National Trust in Early Spring

Spring is here, the days are getting lighter and warmer and the parks and gardens are changing with the arrival of flowers.

And at this moment I feel so grateful for the membership of the National Trust I did. The best membership I have ever paid for!

So far we have not visited that many places, but we loved what we saw and it has definitely paid for the membership already.

Our first two visits were to Lacock Abbey and Nymans Gardens last autumn, and I have already posted on that one here.

Nymans Gardens is very close to us, so I have been going there almost every other weekend. The garden is constantly changing at the moment and it is easy to notice the transformation in 15 days. First there were the snow drops, then we had some daffodils, and last time I was there the trees were flowering.



  Nymans Gardens - Early March    	  Nymans Gardens - Late March  



         

The atmosphere also changed. During the winter there were very few people, it was a very calm place to get fresh air and think about life. Now with the warmer days, the gardens are busier and busier, vibrant with children running around, a really happy place, and full of life.

Last month we also visited Sheffield Park, also here in the south.

The lakes were stunning! How beautiful that place is. I went for the Daffodils, but the lakes and camellias were so beautiful that I forgot about the daffodils and ended up running out of time.

Shefield Park is an internationally renowned landscape garden and parkland. The landscape garden is informal and was laid out in the 18th century by 'Capability' Brown and further developed in the early years of the 20th century by its owner, Arthur G. Soames. The original four lakes form the centrepiece. 

           

Before that, late winter, we went to The Vyne, near Basingstoke, a very pleasant surprise too.

I put pictures here to share with you.

It is a 16th-century house and estate and a treasure trove of history. Originally built as a great Tudor 'power house', The Vyne was visited by King Henry VIII on at least three occasions and later became a family home, cherished by the Chute family for more than 350 years. The attractive gardens and grounds feature an ornamental lake, woodlands and wetlands. 

 

          

And I almost forgot about Polesden Lacey and Newtimber Hill, how could I do that?

Newtimber Hill is near Brighton. It is open for the public and free for anyone, you don't need to be a member of the National Trust. The views from the South Downs are amazing and you can get very close to the sheep they have living in there.

Polesden Lacey is a beautiful country house and gardens near Dorking. It was bought by Mrs Greville, an Edwardian hostess, in 1906 and re-modelled to be the perfect setting for her famous weekend parties where she entertained royalty, politicians and the best of society. 

The views of the Surrey Hills are also amazing from there.

         

I have been there twice, both during the winter. On my second visit there were doing guided tours in the house. It was very good, interesting and organised. We could choose which type of tour we wanted - focused on art, history of the family, restoration of the furniture, or family if you have children with you.

For the family tours they included games with the toys in the house.

I now must return this spring; they have a very good display with tulips.

It takes people to make a company work - a lesson to be learned by people working in the NHS

I try to write only happy, positive posts... but I am sorry, sometimes it is not possible to keep it happy.

Although in this post I am complaining about something that happened, I think it is also one to reflect about how we perform in our own jobs, if we do anything similar to what happened here. 


My husband had surgical procedure and was discharged from hospital on the same day. Despite the general anaesthetic, he looked reasonably well.

As we were leaving, I noticed blood on this clothes. He returned to the ward to be checked and the nurse said it was normal. However, I should have contested at this point as she also gave him extra pads - she initially had given him only one. So, probably normal was to use one pad, not five.

We went home and 2 hours later the situation was the same, so we called to check. Once again the nurse dismissed our worries without even asking one single question about it, anything that would let her gage how much blood there was.

Another 2 hours later, I telephone the nurse again. This time I insisted in describing what I observed in detail and she decided it was a problem, but said I could not return to her hospital, and advised me to call the ambulance and go to a hospital further away.

I am trying to keep details out, but what I can say about the other hospital is:
1. They left him dirty for more than 5 hours and he was only cleaned and changed because I insisted and agreed to do it myself. This was a nurses' job, as I would not know to do it properly, and techniques to stop bleeding.
2. There wasn't a specilist and they had to call the doctor in the first hospital to ask for advice. 
3. They forgot to put his name in the system and we waited there for hours without need. Without water, medication, etc. They also didn't check on his situation for more than 4 hours.
4. Whenever I would go to check progress they would give a standard answer and in one occasion laugh at me. 

About the first hospital:
5. He should not have been discharged when there was any question about his wellness.
6. They should have allowed him to return in the evening because the specialist was still there.

It felt like his return would be an inconvenience for them and of course once he is out it is not their problem any more. Almost like I called the nurse 5 minutes before her shift was over. 

My point with all this is to share my sadness this time, I was really sad to see that all these people's behaviour, disrespect with someone's life. To leave him all dirty and refuse to clean the blood was terrible and dangerous, who knows what would have happened if I were not there? How many people turn up in A&E on their own and have no one to fight on their behalf like I did? 

The tools were all there, the knowledge was there, but the people were not there. The good attitude was not there, the good management was certainly not there. There were some cold, lazy people, although I must agree there were also few kind people too... In a hospital, there should be only kind people dealing with patients. And certainly there should never be any lazy ones. There is no space for laziness in an emergency department. Any delay could cost a person's life.

So here it is the thinking bit about my post.

A patient in a hospital is like a customer in a company.

In our jobs, do we always act with kindness? Do we always give to our customer our best service?
Even when we have our problems with the company or in our personal life, it is not the customer's fault and they should not pay for that. 

Today I read something interesting and decided to copy below:

Engagement is important to a company, as Walt Disney said:

"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world.

But it takes people to make the dream a reality.“

I think Walt Disney was correct, like in so many other things he believed. That is why he was so successful.

Quinoa Salad Recipe - Delicious!

Isn't there a long time since I wrote about food?

Here we go then..... yesterday I made quinoa. Simply delicious and the extra bonus is that it is also healthy. Quinoa is a grain that is high in protein and fibre. It does not cause flatulence, so very comfortable to eat :-)

This is a very simple recipe and can serve two people, I think.

- 2 mugs of water
- 1 mug of quinoa
- 2 carrots, grated
- 2 courgettes, grated
- 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 200g of frozen peas

Wash the quinoa well and transfer to a sauce pan with 2 mugs of water, the grated carrots, grated courgettes, salt, and smoked paprika.

Bring to boil, keep boiling for 10 minutes and then simmer for 15-20 minutes.

During the last 5 minutes of simmering add the frozen peas.

When ready, drizzle with a good olive oil.

That is it!!!! Simple isn't it?

And it is such a colourful and taste dish! Impossible not to like it!

Buon Appetito!

Revive friendships

Continuing on the New Year resolutions theme..... I felt like writing again about this!

One of my New Year resolutions is to improve my friendship links, especially to revive older ones.

As time goes by, all our lives get busier and busier. And we could end up neglecting our best friends or some of our family. We feel bad about it, but we still allow new friends and activities to take over our time and energy.

Living abroad can make this even harder because it is easier to spend time with people who are physically close to us and not have 5 minutes to call an old best friend abroad.

This year, it is my resolution to make and send a card to every friend and relative I have abroad. When I mentioned this to someone here, I was told "this will be expensive". To that I answered "I cannot buy a present and post, but the card will be my present and it is the minimum I can do." And think about it... isn't there something very special about receiving something through the post that is not a leaflet or a bank statement, something personal for you?

Today I read few tips about balancing friendships... I am copying below some of their tips:

1. Identify the "sanguessugas". Sanguessuga means Leech (blood sucker type of worm) in Portuguese. These are friends that take more than they give. When you meet them you may also not leave with a positive mood / feeling about yourself. Spend less time with them.

2. Feel great friends. These are friends that make you feel happy. Make a real effort to spend time with them and develop the relationship.

3. Action! A lot of the time we say "you must come around sometime" or "we must meet up soon". Don't talk so much, book the date, mean what you say!

4. Simple is better. It may not be possible to go out for a big night out. You may not have the time or the money to do it. Keep it simple. Go out for a coffee, or even just call your friend to say hello. It is better than to wait for a year for that special occasion.

.... and if you like my blog.... become a follower, or leave a comment. It will make me very happy!

Mother Teresa's Knowledgeable Words

Hello.... The text below from Mother Teresa is so beautiful... that I felt I should post it on its own, no need to write anything else. Enjoy!

"People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God; It was never between you and them anyway."-- Mother Teresa