Doctor W - don't you have any lungs to listen to? Or are you on a sabbatical?! I'm ashamed of myself how I'm neglecting my home etc. but just HAVE to check in with websleuths....for many, many reasons (which I could probably write an essay on...but won't.....unless requested!) With regard to the 'black humour' medical people are prone to (and I suspect many other professionals eg. police, ambos, even lawyers!), when I was listening to my colleagues giving evidence in the Coroner's case I was involved in, I heard one certain person perjure themselves. Evidence was given that this person had said something rather unkind and unprofessional about the deceased prior to her death (which could have contributed to it), but it was only one of those throwaway things we say to each other as a way of defusing/coping/venting frustration/debriefing....all the many reasons we say ridiculous things we don't mean, and only to each other. Once again I was reminded how Doctors defend each other to the death....but nurses DEVOUR each other at times. I couldn't believe that someone would repeat one of these harmless comments that we're all guilty of, to try and save their own skin. As my colleague denied making this comment, I wondered what I would have said if it was me. But...me being me.....I COULDN'T deny it I'm sure, and would launch into a long, rambling speech about medical black humour and the manner in which we are often irreverent as a means of letting off steam. But would His Honour/Worship/Majesty understand this? Probably not! And it seems so incriminating to hear such comments broadcast completely out of context. I remember once when young I was working in a Catholic nursing home, and being Protestant (at the time) I didn't understand about purgatory and souls hanging about or the purpose of all the candles and the vigil of weeping relatives etc. and I wasn't quite used to 'death' and leaving the 'body' all night to develop rigor mortis before being moved seemed kind of weird to a young me. I made an unfortunate comment to one of my colleagues which was overheard by one of the grieving family members, who then positively erupted, much to my horror. As I cowered weeping in the pan room, one of the the Nuns came to comfort me.....however as she put her arms around me as a measure of support, I had to push her aside (on the pretext of being too upset to be comforted)....because it was night shift and I'd had a gin and tonic at the pub prior to work, and didn't want her smelling the gin on my breath!! Wouldn't THAT compound things?! (I resigned on the spot....mainly because my colleagues looked at me with disdain, the bloody hypocrits). It was a funny place that one....one half was all the old Nuns now incapacitated and often demented but who were still dressed in the full nun regalia daily and had names like 'Sister Magdelina of the Bleating Sheep in the Paddock' etc. etc. etc....and in the other half of the home were all the foundlings left on the nunnery door step who were now elderly, or aged Down Syndrome ladies, or intellectually disabled persons now needing care. The entire place was female and unmarried. I am now much more worldly I'm glad to say...however continue to 'put my foot in it' frequently (some things NEVER age!) But I've digressed, haven't I? My point is that just because we are irreverent at times, it is a typical Aussie thing, and the often dreadful (unprofessional or politically incorrect or judgemental) things we sometimes say to each other, doesn't mean we don't treat those in our care with professionalism and respect....well MOST of us anyway. Mouse Detective - I think most of us understand totally what you're about! (And you're a crack up!) And Dr Watson? You can listen to my lungs ANYTIME!! (If I don't stop smoking you might be REMOVING them one day!!)
Curiousasacat: LOVE your bear story. Gorgeous. And your seeing the flowers and thinking of Allison beforehand reminds me how I see Allison and think of her everywhere, all the time. (Obsessed? No, just 'touched'....hmmm that can be taken two ways can't it?!) I notice every silver Captiva and white Prado. Every yellow flower causes me to think of Allison wherever I am. Hubby and I are going to buy a boat (having a 'sea change' this year!) and he wants to call it by my two names (he says it's 'traditional'), but I want to call her the Allison D! I'm going to get a new pup once we've got the boat, probably a Jack Russell, and I want to call her 'Scrap'. Am I completely mad? Nah....just very moved by Allison's death and the plight of her little girls....and of course ridiculously fond of all you websleuthers (bunch of ratbags that you are!)
It's not often that I've 'caught up' and now I can't 'shut up'!! Looking forward to 9 July and hopefully much more info to reassure us that what we wish for is a done deal....and 'you know who' is a cooked goose, as someone said (sorry Mothergoose, that's probably a difficult image for you - but I'd take Camilla's sandals off first of course....where are you by the way? I shouldn't joke - our gander Wally used to annoy my 2nd husband terribly with his noisiness and putting his head down and charging at everyone, and one day when I came home from work and found him missing, my husband told me that he was upside down in the ground....with a marijuana plant in his backside....and he wasn't kidding!! Not married to HIM anymore!!!)
