Scuffs, cuffs, and the links between them...

I'm disturbed by the bombings in Istanbul, and the realisation that whatever the west is doing in attempting to reduce terror attacks, it is nowhere near “winning”. I've got no answers, but it is sinking deeper that “war” on terror is no more appropriate than a war on Iraq. (Brings to mind an interesting artilcle in a recent issue of Monitor on Psychology about the origins of hate.) If I had been a bit more thoughtful, I'd like to think I might have been out last night at Trafalgar Square with those protesting during President Bush's visit here to London this week. (He left today.) Instead I was at an event farewelling a colleague who had been a locum at my work for the last three months. There is so much turnover here in our services. In one of the rehabilitation teams I work in, I'll be the second longest-serving therapist in a couple of months, when our longest serving staff member (a locum!) leaves. It's crazy. Yet dynamic. I'm really enjoying having some good mates in my workmates at the moment anyway so that is a plus.

Bronwyn's had some good success lately at school though remains busy. Earlier this week I was able to go along and attend their end of year prizegiving (for the last academic year, which finished in July). Bronwyn's ensemble played a couple of pieces, including her arrangement of a Christopher Norton piece, which she re-arranged for the particular instrumentalists to hand. It went well. This was somewhat in contrast to last week's talent quest that I had also attended. Then, the event itself went fine, but the riot outside afterwards was less enjoyed and calling the police is not the way you want to end an evening. It appears that with limited seating counterfeit tickets were sold, tripling the number of tickets in circulation. Bronwyn was shaken when pushed out of the way by two girls during the incident. Another demonstration of the challenges facing her at this school.

In hospitals, some of the professions wear uniforms and the uniforms are colour coded. Nurses uniforms are various shades of blue, and the blue gets darker and darker as they get more senior. Physios wear blue trousers with white polo shirts that have blue trim. Speech Therapists and Psychologists wear mufti (though it's ties for me here now; unwritten though unshakable tradition...) But to get to the point, the Occupational Therapists uniform is green. Now green is a nice colour, in itself. Somehow though, it just doesn't work as a uniform colour. All admit the green OT trousers are just not flattering. Well, this week I was musing with an OT colleague at lunch, and suggesting that they should change the OT uniform to black, as black never goes out of style. As I was saying this though, I started to wonder when thinking about some of my colleagues whether black was already psychology uniform. Well, I don't wear a whole lot of black but when I found myself clothes shopping later that night I bought myself an outstanding black work shirt, to fit in with our new uniform! It was only when I got home however that I found the shirt required cuff links, something I've never had. Turns out cuff links are on the totally cool list at the minute, but details like that tend to pass me by for a while. However, tonight I finally went out and invested in my first pair of cuff links, so I could wear the shirt next week. I've been pleased to discover here that in some of the standard stores in Wimbledon, they stock a reasonable range of tall fitting business shirts. I've bought them from this store before, and was assured that this black shirt was a tall fitting shirt. Finally trying the shirt on tonight though, I'm crestfallen to discover I was misled by the apparently helpful sales assistant. The sleeves are unsuitably short. I'm pretty certain now they don't make a tall-fitting shirt in this fabric. So I'm left disappointed, but with new cuff links! A replacement shirt is in the works. Time to finally visit High and Mighty I feel.