I am on holiday again

Rugby School Old Quad

I sometimes wonder whether I can keep up with this blog. And then I remember that I've kept it going for 8 years, and I don't think I'll ever stop. I seem to have an almost irresistible urge to write about any mundane or irrelevant aspect of my life, and about 40 people are still reading. Shame on you, 40 people. There are more constructive ways of spending your life than reading this inconsequential stuff. But I suppose it only takes a few minutes to read each entry, and unlike when I was a student five years ago, when I thought it was entirely reasonable to produce a post every other day, nowadays I only manage one post a week if you're lucky. I am devoted to a few other people's blogs that appear far less frequently, so maybe this vanity publishing project will stagger on way beyond its natural lifespan. 40 people, I salute you for your tenacity.

Last week was pretty full on at work - I was supervising a student who wanted to do a little bit more active interaction with patients. There was nothing for her on Monday, but I picked out two patients on Tuesday that I thought would be OK. Unfortunately they were both interesting, unpredictable and challenging, and although she gave it her best shot, they proved a bit much for her. One of them was a bit much for me too. On Wednesday I had to do the ante-natal clinic, which luckily was fairly quiet. When I was advising one of the patients that she shouldn't be drinking too much milk, she told me she'd had advice from one of the doctors that she should actually drink lots of milk. One of my colleagues thinks this might be due to general iodine deficiency in the population, rather than the need for calcium.

But now I am on holiday, again! It's partly so I don't have to go to work on my birthday, and partly because I miscalculated the amount of annual leave I am entitled to, so I was a little extravagant in booking another week off so soon after the last epic holiday. Now I think I only have a week left (not counting the week already booked for New Year), so I have to choose between a) going skiing in 2016 but no days off between now and Christmas or b) a week before Christmas but no days off between New Year and the end of March. A difficult choice.

Anyway, I am in Yorkshire - Harrogate to be precise, on another Solitary Holiday. After Tunbridge Wells for two years in a row I am continuing the theme of Spa towns, and have taken an absolutely lovely apartment where I will spend time reading, writing, watching films and, with luck, sewing myself a dress. I may even go for a stroll around the town, if it ever stops raining. The forecast says that Thursday will probably be the least rainy day, which will be nice because that is my birthday.