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I feel like my feet haven't touched the ground since I came home from Vietnam. What with one thing and another, I have really had a packed week; some of it good, some of it not so great. Despite everything, I am still alive and kicking, and looking forward to more challenges. After returning from holiday, I had a lot on my agenda, but nothing ever turns the way you expect, does it — this was certainly a week, where nothing went right — or rather, as planned!
Friday was the last day in my present job; I have worked for one of Australia's largest bedding companies since January 2023 and have decided to move into a different area of retail. This was a rather heart-wrenching decision for me, since I have enjoyed working for this uniquely Australian, heritage brand, since I have been there. More than anything, I will miss the amazing people I have worked with for the last fifteen months. I was welcomed as Manager, and will leave having learnt much about the business and the people who keep it functioning on a daily basis.
My future projects are very much centred around the same parent company I am with, but will be moving to another subsidiary of the business, once again as Store Manager. This will be a complete change from my current role, but a position that allows me to focus on a different aspect of the retail trade.
It has been an incredible, productive time working with the team at Midland, and I am sure I will continue to achieve success in a new setting. Surrounded by the support of new colleagues, who like those at Midland, have been invaluable to the success I have achieved in Australia, I am looking forward to new challenges in 2024.
My last day in Midland was on Friday — it was an emotional time, as I cleared my desk, ready for the new incumbent to take charge. Saying goodbye to staff, now friends, has been a wrench, but I know this business will continue to flourish without me. As I left the building, preparing for my new job starting on Tuesday, I wasn't prepared for what happened next.
Since returning from Vietnam, I have been suffering from an infection of unknown origin. After grazing my arm on day one of the holiday, I did what I thought was the right thing, and covered it with a plaster. You can never be too careful when travelling in a tropical country, and I didn't want to cause any more problems; unbeknown to me, that's exactly what I was doing.
I left the band-aid on for a couple of days, but by the time I removed it, not only was there an inflamed graze, but there were also a number of new lesions growing around it. I had a shower, cleaned the wound, and covered it once again, changing the dressing every few days. Sadly, whatever was going on, was getting worse, and by the time I returned home, this infection was looking pretty bad. By Friday, after saying my farewells to colleagues at work, I was in so much pain, I went to A&E at St John of God Hospital in Midland, hoping to be seen.
Now this is a good hospital, but the Emergency Department was a nightmare, with up to six hours waiting ahead. I may well have been in pain, but I just wasn't prepared to wait for that length of time, in a particularly volatile and charged environment. After three hours, I decided to leave and work on a plan B.
On Saturday morning, after a terrible nights sleep, I decided to go to St John Urgent Care. This is a privately run agency, where you can pay up to $250.00 for an appointment. Admittedly, the clinic is top class compared to ED, so I wasn't too bothered about paying the fees involved. I was first in the line and seen within 2 minutes by a Doctor. He took one look at the lesions and lump under my arm, and immediately referred me to Hospital, since this was too complex for them to deal with. He explained it shouldn't be too busy at this time, and I will probably go straight through. Reluctantly, I left, and headed back to Hospital a short walk away.
The Doctor at the Urgent Care Unit was right, I went straight in and through to see a consultant, who looked at the two problems I was dealing with. After checking the lump under my arms, she said that it should be removed ASAP. Now, judging by British NHS standards, I was expecting this to be carried out in a few months. However she explained, I would be taken down to theatre within the hour, given a general anaesthetic, and it would be 'whipped out' straight away. Shocked at the expeditiousness, I signed the consent form and waited to be taken down.
The standard of service and speed of the treatment I received was exceptional. I was allocated my own private room before and after the operation, given a rather large hot meal that tasted delicious, and free access to television while I recovered. I was obviously a little alarmed at how quick this lump was removed, thinking the worst, but I have been reassured that this is standard practice here in Australia. Everything was so fast, it was impressive. Now, I just have to wait for the results of the operation to come back. Then I should find out what the infection is and what the lump was; until then it's another waiting game.
I have been given a week off work and have delayed starting my new job until next week. At the moment a carer is attending every morning to dress the wounds, which appear to be fine, healing nicely and certainly not giving me any pain. For now, I need to spend the time recuperating and recovering, from this impromptu operation.
I will be walking every morning as part of that recovery, having been told it will be good for convalescence. Physical exercise accelerates the healing process by 25%, so that gives me the excuse to continue with a good, healthy exercise regime.
I have to say, this has knocked me for six a bit, but it does go to show, that sometimes the health anxiety I suffer from, is a good thing. Something told me what was happening to me wasn't normal, and pushed me to get it seen too immediately, and thankfully I did. Since losing so much weight and looking after myself, I have become far more bodily aware, and that is welcome, because for the first time in my life, I am actually doing something right! Today I may well be feeling under the weather, but because I am fitter and healthier, I am able to deal with whatever comes my way, that much better. Looking after yourself shouldn't be a chore, it should be a life enhancing experience.
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On the 3rd April, I was interviewed on BBC Radio WM, by Rakeem Omar, just before I left for Vietnam; this is the first opportunity I have had to write about it, and reflect on its importance. BBC Radio WM, was a platform for me, to speak about a significant British news story, from Australia, and explain the impact it has had on me.
A representative from the Breakfast show contacted me, asking if I wouldn't mind being interviewed before I left for Asia. I had written a piece on 'The Crooked House Pub' online, that had been picked up by the radio station; they asked if the Presenter, Rakeem Omar, could chat with me about the demolition of the building, as seen from an Australian perspective — which I agreed to do.
The background story to this BBC interview, involved the demolition of the historic Crooked House Pub in the West Midlands. A developer, who bought the pub and land it was situated on, took it upon themselves, to demolish this 1760s venue after a mysterious fire took hold. No one has any idea of how or why the fire started, and most importantly, nobody gave permission to have the building levelled.
The court has demanded that the pub is rebuilt brick by brick and restored to its former glory, and rightly so! This story reached these shores in Australia, through, at least in my case, the foreign news channel SBS. The mainstream channels here in Australia then picked it up, and I then followed it closely on Sky and GB News, the only British news channels I am able to legally stream in Australia.
I suppose the demolition of The Crooked House, really pulled at my heart strings. As a child I remember going with my Mother and Father to our local pub, The Fishman's Rest,' near Titchfield, in Hampshire. I would spend many happy hours, playing in the pub garden, with my parents in earshot. The Fisherman's Rest overlooked Titchfield Abbey, and had a close connection to the local community, of which I was a part. For that reason, the destruction of The Crooked House really brought home, memories from my childhood, so God knows how those who live close to The Crooked House must have felt.
Pubs play a big part in community life and without them, villages and neighbourhoods die. Having worked at The Newcome Arms in Fratton, while I lived in the UK, I understand a pub's significance, in the lives of all those who live in the surrounding area. Not only was The Crooked House the hub of the local neighbourhood, but it was historic; it drew in visitors from all over the World and was a part of the lifeblood of the region. What on Earth gives anyone the right to take that away from local people.
In my short interview with Rakeem, I was able to explain the importance of this pub to me and just how far this story has travelled. I care about what happens to its future, and hope whoever the new custodians of the rebuilt Crooked House are, they look after it with the dignity it deserves, and preserve its place in history for generations to come!
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