queen mary sets sail

In total, I've only done it eight times before. And so far my experience has been, the last day at a job is often not the way you expect it. I remember once a job I had while at High School, in a local retail store. I arrived back from a four week holiday to discover the day-to-day manager had been replaced, and the new one didn't know I existed. The exchange, “I work here.” He: “No you don't.” I went home, perplexed, put out, yet quite pleased in a way as I hadn't completely enjoyed it. Anyway! The building pictured here is Roehampton House (1710), the centrepiece of Queen Mary's Hospital. For the last 16 months I've been seconded there for Tuesday mornings and Thursdays. But today was my last day.

Around the turn of the year the current team there talked of the new hospital being built at that site, destined to open in 2005. We speculated whether any of us would still be working there by then. I've written before on more than one occasion about changes in that team. As I look back at the photos of our Christmas do, not one of those staff still works in the service. The team has recruited a number of permanent staff now, with a noticeable move from Antipodean to English staff as a result. Hopefully they'll see some more stability. But as for me, I am sad, but I am going. And my departure has mostly snuck up on me too, though I knew it was coming. It's not real yet. I'm going to miss the (new replacement) team there... I'd managed to become attached to them already, though no one else has been there more than about three months. But the upside is my change in role means I'll now only have two jobs instead of three, and I'll run them both from the same building. It'll be the first time since I was a postgraduate student that I'll be spending five days a week in the same office. I'm looking forward to it, hoping it will “do my head in” a little less.

With Bronwyn continuing to improve, her parents flew in last Friday, in a well-timed trip that was actually planned six months ago and had nothing originally to do with her illness. It's been lovely to have them here. Bronwyn's dad has been suffering from problems with his leg which were significant enough to need urgent attention. So the Saturday morning after his arrival saw him down at a local gym seeing a private neuromuscular physiotherapist, that I'd arranged through a recommendation from the physios at work. She has located the problem as being spinal rather than leg-based, though the leg is where the obvious effects have been. He's now on a stringent diet of exercises, overseen by his lovely but firm assistant Bronwyn. The primarily involve him working the (apparently) good right leg, to stretch back muscles and bring the spine back into proper alignment. David made a further visit today, to an Osteopath associated with the same team. He and Jenny head off on a nine day tour in Europe tomorrow, but he'll be getting further attention immediately on his return. Meanwhile if you're spiritually-inclined, please remember David in your prayers—particularly that he won't have any more occasions of painfully tripping, that seems to be associated with a proprioceptive problem (aka the brain doesn't know exactly where the foot is right now...) Ah, are we not fearfully and wonderfully made...