What just happened?

Well, what a rollercoaster week - I dont even know where to start - ok, so monday was um, i cant remember now, but tuesday I did two talks on woundcare that went really well, I used the same lecture, changed slightly, as I gave in Chingeltei, and included pictures not only of ulcers at various stages of reconstruction or deterioration, but also of all the dressings and equiptment that I would use to dress these wounds, and I went through step by step how I would go about dressing the wound. 

I think this was the key to convincing them that I do actually know what I am talking about, and I am coming from a more sophisticated professional background than they realised.  So that was good.  I finished my teahcing at 2pm, and left work then, as I was having some guests for dinner and had to go shopping.  My little dinner party was lovely, a couple of friends came, and I made a chilli con carne, this is the one photo of the evening, and it does look a little like something out of 'withnail and I' or 'The Young Ones', but it was actually really nice, and we laughed through our random and pastic surroundings,

Wednesday I had a lazy morning at work, I was ahead of schedule with my teaching sessions (for once!) and all I had to do was pose for some more ridiculous photos, propaganda!  So soviet.  I had to pose with a load of nurses who were NOT my students, pretending to be teaching them using a dummy, of a child.  It was so farcical, as the photographer barked orders, making us move places around the table like the mad hatters mad mongolian tea party with mad mongolians and me. 

I threw myself into the task of play acting, and was making elaborate gestures towards the slightly freaky dummy, saying, in the tone of a lecture, "well, I am not a paediatric nurse, and I dont know what this photo is for, but oh well, look there are his feet, there are his hands, and someone has thoughtfully put him in some rather fetching Y-fronts to preserve his plastic dignity" etc etc, I am afraid I was rather irreverrant....

Then I escaped and went to Chingeltei, to give a lecture on the Clinical and Holistic Management of Acute and Chronic Wounds (wow, get me, I am like, totally a teacher) and it was great, they love me there, what a great audience, I wish that was my full time job.  The nurses at the hospital dont know they're born, the community nurses have it so much harder, and they are so much more keen to learn.

Anyway, it was fab, and I have basically been given the gig (one lecture every 2 weeks) for as long as I want it.  I have also started talking to this guy about being an enabler, in the summer, for therapeutic riding.  He has some horses, whch he has trained and tamed using natural native american horsemanship methods, and in the summer he runs days where people with disabilities come and ride the horses, and I am going to help out!  How wicked is that!

SO - having a great week, wednesday I went for dinner with Kate, felt like I hadnt seen her in ages, and we had some great chats, home by 10pm, and thursday working at VSO offices, all fine, all good, got my infection control seminar all finished, but towards the end of the day started feeling abit weird.........


And weirder and weirder, and then was STRUCK DOWN!  IN the prime of life, by my first real bout of food poisoning, and it was, I think, the foulest thing that has ever happened to me, only one thing I can think of was fouler, and it is a closey run thing.  Oh my lord, I cannot remember a night spent in more complete desolation.

Anyway, due to being bed bound and delerious, I missed the pub quiz, I missed my seminar, I missed the night out to Amrita, the club where there are acrobats and contortionists, I missed the picnic by the river on saturday, I was so miserable.

But then on saturday I felt - enough is enough, I may have blurry eyesight, I may feel faint when I stand up (well, couldnt even get all the way upright ayway), I may be too weak to pull my boots on, but it is sunny outside, and I am lonely, and I am going out.  So I tottered into town, and spent a nice, if slightly lightheaded, couple of hours in the cool cafe, and was met by C & T who persuaded me to come with them for a drive.

So I went, figuring that sitting in a car for a couple of hours would be fine, at least I had company.  And it was really nice.  I even drove the jeep for a bit!  Which was so cool, although at first I think I alarmed them by saying - why dont I feel straight on the road, whats wrong - its all wrong - before I realised that I was sitting in the wrong side of the car, and driving on the wrong side of the road (for me) and it was an automatic - which is SO WEIRD to drive, but after a few mins I totally had the hang of it, and even overtook a lorry - wooo hoo.

It was so freeing to be driving along the open road, with the specials booming out of the stereo, passing horses drinking from sun dappled pools, and goats and goat babies all scraggy and cute, and miles of nothingness.........

we stopped to stretch our legs

And then again later to get a cup of tea in the "secret history mongolia camp" cafe.  Where we threw ankle bones to divine our fortunes, we each threw three times.  Mine came up 1, fortune is on your side 2, dreams will come true 3, the best luck is with you.  So I was quite happy with that.

Then we drove back, and the guys nipped into my flat for a quick cup of green tea with crushed cranberry leaves, out of a glass, and then they left, and I crashed out.

This morning I got up bright and early, made a coffee in my new caffetiere (woo hoo!) that made me feel a bit ill, as I have not eaten anyhting more than four biscuits, a handful of peanuts and half a danish pastry since thursday, and toddled down to the cafe.  Where I now sit.  Oh and the other thing I did - and I blame it on starvation delirium, is give myself a rather drastic hair cut............I reckon I can totally pull it off though, if I just act like I meant to make myself look like a 12th century monk.........