From The Ashes….

Well, what a surprise.  I didn’t know Open Diary was still going.

I transferred to ProseBox as most previous ODers did, but never really felt the same community spirit that OD seemed to have.  So I am pleased it has returned and hopefully I can resume regular writings. I will have more time these days as I am now retired.

My nursing career ended in 2022 after 18 years, and happy ones as well. The last 8 years were spent working for a company that contracted out to pharmaceutical companies. They did Nurse Advisors, Sales personnel, and IT specialists. Started off on the road and did 75, 000 in 3 years! Then Covid hit and we got taken off the road and worked from home via computer/zoom meetings etc. When things returned to normal the company realised how much they’d saved by us not being on the road so we stayed at home. I wasn’t complaining, I’d got fed up of driving by that time. Sadly my time came to an end after the project I was working on finished and the company hadn’t got another one for me to move to. So I was made redundant in November 2021. The way British nursing works, nurses have to re-validate every 3 years. This entails a lot of paperwork, proving that you have worked as nurse for a certain amount of time the previous 3 years as well as doing continuous training for career development and getting managers to confirm it all as well as case studies of certain events that had occurred in those 3 years. I was due to jump through all these hoops in April ’22, and I just couldn’t be bothered when I was due to retire in May,’23! Yes I was finally reaching the age when I could say goodbye to the daily grind. HOWEVER, I had to fill in a year before that event happened.

I ended up back with the NHS but as a ‘Patient Administrator’  (receptionist!) for a Health Centre in the local town.  I  have to say it was a brilliant 12 months working with the staff there. We had contact with patients, Community Nurses, Specialist Nursing Staff as well as the rest of the Admin staff. It was great fun and they really accepted me well, being the only male on the books! Such a hard life ! LOL

So, I eventually stopped work in July 2023 and they die me proud and gave me a great send off.  I was sad to leave but SOOOO pleased to be giving up work. Having worked since I was 16 I think I had ‘done my bit’, so was happy to sit back and let the Government pay me my due, not that it’s a great deal!

For those who remember me and my past family history…. Still happily married to Dawn after 42 years.  Paula (eldest daughter) has 3 children (2 Boys, 1 girl). Logan, eldest is 21 and has been courting for about 3 years now. Passed his car test, and has a decent job in the IT Department of a local publishing house. In fact he’s in charge of the department! Middle grandson, Jayden, is 17, recently passed his car test and is an Apprentice with a local Car Body Shop. He’s also got a regular girlfriend. Our Granddaughter, Kelsie (14) is still at school and studying for her GCSE exams. We really thought she was going to do something either in Sport or Beauty (she’s quite a diva LOL) however, for her GCSEs she is studying Psychology and absolutely loving it, so who knows which direction she’ll go!

Vicki, our other daughter, is still in Cornwall. At the moment she’s splitting up from her partner of around 10 years. We are sad for her, but so happy as he was a total waste of time. In those 10 years he’s had about 15 jobs! The longest he’s been in one is around 7 months, and there’s been some decent jobs as well. She’s just waiting for the Council to find her a place of her own. They’re on friendly terms, no animosity but no chance of them staying together.  She’s coming up to  us for Christmas which we can’t wait as we haven’t seen her for ages.

Our son, Lee, is still with us. He is a worry.  Just spends his time in his room watching films on his tablet or phone.  No job, no prospects, no female friends, never goes out apart from the shops. Just seems to have no ambition to do anything.  We’ve tried talking to him about it, but he just clams up and gets all defensive and stroppy so we’ve given up.

Time to close this for now. I’ll write a lot sooner now I have more time.

Take Care, peeps.