Triple Bill

Asphodel Meadows

Enigma Variations

Gloria

by The Royal Ballet

@ Royal Opera House 



Asphodel Meadows





A view from the balcony



I had a bit of a difficult day but it was so uplifting.

It really gave me a delightful evening,

what a fantastic show!

Random

Perhaps I should have got red for winter and

green for summer...hummmm...

Guess where the light is in the flat!

Waiting Waiting.....

I did not share the very sad news about my stolen brompton
as I was so upset that I could not bring myself to write about it
which meant I had to think about the situation again!
Well, it got stolen in a very doggy area of south London in June
just after my birthday and I said to myself that I will not cycle again.

After few months of compromising with the public transport and time.
I had to cycle again and of course I would not cycle any other bicycle
but a brompton! It was really when I borrowed my manager's brompton
to get to a meeting and it just felt so right! So off I went and
ordered a new baby early this month. It will look totally different.
I had a hard(!) time deciding on the colour! I was going for the same
colour as it is the best colour BUT they had a couple of new colours out
which got me so indecisive but all the decision are made and I only have to wait.

I ordered my bike lights two weeks ago which arrived but it was not working! Dame it!
I received as I was leaving for work in the morning so I checked very quickly.
I went to hardware store for the battery today as it requires lithium cell but I was not
sure of the size so I said I will come back and opened the back to discover
that each, front and rear, of them needs two! Then I found that there was a paper
inbetween the batterys...yes...it was to stop it from being used?! 
I felt a bit silly but very happy that they are working!!!! hhh

I had Knog lights last time too which are very effective and sexy!
They are a bit expensive but good value for money.

Yes, please tell me I am obsessive with my bicycle but with bromptons
you have to be! And often they are passionate cyclists too :)
I am extremely excited to be cycling again despite the crazy drivers!

                       ***************************
In general, I am pretty good in waiting for something I really want
whether that is an item, plans, future or even with people.
Of course, with people it is not easy but I do wait for some people sometimes....

Nublu-London Jazz Festival

The band has just started!

Queen Elizabath Hall

Southbank Centre

Front Room

It was like a club night with a live gig,

well that was what it was.

Wrist band was given at the door too.

I was a bit tired so we just seat at the back and

enjoyed watching others dancing away

which is a very rare thing for me as I would be out on the floor!



The band was a very good a cross over between rock and jazz,

plus some Turkish touch!

A view of the Thames and the reflection of the lights from the room.

I did not get to go to many gigs and concerts as I would have liked to but

I did enjoy the two I have been to this year.

I think I will go to more live Jazz jams which I have not been for the

last two years...not sure why but I just did not bother with live Jazz

but continued with various classical concerts though.

A Friday Laugh!

"A grapefruit is a lemon that had a chance
and took advantage of it. "
Oscar Wilde


Hahaha a very Oscar Wilde quote!
I am looking forward to seeing some nice seaside in Hove tomorrow.

Oh...... Dear......

I am a bit early for a meeting.
It is good that I am not in the office this afternoon
as I had such a stressful morning that I could have
lost myself. Well, I nearly did loss myself on the telephone
with a wife of a client.

Yes, it is one of those days but I just feel more and more
that I am not coping and is it worth just pushing
myself to try and work if maybe I cannot deal with
certain aspect of some people.
It has been a question that I have been asking
myself over and over again.... Am I fit for the job?

..........2012

We are trying to go paperless but we are not there yet
so we still have the luxury of keeping a paper diary.
I use the outlook calendar too for easy acces for other
team members. I was given a 2012 diary and it feels
quite scary to know that 2011 is coming to an end so soon!!!

Absent Minded

I have been on duty for the last three days which have been so hectic!
I am so pleased my three days slot is over for this year and just odd
days here and there till mid December.

I had nearly 20 cases to work on but managed to get down to 4 cases today,
I hope my next duty social worker will be happy to have a small pile of files.
It has been a challenge as my team is the pilot to go paperless when the system
is not fully set up to support us just yet! But it was ok to manage duty.
I just had to concentrate and not loose the chain of thoughts on one case when
telephone calls were transferred half way through a case.

However, I am not sure how many letters I wrote today, quite a few, and the
team admin worker asked who wrote a letter without writing an address on the
envelope at around 16.45 and I just happend to pass by and said we will have to
open and have a look. Well....yes... you might have guessed!
It was one of my letters!!!! We stood by the cabinets laughing so hard.
This shows how busy I was on duty, but it is over and I should get on with my
own cases tomorrow...so many emails to follow up though I have followed up half
of them whilst I was on an hour lunch breaks, I work through my lunch most of the days.

Just one more day and the weekend! Nearly there!!!

Old & New

I have been allocated a case, that I worked
with more than a year ago, for a review.
This does not happen often but it makes it
easier as I already know my service user
and the family.

The husband said it was nice to know
that I am allocated again. It was a nice
feeling to be appreciated at times of what
you have done for them. I must have done
something right!

She has deterioriated and now has
a feeding tube, PEG, in situ.
Well, MS.... It is a progressive neurological
condition so I will just have to see
how it develops and assist when required.

Another loss....

What a week!
First news I had this morning as I walked into the office,
a note on my desk stating a death of a service user.....yesterday afternoon.
This is my second deceased notificiation this week.

One was a cancer service user
and the other was a motor neurone disease service user.
I worked with the latter service user for nearly 2 years and there was
a lot of work required at the beginning. She had 24 hours care at home in the end.
I did not feel ready to ring her son today, but will drop him a call early
next week. I bought a card to send to the family signed by
all the professionals who worked with her, an occupational therapist,
a physiotherapist and palliative care team.
I little warm touch won't be too unprofessional I guess.

I heard about the death of my close friend's father after a bitter battle with cancer
at the weekend too. I was not surprised as his cancer was at such an advance stage.
Whatever the reason, loss of a love one is a really sad news....

May everyone rest in peace.........

John Waterhouse...2009

John William Waterhouse

@ Royal Academy of Arts

27 Jun- 13 Sept 2009



Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus, 1891



Waterhouse was not really one of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood

but adopted their style to some extend and painted after their time.

The Lady of Shalott, 1888

The Mermaid, 1901

Mariamne,1887

Psyche Opening the Golden Box, 1903



I was meaning to upload this for ages...in fact for the last two years!

I went to the exhibition with Laura who also loves the Pre-Raphaelite paintings.

That summer was an interesting and a painful one if I remember right....

I can still remember the day being very sunny and nice but

my feelings did not match up to the bright day.

I think I might have found another friend who likes the Pre-Raphaelite paintings.

Hope you enjoy these paintings if you are visiting my blog!

(photos are from scanned leaflet and postcards)

Intuition

I was allocated a cancer service user in September.
My gut feelings were telling me that we might have lost her.....I do not know why....

She was suffering from an advance stage of ovarian cancer
who was waiting for a major surgery. I followed up to the point
that her surgery was a few days delayed and requested the palliative
care nurse to contact me for discharge plans. I contacted the nurse twice and
left messages and sent emails for an update but did not receive any form of
contacts from the nurse.

I picked up the phone and dialed the service user's mobile number then had a feeling
that this was a wrong move. So I rang the GP instead and I was informed
that she has passed away two weeks ago....as I thought.
I was glad that I did not ring her phone or any of the family members as I have not met
them and it would have been so distressing for them if I had rang to arrange a visit
when the person has passed away.

How interesting that I had the feeling that she might have passed away?
Yes, I think you need sharp observation skills, a cold head, a warm heart and
the ability to trust your intuitions as a social worker.

May she rest in peace.....