Risk' for a while...though I'm still a risk to be around, so I haven't left that World altogether.

The new job is a bit like a baby rollercoaster ride at the moment - for every good day I have, the next is a bummer, though only leaves me with a slight lurch in my stomach. It has now got to the stage where I know today was good so Monday will be a bit of a pig...which brings me to why it's a bit of a rollercoaster ride.

Pig = swine flu - as I mentioned in my July blog, I was well excited two days into my new job.... but then get 'volunteered' for pig duties... sadly not the kind I have enjoyed in the past - where I've spent a fabulous day learning how to look after little piggies and get down and get mucky, but instead sent to an NHS Direct/Concentration Camp/Vodafone Call Centre styley Tamiflu EBay sales pitch. Never got sent though - I think my Brummie tones were deemed to be unsuitable for the Call Centre duties...

Shame though - at least I would get to talk to someone.... I'm not saying my new office colleagues are unfriendly....we're at the 'Norming stage' now... I did enjoy the 'Storming' stage - oh their little faces when they discovered I'd turned their fridge instead of the Urn off overnight, then the wry comments when I sent my rather large documents to the communal printer on 'manual double sided print' - meaning I have to get up and turn them over, but if they send something at the same time as my tedious garbage... it gets printed on the back of their very important 'one-line' e-mails that they feel compelled to print off to read?????? Then when I courteously run over to their desks to pick up their phones when they are out of the office and write them a story for their return, do I get a 'Thank you'? No - I get a question,
"Why are you going to the desks when the phone rings?"
"So I can pick up and take a message"
"We don't take calls for each other"
"I don't mind doing it - saves listening to the constant ringing"
Little smirk....."Well, you know you can use 'Call pick up' on your own phone...."
"Why no, I hadn't realised.... else why would I spin like a top, change into my Wonderwoman knickers and fly across the office every 10 minutes......"
(I didn't really say that)
LAAAAAAAUGH!!!!!!!

We haven't really gone through the forming stage - and doubt we ever will - as we all do very different jobs. We have no real need to become a 'team', as ever I am a team of one. It does shorten the team meetings I have though and the minutes are a doddle to write up!

Today, I was a bit sad as my colleagues appear to have 'normed' - I notice the Urn is now being switched off overnight, a couple more are up and down doing double sided printing, and I've even had a couple of telephone messages taken.... things will never be the same - I'm going to have to find my laughs somewhere else .......

There is light at the end of the tunnel - as I don't spend much time in the office - my job is now about working on the wards - and both teams I am currently working with remind me of why I loved the humour and clever wit on the wards. I have of course retorted to bribery - BOGOF biscuits and chocolates are frequently delivered - as part of my project management style - so both teams are getting slowly more rotund, which makes me look more efficient as I bustle amongst them checking my pedometer every 10 minutes.....

Is that OK for now you TGIFers?
Any requests? (polite ones only.....)

Kimmie x
Kimmithy.Blogspot.com

The Seldom Blogger.....

I feel compelled to blog, since I have been so bad at it over the summer weeks - what with all the jet setting trips, cake orders, etcetera etcetara.....and so forth.

Wikipedia defines blogging as 'regular entries of commentary' - which can function as a personal on-line diary.... and to be fair having found my old diaries from thirty+ years ago - some of which I've shared before on here - I admit my entries were never regular then - I went for days /weeks without writing anything - then there would be a profound entry - well a 'found' entry then....

Truth is - I've been on all my familiar websites trying to sort my fonts - and then stumbled across this and felt guilty - thing is, I have been fiddling again - and now my PC is deliberately antagonising me by opening some webpages up in size 6 font - and others in size 66 font.... neither of which suit either end of my varifocal lenses.

I have aged somewhat since last blog - due to the stresses and strains of the new job (which nearly didn't start - thanks to the swine flu crisis which you may have heard about), a greenhouse cake which I was ironically finishing off during one of the hottest weeks of the year, plus I had another 'official' birthday ... it was a quiet affair - I'm never really sure how old I am these days - I knew it wasn't 'special' though - two more years till I reach my half century.

Thirty years ago - bang on - my diary entry tells of an 18 year old who got excited as she had lots of cards with £1 in and some dynamo lamps off dad - and his card was addressed to "My lose floorboard finder." in recognition of my amazing achievements - always forgetting something from upstairs and trying to creep round an old house when he was on nights - I was no lightweight even then .... ;-D... and there's a classic four page entry in the diary detailing every conversation at the 'do' in the evening - when I wrote poignantly about one of the Youth Club Leaders... "Bob's been on my mind since he kissed me (it was a birthday kiss for goodness sake - even then I was no good at reading the signs!!), I keep hoping he meant it (he did... as a BIRTHDAY kiss...) I mean, Phil had to be held down outside so that I could kiss him on the cheek!!" Poor Phil... he's never recovered you know....

Y'see the story is still the same thirty years on - and the only men I can kiss now are those poor sods who kindly friends pin down :-D ... some things never change eh?

Now I've resurfaced, I'll pop some new news up - have lots to tell you about the new job, and some great walks and weekends - met a great new bunch of Mancunian SPICERs I met up at Hadrian's Wall.

Job is going well - very productive - will tell you all about that too soon.

Enjoy the rest of the summer - blog soon

Kim x

TGIS... they tried to make me stay in Rehab' and I said nooo nooo noooo

Anna says goodbye.....

Hi Friday peops,

Day late cos I had a bit of an accident on the way to bed last night and due to the bloody mess and throbbing .... more later on what I think may be the first accident of this kind.......

Had a good week at work - tying up loose ends and also a couple of days in the new job - start proper next week.

I drove them bonkers - as always - all week passing through various orifices and clinics asking them if they'd signed my leaving card and contributed to my leaving gift - they just thought I was being cheeky - cos originally I wasn't supposed to be leaving til September. I hate big 'do's' though and made sure I didn't get one of those false send offs with false speeches - cos I threatened to 'out' a few of the buggers who have given me a hard time - I still did it - but on a smaller scale.... you can't peak too soon eh? Quite satisfying - and funny to see some open mouths :-O when I was 'open and honest' ..... wouldn't have me any other way ;-)

My boss Liz arranged for a few people to turn up in the office - think the Town Hall had already been double-booked - and it was nice saying goodbye to some of them..... nuff said. I was welcomed to the World of 'senior management' by someone who has just climbed up the threadbare ropeladder of NHS management -being short anyway has not quite got over the extra height yet - I pointed out that this new job was hopefully my route back to the real world - not senior management - the wards - somewhere that particular 'senior' manager has never worked :-/

Photos of the throng - and Jim - my secret chocolate supplier - I'll be a size 8 now!!

I had some very thoughtful presents tho so they must have had a collection ;-) and did get a bit emotional - having thought back to the last few jobs I've had where my line managers have been rather dubious, it felt a bit daft leaving behind the best one I've ever had - even if this is a great opportunity - so when I mentioned to the gathered throng my eyes started leaking!

I recall a job that I walked out of after 3 months cos the GP was a harridan (still is) and when I went back the next day to collect my personal belongings the Practice Manager told me I was trespassing and threatened to call the police - sad ol' World eh? Then another who evicted me from the desk I'd been sat at for two years and told me I'd got to find somewhere to work because a finance manager was being employed and he was more important than I was.....and of course not forgetting the very first time I was made redundant from the Liver Unit - and told in the corridor in passing "Oh you were right Kim... you're job has gone in the new structure...." There are more but it's boring - but it does make it difficult trying to find referees when you apply for new jobs when half the buggers you've left behind you wouldn't want to be associated with! Good ol' NHS eh!! Caring profession...

I'm dead excited about next week though - can't wait to see which 'rule' I break in the new office... I'll let you know next week. The ward gang at Moseley seem a good bunch - so I can't wait.

I'm supposed to be going for a bimble tomorrow but am having trouble getting shoes on after my electric toothbrush attacked me last night - YES TRUE! I wonder if it is the first ever toothbrush accident? I picked it out of my bathroom cupboard and the heavy battery base became parted from the brush and before I knew it had headed like a dart for my little pinkie! Blood everywhere - looked like a chainsaw massacre in the bathroom! It's not any better tonight - still very swollen and tender and not liking shoes - so I'm flip flopping around today hoping it gets a bit better cos I don't want to miss a 'girlie' catch up with my pals Fiona and Anna :-/

Hope you all have a good weekend - what's left of it

Love

Kimmie xx

Daddy's birthday blog

Daddy's girl.... Story telling outside outside the shed... and one of dad's fans!

Yo Friends, Roamers and Countryfile fans,

Quite a busy week at work - as I had to cram the week's work into two days.

Spent two days on a course being hedgumucated about how to be lean.... not in the sense of being 'trim' you understand in the old beautilicious blobby areas of one's body, or in the unique way one can lean up a wall or doorway and watch the World go by, but in the sense of applying a lean approach ie measuring how efficient you really are and finding better ways to be more productive. There was lots of 'doing' which makes a nice change.

On Thursday off to Manchestaaaw Conference Centre on the train - and with my new 'lean thinking' head on, spent 15 minutes trying to work out how to get out of Piccadilly station, then another 20 minutes or so walking round the block twice in a figure of 8 before asking one of the locals the right way!

It was quite an evangelical experience - for once it wasn't 'experts' standing up and pontificating - just ordinary nurses - and even a guy from 'Estates' (for those of us in the NHS who know these boys you will be a little :-O when I say) was actually excited about the new 'productive' way of working!? What is happening here?? The 'NHS BLOGDOCTOR' has a cynical take on it - if any of you want to understand more - one of his comments include "Well done Nicky, you have tidied a cupboard."

I was exhausted with all the hallelujah style praising going on, but all in all a good three days to mentally prepare me for my new job starting in a couple of weeks. So, back to work on Friday where reality bites - and spent a very unproductive day :-/..... got home and wrote on 'Facebook' that I was looking forward to a 'couch potato' styley weekend - which of course was immediately spotted by my Canadian emigrant friend Helen who wrote on my 'wall' that she was pleased to see I was putting my learning into practice...oops!

I have spent a nice weekend dedicated to Pater - who was 78 yesterday. It's quite an achievement as he has tried really hard to leave the planet a couple of times. I'm hoping he lasts a little longer as I got him an annual subscription to the woodcarving mag' ;-)...and a nice toolbag for his carving tools - we're still working on our pieces together. Ian got him two fab tomes of WWI and WWII photographs - so he did very well.
Off to watch the final of 'The Apprentice' now - hope your weekend was a good un

Have a good week :-)

PS link to more photos on Facebook here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=116041&id=648607651&l=0660f6c749

Kimmie x

TGIS....

Not doing very well am I?

Truth is life has been busy and I wasn't convinced that sharing my news weekly was that popular - tho I sometimes find it therapeutic personally - so I thought I'd try and get going again. Got a fair bit of news - got a right tail to tell......

Last time I blogged I was about to go llama trekking to celebrate my friend Sue's 50th birthday - followed by a hot date......I pulled a rather cute llama called Ayrton - who had fab dreglocks and was chatty and interesting and made me feel really special...then there was the date. I guess I should have read the warning signs when he declined to call it a 'date' more of a 'going out episode' - whatever! We did manage to make it to a second 'going out episode'. On the bright side, neither of them spat at me, despite friends saying they might!
Had some great walks - mostly Cotswolds, Malverns and Worcester way - and got my ramblers tan coming on nicely - one recently ended up at the Hooky Brewery - that was good - and on another we had a steam train and Lancaster/Hurricane/Spitfire flypast! Yesterday was out over the Malverns - gorgeous weather - heard a cuckoo which was cool.

Dennis gave us a bit of a scare recently - I noticed he seemed under the weather so - after one helluva kerfuffle - with the neighbour's help - he hates his box - off we trot to the vet - turns out he has an abscess on his derriere - and so after an overnight stay I go to collect a rather embarrassed cat - when I opened the box to let him out I was gobsmacked - he looked like he was mooning - he had his bum shaved and had some nice neat holes to drain puss puss out! Gross! I was supposed to be baking two cakes that weekend - alas! To cut a long story short, all is now well after a couple more check ups - the vet was quite cute - so it was worth the kerfuffles to get him in his box - when I say cute I wouldn't entertain the thought of going out with someone who relished picking the scabs off Dennis's bum every time we went! Yuk!

In the middle of all this I decided after much to-ing and fro-ing to go for a job interview for a secondment opportunity - and was successful. It's a bit frustrating admitting that the job is to help support nurses get back to what they do best - ie nursing - I have a belief that most nurses decided on their job originally because they enjoy giving something back - it's basic stuff which a fellow blogger (some dick dock who is obviously a great team player - NOT....) berates - possibly rightly so - but anything that makes it better for the patient and the staff surely has to be a good thing? Time will tell of course, and I'll keep you posted.

I am of course going to be sorely missed in my current job - I doubt they'll even notice I've gone! My boss said originally that I would have to work 4 months notice - this is around the same as the politicians who are currently bleeding us dry - though I wont be getting a big pay off - but less than most Chief Executives and Queens and Kings and stuff! Needless to say that they have now realised my worth and brought it down to three weeks - suppose I should be pleased....

Me and pops are still enjoying the woodcarving - I'm on an Orang U Tan now - in jelutong wood. The Gardeners World garden is being filmed right opposite our workrooms - so we get to see Toby and the film crew planting bits and pieces. We also get to see the crows swooping in when the film crew have gone obliterating their masterpieces... CAW...not so good :-/

This is me and Bob with our 'Maquettes' - now go Google that one - mine is an Orang U Tan called 'The Professor' and Bob's is a mermaid called 'Sandy Shore'.... :-D

.... and this is what hapens when you leave your Maquette unattended at the workbench :-D

We all popped to 'Woodex' which was a great exhibition with loads of brilliaaant carvings and woodturners - and I met the real Gepetto - what a lovely man.

The other carvers are all gearing up for the annual competition - which is 'Seasons' this year - there is an air of secrecy around some of the entrants - holding their chisels close to their chest (if Yew get my drift). I'm all fir giving it a go - but I cedar wood be no benefit - especially if I won - I don't think I'd be too poplar - I'd think it was OaK but they'd be just like "Life's a beech!"

and on that note... hopefully I'll be back proper now :-)

Enjoy the sun - loads more photos on Facebook

Kimmie x

TGIS :-)...

Hello TGIFers

Thank God it's Spring eh?

Sorry it's been a while - Bloggers block - plus a combo of having my PC 'fixed' PLUS CBA issues PLUS I've been spending a lot more time on 'Facebook' - tho Janet Street Porter thinks it's sad I am enjoying catching up with some of my past.... which brings me on...

I took mom to see Cirque du Soleil's Quidam - and sadly the NIA are so tight they put a load too many seats on the flat floor - there was me thinking at £50 each that we'd get a good view - wrong! Poor mom (Happy Mother's Day!) could only see the acts when they were being flung through the sky or dangling down from the rafters - but not when they were doing their 'thang' on the stage - with some lovey dovey couple with bad hair in front of her she was well struggling.... and playing the old guilt trip nicely ...coupled with the fact that this humungous arse needed a wee before the interval.... it was really quitesplendid, however I was really upset for mom .

Anyway interval came and this huge arse struggled past us again - and weirdly enough I recognised it - slightly worrying.... "Is that you Miss M?" She turned and smiled - my PE teacher from 30+ years ago - you still callthem 'Miss' don't you? Anyway she was leading a revolution to the Box Office to swap seats cos she was struggling - there ended up being about 100 of us who swapped seats..... what slightly worried me was the ease in which I said to her "I thought I recognised the arse".... she turned and glowered... but I wasn't a little 16 year old any more...oh it felt good :-) Another bit of good news is that Cirque have offered me and mom complimentary tickets to their next tour....

Last time I blogged was during the snow - and it's all looking very different now - snowdrops just dying off to make way for crocusses and daffs - been on some good bimbles - quite lovely - mostly round the Cotswolds. Spent a weekend in Cheddar and took myself off to find out what happened to my dad's cousin Agnes cos her Christmas cards suddenly stopped. She moved to Shipham some years ago. Well, the old bugger has died and her house is demolished and a 'Grand Designs' styley cottage built there - the current owner Christine invited me in for coffee and filled some gaps - really kind - now I'd like to fill her son-in-law Henry's gap for not telling us of her demise - aren't families great!

Well, I'll be off now - got to prepare myself for a heavy weekend ahead - llama trekking tomorrow - and the first hot date for a year!! Should go swimmingly if I still smell of llamas by the evening :-)

Have a fab weekend folks

Kimmie x