Things That Gladden The Heart

I had my grandson for an hour this morning and he very proudly told me he could tie his shoes now.
I was quite impressed a 2 year old could tie his laces so told him I would give him some treasure (money) if he could show me.
He then put his shoes on and did up the Velcro straps and held his hand out.
Nothing like being conned by a 2 year old to make you feel old 🤣
 
Been offered a new post as a full time instructor starting in April, means I will be going back to the UK early to prepare for it so that’s a bonus, also means I will be able to be at home every night with my wife after work as it’s only a 30min commute instead of living away Mon-Fri as I’ve been doing for years now. ☺️

Also means regular working hours with just the odd duty thrown in every couple of months and no deployments for 2 years giving me more time at home.

But the big win means I can activate my membership at the new Club and play a lot more golf this year 😁
 
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Been offered a new post as a full time instructor starting in April, means I will be going back to the UK early to prepare for it so that’s a bonus, also means I will be able to be at home every night with my wife after work as it’s only a 30min commute instead of living away Mon-Fri as I’ve been doing for years now. ☺️

Also means regular working hours with just the odd duty thrown in every couple of months and no deployments for 2 years giving me more time at home.

But the big win means I can activate my membership at the new Club and play a lot more golf this year 😁
Mrs MorningStar is currently posting on Mumsnet about her husband being around during the week and ways to cope.
 
Sent to MAU, at our local hospital, last night, waiting for my wife to have various tests. Entered 6pm, got home 5.30am.
Over 11 hours in waiting area. (15min drive).
So why is this not in the "Irritation" thread?
At 4.30pm my wife experienced v.high BP reading accompanied by dizziness and trembling. (She spent the latter years of her lifelong nursing career on a heart/stroke unit and is calm in these matters but was concerned).
She contacted GP by 4.45, had a face to face appt by 5.20 and, with his referral, we arrived by 6.15.
After a fairly lengthy wait, blood test and wait for results.
Next, another wait, XRay and wait for results.
Next, another blood test - XRay assessor queried blood results and there had been a shift change so wanted another.
More waiting.
Then, scan required to eliminate findings so far.
Knocking 4am by now.
Another wait for the registrar who was busy on floor below. Eventually he arrives and says "There'll be a wait before we can get you scanned". He was unaware the scan had taken place (another shift change issue).
Eventually, after a lengthy explanation with my wife, realising she was informed which actually is a relief to them, drugs prescribed for an identified infection and home 11 hours later.
My heart is gladdened because every professional person encountered was superb. GP to MAU receptionist to auxiliary to nurse to porter to registrar and back. The porter beamed as he recognised my wife from 15 years back.
I could say so much more about each of them.
The delays were due to demands on every person who treated us and apologies flew thick and fast.
Yes, we were knackered and frustrated but lucky to be be cared for and cared about.
 
Sent to MAU, at our local hospital, last night, waiting for my wife to have various tests. Entered 6pm, got home 5.30am.
Over 11 hours in waiting area. (15min drive).
So why is this not in the "Irritation" thread?
At 4.30pm my wife experienced v.high BP reading accompanied by dizziness and trembling. (She spent the latter years of her lifelong nursing career on a heart/stroke unit and is calm in these matters but was concerned).
She contacted GP by 4.45, had a face to face appt by 5.20 and, with his referral, we arrived by 6.15.
After a fairly lengthy wait, blood test and wait for results.
Next, another wait, XRay and wait for results.
Next, another blood test - XRay assessor queried blood results and there had been a shift change so wanted another.
More waiting.
Then, scan required to eliminate findings so far.
Knocking 4am by now.
Another wait for the registrar who was busy on floor below. Eventually he arrives and says "There'll be a wait before we can get you scanned". He was unaware the scan had taken place (another shift change issue).
Eventually, after a lengthy explanation with my wife, realising she was informed which actually is a relief to them, drugs prescribed for an identified infection and home 11 hours later.
My heart is gladdened because every professional person encountered was superb. GP to MAU receptionist to auxiliary to nurse to porter to registrar and back. The porter beamed as he recognised my wife from 15 years back.
I could say so much more about each of them.
The delays were due to demands on every person who treated us and apologies flew thick and fast.
Yes, we were knackered and frustrated but lucky to be be cared for and cared about.
Take a bow son, people are very quick to moan and very slow to compliment. You have bucked the trend.
Glad all is well with Missis Rixon.
 
Take a bow son, people are very quick to moan and very slow to compliment. You have bucked the trend.
Glad all is well with Missis Rixon.
Best moment was when an auxiliary, who was acutely aware of how long we'd been waiting came and sat by us.
Her to my wife: "I've just been looking at your ECG"
Me: "And?"
Her: "Oh, I don't understand 'em, I just likes looking at 'em. They're fascinating. I'll be back in a minute."
Back she comes with a tea trolley and biscuits. "There you are, nice cuppa tea. Ginger nuts ok?"
Brought a smile 😊
 
Last night I went with future S-i-L to see Brian Cox’s new live show…Emergence…he’s doing a few ‘warm up’ shows prior to embarking on a world tour. Fascinating, brilliant and baffling in parts. Most of the time just mind blowing - and thought provoking stuff.

One thing he pulled up live on his huge LED screen on stage that I’ll share here was the NASA Deep Space Network website where you can see where data is being downloaded from various satellites to the three main antenna/dish clusters on earth.

And so. Right just now one of the dishes of the Canberra cluster is downloading data from Voyager 1 (they pick up what’s incoming…just so happens that at the moment it’s picking up from VGR1)…you can see it represented. And in case you were wondering…Voyager 1 is now 25.4 billion km from Earth (so in interstellar space) and light and radio waves take nearly a day to make the trip…bearing in mind it takes 8mins for light from the sun to get to us. 😳

He finished with a very sobering message about our planet…and mankind. How totally dependent life is upon that ever so thin 60miles of blue above us, and in it staying intact.


ETA…now 55mins later two other Canberra dishes are downloading from Voyager 2
 
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Last night I went with future S-i-L to see Brian Cox’s new live show…Emergence…he’s doing a few ‘warm up’ shows prior to embarking on a world tour. Fascinating, brilliant and baffling in parts. Most of the time just mind blowing - and thought provoking stuff.

One thing he pulled up live on his huge LED screen on stage that I’ll share here was the NASA Deep Space Network website where you can see where data is being downloaded from various satellites to the three main antenna/dish clusters on earth.

And so. Right just now one of the dishes of the Canberra cluster is downloading data from Voyager 1 (they pick up what’s incoming…just so happens that at the moment it’s picking up from VGR1)…you can see it represented. And in case you were wondering…Voyager 1 is now 25.4 billion km from Earth (so in interstellar space) and light and radio waves take nearly a day to make the trip…bearing in mind it takes 8mins for light from the sun to get to us. 😳

He finished with a very sobering message about our planet…and mankind. How totally dependent life is upon that ever so thin 60miles of blue above us, and in it staying intact.


ETA…now 55mins later two other Canberra dishes are downloading from Voyager 2
Have tickets for the O2 in October, very much looking forward to it. 😀
 
Last night I went with future S-i-L to see Brian Cox’s new live show…Emergence…he’s doing a few ‘warm up’ shows prior to embarking on a world tour. Fascinating, brilliant and baffling in parts. Most of the time just mind blowing - and thought provoking stuff.

One thing he pulled up live on his huge LED screen on stage that I’ll share here was the NASA Deep Space Network website where you can see where data is being downloaded from various satellites to the three main antenna/dish clusters on earth.

And so. Right just now one of the dishes of the Canberra cluster is downloading data from Voyager 1 (they pick up what’s incoming…just so happens that at the moment it’s picking up from VGR1)…you can see it represented. And in case you were wondering…Voyager 1 is now 25.4 billion km from Earth (so in interstellar space) and light and radio waves take nearly a day to make the trip…bearing in mind it takes 8mins for light from the sun to get to us. 😳

He finished with a very sobering message about our planet…and mankind. How totally dependent life is upon that ever so thin 60miles of blue above us, and in it staying intact.


ETA…now 55mins later two other Canberra dishes are downloading from Voyager 2

Only another 300 years until V1 hits the sun's Oort cloud (maybe, if the Oort cloud exists) and 30,000 until it leaves. Only at that point will it really have even left the (gravitational) solar system - on the way to ... nowhere, really. Everything about the numbers/distances involved with space is mindblowing.
 
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