Next Book

Book Group met here last night and we engaged in some very lively discussion about Shirley Hazzard's "Transit of Venus". Opinion was divided and ranged from strong antipathy (pretentious twaddle) to fairly positive (like having a warm shower). This resulted in lengthy debate and a number of enlightening moments: "Oh, THAT'S what she was talking about in that scene!!!"


Our next book will be a lot easier to read, and is one that I've enjoyed in the past. We are reading Alexander McCall Smith's "The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency". It may not cause quite as much passionate debate, but should be fun. I think we're all ready for an easier read this month, anyway.

The Coming Week

Here is a snapshot of what's happening at our place this week:

Monday: a two-person film crew will be here from 7am to 8pm. I will be attempting to study and have to attend a nursing tutorial at uni. A family friend is coming over for an hour to spend time with Christopher.

Tuesday: My day begins with an exam and ends with a two hour CPR refresher course (4.30-6.30pm), while Garry & Christopher have to spend the entire day in Brisbane (together with my parents and Garry's mother). This means Catherine has to be dropped off at a friend's place by 7am, and will return there after school until either Garry or I are ready to pick her up.

Wednesday: My turn to spend a day in Brisbane, this time with Garry's father and brother. Christopher will be at school the whole day and has a friend coming over to play in the afternoon. He might be going to his grandparents' for a sleepover. I have Women's Circle in the evening, from 7.30pm until late. We are also supposed to meet with friends for our weekly gathering at 6.15am.

Thursday: I will be at uni from 8am until 5pm. Christopher has homeschool while Garry does the grocery shopping. Catherine has a swimming lesson after school. A relatively normal day.

Friday: Final day of school and uni before the Easter break. For our anatomy class I will be dissecting a sheep's heart today. Christopher has homeschool followed by respite with Uncle Brad from 12-3.00pm. Our book group meets this Friday night, from 6pm until late.

At this point I'm not sure how this is all going to work, but we'll get through it all somehow. It will be good to have a short break from Uni next week!

Night Shift

I worked a night shift last night, which I was dreading because I'd begun the day with a Physics Exam at 7.50am! However, once I'm at work I always enjoy what I'm doing and last night was no exception.

This was my very first shift since starting uni again and it struck me at once how useful our nursing subject has been, even after a mere 4 weeks. Already I found myself using better techniques and understanding more of the "lingo" the registered nurses use. That is very encouraging, I can tell you.

One cute thing that happened: as I was passing one client's room they caught sight of me and called out, "Nurse, excuse me nurse". That's the first time I've ever been called a nurse - and of course I have no right to the title, but it felt kind of nice all the same.

(By the way, the exam went really well, and I am currently taking a quick computer break from studying for our anatomy & physiology exam on Tuesday - which is going to be quite a lot harder).