The last week

Just a quick entry to catch up on the last week. After making the decision to work part time permanently (or at least for the next year at the very least) my employer has been very supportive. I popped into work on Monday to discuss all of it and came away with a real plan of action and an eagerness to return to work. It was good to see my colleagues and to feel useful again.

On Tuesday I went to a NHS Employers conference on equality and diversity. It meant catching the tube at rush hour, which I wasn't looking forward to. But the journey went really well, although the train was crowded, I didn't feel anxious and just got on with it. The conference was good and I was soon back in the thick of it taking questions from delegates who visited our exhibition stand.

Yesterday was the second meeting of my education recovery course or mad writers club. This week involved a lot more actual writing and sharing what we had written about. It's really absorbing, I don't think I've written so much in a short period of time since being at school! Since leaving uni I tend to type everything, at writers group I actually use a pen. How quaint!

I traveled up to Doncaster (pictured left) last night to visit my parents and the pets, that's Millie the demented dog, Rookie the little black cat and Oliver the big black and white cat.

For those unfamiliar with Doncaster, it's a sprawling market town and surrounding mining villages in South Yorkshire. The town is famed for its race course, rowdy nightlife, and market.

At the moment though Doncaster is in the news for much more unhappy and troubling reasons. The case of the two young boys who tortured two other little boys, is in the news again as the subsequent court case was heard this week. The story raises many disturbing issues around, social deprivation, drug and alcohol abuse, and the failings of social services. I am also rather alarmed by the Tory's reaction to this story trying to make political mileage out of such a tragic set of circumstances. I feel very angry at their tactic of really cynically milking the politics of fear with their "Broken Britain" homilies. I'm not exactly thrilled by the other political parties either though at the moment, but I'll have to come back to this on my other blog I think, The Salmon Leaping at a later date.

Today it just bucketed it down with rain, almost like Japanese style rain. We went to Bawtry (pictured left), a small market town just outside of Doncaster. They have some lovely shops, posh boutiques and homeware places. We had a pub lunch then came home where I read for a bit! A nice day all round.

We are visiting my nieces and nephews tomorrow then I'm heading home, ready for my first proper day back at work on Monday!