I’m back, the marking is complete, the semester is over.

I am back blogging; I have been so busy with clinical work, marking papers and off course fitting in the family social life. November and December has been consumed with marking and at last it is all completed, hence the blog.

I have also had to make some changes to my working life, a decision had to be made as my work load was too great and I was finding I had very little work life balance.
I have decided to move totally to university life and maintain possibly one clinical shift a week or fortnight. This had been a difficult decision to make, however to maintain my sanity and family life something had to give. Maintaining two high level positions within different intuitions’ is difficult, it is a balancing act and 0.5 in each place equates to 1.5 in the real world. I am hoping now that I will have more time to devote to one place and more time to promote midwifery.

This has been a challenging year in more ways than one. We had our major trip to Europe which incorporated the ICM conference a fantastic experience for all of us. I also went to Singapore teaching again.
Our family has grown this year with three more delightful grandchildren and our youngest daughter has finished her first year of University and is starting her first real relationship – all big steps, oh I remember it well, oh so long ago!
We now have 7 grandchildren (ranging from 8 weeks to 4yrs old), believe me it keeps us on our toes.

I also feel have achieved much this year in both work places. In my clinical area we have introduced the self directed fetal monitoring package which I feel will enhance the midwives knowledge should she/he need to use a CTG and it will be a way of maintaining knowledge if you require it.
Through the Australian College of Midwives (WA Branch) we have disseminated information relating to the ANMC updated Codes, also keeping members updated on information relating to National Registration and we have conducted several seminars throughout the year.
My university work has progressed in leaps and bounds this year, I have updated my unit and have had raving reviews from my students regarding this, which is always good. At the end of each year I have a look at how to move forward in the New Year.... I will soon have to make a decision relating to my PhD as it is on hold until May 2009.....
I am pleased with my blogging; however, I have found it difficult to maintain the pace over the last two months as my work load has been so great. I will have to review how I proceed with my blog in the next few weeks.

I am enjoying my break now (hence the blog) and looking forward to Christmas and reading a couple of novels.

I will take this opportunity to thank all my readers for your support and wish you all a very happy, safe Festive Season and the very best of health & happiness for 2009.

Yorkshire land of the White rose

York City & York Cathedral

The York Castle:

Yorkshire Dales:

Yorkshire – Castleford – Leeds – Scarborough – Bridlington – York – Whitby – Skirlington markets – The Hornsea Mere –Freeport shopping Centre - North Yorkshire moors – Thornton–Le-Dale The hole of Horcum- – Goathland – Aidensfield – Rosedale Abbey - Lastingham– Pickering (poppies) – Hunmanby – Hull

Bempton

Yorkshire is a really beautiful area, this trip we have managed to see a vast majority of it, you could say we have been up and down the dales.

Ian’s family in the UK: – Beatrice, Norma, Audrey (Australia) Jim and Liz,
their ages range from 75 to 58. They have all been wonderful, warm, loving and inviting. The hardest thing is to say goodbye. It has been good for Kirsten to learn about her family history meeting them all, and to see Yorkshire and England.


Living in Scarborough is Beatrice, the eldest sister with 2 daughters Sharon (Aust) and Bronwyn married to Chaz. Beat has 6 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild – I would describe Beatie as kind-hearted, gentle conservative and a traditionalist wanting nothing more than to have a quiet life and her family around her.
Bronwyn and Chaz also live in Scarborough; they live in a flat over looking Scarborough absolutely wonderful, their home is warm and inviting however you do have to climb 70 stairs (4 flights). Bronnie is very much the quirky, alternative artistic type, gifted in whatever she turns her hand to. Chaz is also artistic with the camera and he runs a stall in the local market as well as an Internet business.


Norma and Harry live in Castleford and are celebrating 52 years of marriage; they have 2 sons and 1 grandchild. Norma is the most outgoing of the sisters; she is exuberant, energetic, boisterous and loveable, however 2 hip replacements have slowed her down. She is a great driver despite Harry driving her nuts in the car. Harry has a wicked wit and is as sharp as a tack, nothing passes him, you could never get the better of him; he is a mind of information. Want to know anything just ask Harry.

Liz & Jo

Liz and Brian live in Bridlington – Brian works in Saudi I never got to meet him as he was away at work, they have 8 children – yes 8, all I can say is thank God they are all grown up. Liz is delightful, quiet, unassuming and thoughtful. We met her daughter Linda who is sociable, friendly, open & loud and a fantastic cook.
Jo and John, are Ian’s cousin (well Jo is) and they live near Liz & Brian in Bempton, what a fantastic couple warm friendly and welcoming, we had our only UK BBQ at Jo and John’s, great barbie but nothing like our Aussie ones.

The Manor & garden: Poppy the dog: Jim, Bibot, Ian, Kirsten

Jim is the older brother to Liz and Ian and is married to Bibot. They live in Cobham Surrey on a Manor Estate in a quaint cottage. It is a picturesque area. Bibot is a quiet friendly Filipino who is working as a domestic / companion for the Lady of the Mannor. Jim is quite the conservative, Victorian man and he likes a good argument, he would do anything for you if he could. It is good to see that Jim has found his green fingers; he has vegetable garden growing, potatoes, cucumbers and various herbs. Bibot has turned her hand to cooking and has become quite the country chef. They both seem very happy and content here. It has been great to stay with them and enjoy their company.

Whitby a great seaside town.
Thornton-Le-Dale, a beautiful place so quaint and the best fish and chips I've had.
playing in the Poppy fields

Home to Perth 13 July 2008

Northern Ireland & Republic of Ireland

Londonderry Arms - Sir Winston Churchill holiday place


Giants Causeway

Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

We arrived in Dublin in the morning and wanted to go directly to Belfast. – Our choices were €14.00 by bus or €40.00 by train and only half an hour difference between the bus and train. Naturally we wanted as much spending money as possible so the bus/coach it was. It was a pleasant trip, spacious for a coach and we sat in the first seats, best view. What delightful countryside, so green, I looked for some leprechauns but alas did not see any. However at one point along the journey I thought I did see one sitting on a stoned wall and pointed him out to Ian and he dismissed it by saying it was a figment of my imagination. I still think I saw one. Although Ian did say he saw some fairies in Dublin. Now, whose figment of imagination are you going to believe?

In the past I have travelled through the Republic of Ireland and really enjoyed the Irish hospitality, music, lifestyle, openness, sociability and once in Ireland you can not help but try the local brew. I have seen most of the south, however whilst living in the UK I never really got to go to Belfast, and I really wanted to share the Irish experience with Ian, so we decided to do Belfast and Dublin as a whistle stop tour.

After our obligatory procrastination of where we are going to stay and how to read the map, we found accommodation at Katie’s Bed & Breakfast. It was quite central on University St Belfast, which was in the university area, off course with a street name as such. The B & B was run by a seemingly traditional Irish couple in their 50’s or so with broad accents which Ian kept saying pardon. The place had 4 floors and we were on the third floor, a small clean tidy room, with fresh fruit which really was not fresh by Australian standards. The bathroom and toilets were on the next floor down, again relatively clean but very small.
This luxury cost us €25.00 each which did include a cooked breakfast, so €50.00 a night which was cheaper than most of the hotels we called that were fully booked. After settling in we decided to go for dinner, again the usual decision making task, and which restaurant will we go to. At this point in our trip I was missing my own cooking and was desperate for some spaghetti, I was having carbohydrate withdrawals. We had spotted an Italian restaurant earlier which a taxi driver had told us was the best Italian in Belfast, for me the decision was easy, Ian came along. It was probably the best in Belfast, but not the best I have ever had, but it was good for the time and place and it is worth a visit if you are in Belfast.







We booked a day trip to County Antrim to see the top end and the Giants Causeway. What a spectacular sight, an unusual phenomenon, well worth the visit. A long the way we stopped at a few interesting places such as Carrick-a-Reed Rope Bridge, Highlights of the city tour were, the wharf were they built the Titanic and the cranes Samson and Goliath, for Ian the Guinness brewery was number 1. Unfortunately we did not have enough time to go round the brewery; we will save that for the next time.
A good way to see the city is to go on a city tour; this gives you a good idea of what you want to see




It was interesting going through the hotspots of Belfast- Falls Road and Shanklin Road – it was sad and somewhat depressing to go through these streets to see how people lived and how many people died and what was it all about, being a ‘Royalist’ or a ‘Republican’.
It is good to see how Belfast is rebuilding and becoming more united.




A great three days whistle stop - Dublin was as usual simply the best! next time we will spend more time in Dublin.

Our Holiday - Glasgow

Australian Midwives singing "Waltzing Matilda"


Our holiday to date:

The conference is now finished and our long overdue holiday starts. It is amazing how long it takes me to switch off from work, and then do you really switch off. I know I find it extremely difficult as I am always thinking of things to do and to make midwifery better for all. The mistake that I make at times is to check my email that is some times a cardinal sin.
My husband Ian keeps me on track and soon tells me its time to switch off.

So now it’s off to see the rest of Glasgow. We hire a car; buy a map and the arguments begin. I am navigating, Ian is driving – like a typical male he thinks he can do it all, navigate and drive and hence the arguments begin. Our trip begins with Ian’s choices; going to Falkirk to see the Falkirk wheel, being a water man he is into these things. The Falkirk Wheel is more than just the World’s first rotating boatlift. It is a symbol heralding the dawn of Britain’s new canal age. Its architecture has been likened to double headed Celtic axes, or vast propeller symbolic of Glasgow’s shipbuilding era. Yet whatever your imagination sees. The Falkirk Wheel is already Scotland’s most recognisable Monument to the future.
As the wheel turns, water and boats contained in its two large gondolas are transferred between an aqueduct linked to the upper Union canal and a basin feeding to the adjacent Forth & Clyde Canal, 25 metres below.




Then it was off to St Andrews – the home of golf for the élite. You need to book a year in advance to play on the old course – so poor Ian did not get a game, oh I forgot it cost £130.00 pounds for 18 holes. So we did the next best thing that was to go to the driving range and hit 100 balls. Ian was delighted he was like a kid, over the moon, smiling from ear to ear – it was great to see, we had so much fun. Then it was off to the pro shop, and it was hats, pins, balls for all the family – bearing in mind weight – our suitcases thank God for that otherwise it would have been a new set of golf clubs no less from St Andrews.


St Andrews is such a quaint town, beautiful, historical and the country side is just remarkable, so green, fresh, and peaceful with an air of elitism. We had a posh sandwich, a beer and watched the ladies and gentleman play golf and for a short while we imagined we were the gentry of the time.
It was hard to get Ian to leave he would of stayed if we were not on such a short time frame.


The teddy bears were very nice but to expensive and I would rather have my Harrods bear so the next best thing was a photo!


The Harry Potter Castle

It was now off to Edinburgh we did not stay there long it was enough time for Ian to see the Castle have dinner and a beer.
We decided to go on to Berwick Upon Tweed a coastal town near Newcastle and find a bed and breakfast, that was not as easy as it sounds. Berwick Upon Tweed is such a beautiful place an old fashioned town so picturesque. It was 11pm when we finally found accommodation unfortunately for us there was a wedding in the town and all the beds were taken.


We stayed at a fantastic Bed & Breakfast; they were an English couple who have lived there for 32 years.
The scenic drive from Berwick Upon Tweed to Leeds was littered with castles, fields of green, sheep and hedged country roads until the A1.


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Meeting the family, Ian's sisters, Beatrice, Liz, Norma. A great day, good Yorkshire hospitality, warm, friendly and down to earth. The weather was unbelievable sunny,even hot, Harry got sunburned.

Off to London for the weekend, then Italy on Monday.................watch this space.
Next instalment Ireland North & South

On our way to Glasgow! at last. Europe here we come!

Well the time has arrived, the office is bear, the work that's not done will just have to wait, the bags are packed and I am knackered, 3hrs left before we leave. However that wonderful natural drug called adrenalin is flowing like a torrent through my veins and keeping me awake whilst the rest of the house is asleep.
I am looking forward to the flight, I will be reading Thomas Faunce's new book "Who owns our health?" It is a book about ethics, politics, education and policy makers - it is very intersting, thought provoking. I will also be reviewing some articles related to sex whilst, during and after childbirth, so watch this space.........
I might even take in a movie if there is something worthy on. We are spending the night in Dubi then Glasgow on Saturday, the opening for the ICM is on Sunday. Will keep you posted, watch for the photos. Ciao!

Its Nanna time again! more grandchildren on the way!

It is really a busy time of year for me. Like tearing my hair out, the storm before the calm. I know it is meant to be the calm before the storm. I am trying to get this semester rounded off and get papers marked before I leave next week and get unit outlines ready for second semester. As well as tie off loose ends at the hospital. So busy, busy, busy.

Our trip to Glasgow has been planned since the Brisbane ICM 2005. Between Ian and I we have 6 children, you could call us the Brady Bunch. My daughter Faye got married in October last year and was planning another baby - At present we have 4 grandchildren and 3 on the way. Now we did say to all the children that we would be away around June/July 2008 so please do not get pregnant or have you babies around this time if you want us to be around. Maybe that's it we weren't meant to be around! no I don't think so.
Yes you guessed it, kids never listen, even when they are all grown up, maybe we should of said "go ahead have your babies" because guess what! Jodie is due the 15 July, Faye is due 12 July, and when do we return from our European jaunt - the 12 July. Now that is cutting it fine! At least Nikki is not due until October, that gives us a little breathing space.
This means I have my friends (midwives) as backups should any of them go early and need some assistance whilst mum/mother in law is away. It will make shopping in Europe more exciting having all these babies to buy for, however thank goodness for weight restrictions, meaning, we can not buy to much, which is good for me. I do have the tendency to buy too much.


Faye & Brendon's baby 20 weeks - due July
Jodie & Danny's baby picture is posted on the 19 March story in my blog.


Scott & Niki's baby 12 weeks - due October

I am looking forward to buying my Harrods Bears, might get one for all the girls (grandchildren).
9 days to go - then up up and away!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glasgow! International Congress of Midwives (ICM)

Holidays in 23 days - I am off to Glasgow for the ICM Conference for Midwives, I am so excited, like a cat on a hot tin roof! you can not wipe the smile of my face!

The first 6 days will be in Glasgow for the ICM conference - 1- 5 June 2008 Glasgow exhibition centre. Don't forget the wining and dining as well.

The International Confederation of Midwives supports, represents and works to strengthen the professional standing & associations of midwifery on a global basis.
My husband Ian will also be accompanying me and he will be doing some tours of the local whiskey establishments and off the famous golf course of St Andrews - I think I am a little jealous!
After Glasgow we will be travelling through Europe - what another adventure, even if we are doing it on a shoe string budget!

We have booked a car to drive to Leeds - as we have family there, we will rest and see family for a few days then it is off to Ireland - destination "The Giants Causeway" watch this space for the photo's.
Italy is on the itinerary as that is where my family is and off course we can't go to the UK without spending time in London and my old stomping ground of Watford to meet up with my fellow madwives - what a treat that is going to be, Ian is in for a shock because when we are all together we are truly mad midwives.
The count down has began! the world beckons!