Greetings from a sun dosed Ireland

Saturday 27 June 09


Dear Family and friends
The fact that I am able to sit here and type a letter is only because miracles do exist!! As you know by now , I had a 5 week vacation behind me and went back to work on Thursday, worked in the surgical ward and looked after 2 patients , what a torture and then to make up for it I had to do my stint downstairs in the nursing home. I went in there with a good knowledge of what awaits me but nothing written down or spoken could have prepared me enough, By the grace of our heavenly Father , I made it through the night .
The ward have 41 beds and 39 of them were occupied. 11 of those clients can do something for themselves and the rest is high dependency care.
The medicine round in itself was horrific, they have a new system in place where each clients medication is in a separate box , locked above his bed, and with your list of medicine for that person who have to unlock the box and start searching for the medicines, each patient takes at least 10 min to do and then there are those you have to crush the tablets and feed to them with thickened fluids or yogurt. Which takes another 5 minutes. 2hrs 3 hrs and20 min later I pulled in at the nurses station after a marathon round of medications. The carer working with me started to do the round and did as many of the lighter patients as she could and then the real round started when we finished @ 2 am I was not just exhausted but disgusted that I could not do it faster, but you see I have to do things 100% correct or not at all and that meant that many a bed’s linen had to be changed and nearly a full bed bath given!
I think I am too old for that kind of thing and if they want to kill me they can do it easily by just allocating me for a week to that unit and I will be gone!
To go back to brighter and more beautiful things, much appreciated is my roses that Isabel so carefully took care off! I took out all the old ones and filled my 3 vases again with a variety of the most beautiful roses! And still plenty left on the bushes. The sweet peas are in full bloom, Lilac .red link and is just out of this world, the creeping roses should be in bloom in a few days , what joy we are having this year in the garden after 2 years of rotten petunias and too much rain!
Weather wise we have just have the most magnificent summer so far , not known to have 6 days sunshine in row and then only one nights rain to cool off and then back to sun shine and high temperatures of 22-26 every afternoon!
Barry decided that the back part of the lower field and the area behind the shed needs dire attention. In good faith he filled up the ground behind the shed but did not realize that that will bring dampness into the shed as the water accumilated and did not run away! So on Wednesday the JCB arrived and Mark a man we acquainted through an old lady at church drove the JCB, he is presently out of work and will do anything to earn a few Euros!
A massive project completed in 2 days , 1 drainage hole 20’x20’x20’for the sewerage system were dug and filled with old building material and 21 ton 3” stone. The truck could scarcely fit through the gate. But it is now in perfect order! The heap of garden refuse were set alight and also made to disappear into dust!
Now we seemed to be in a better position to control rainwater and there is now place for Barry to extend the shed to the back for the turf, as the turf shed is presently filled with wood!
The veg garden is already producing, spinach, spring onions , peas and the carrots are getting bigger. The slug plague that nearly killed the rhubarb is in superb health the rhubarb, not the slugs and I will soon be picking again!
Well there you have it in a nut shell, we were kept very very busy and that was just as well as I was missing my sis in law ‘s company badly!
Tomorrow as you all know by now is the best day of the week and a visiting preacher from Malahide(Dublin) is preaching! The Hymns chosen half by him and half by me are already well practised and we are looking forward to a good soul enriching experience.
Our prayers and best wishes go to my brother and his wife Anke who is not well and will be seeing a specialist on 1st July , those who do intercede please bring her in prayer to our Lord!
Our aunt in the Cape is now 100 years and 11 months old and her birthday is coming up soon! Tant Poppie may the Lord be with you in the weeks ahead, and may you enjoy the last few weeks of being hundred in His grace!
Best wishes to Joleen in Pietermaritzburg and Karin in Florida Park on their Birthdays!28 th June . Have a wonderful blessed day!
I have not heard from Joy in Australia and wonder if she is still in SA! Always lovely to hear from Althea and Dorothy , Angie and the pack, hope your colds are something of the past and that Groovy’es book will be a great success!
Trish I hope you are keeping well and that the grand daughters are growing well!
Karin are you still out there or have you moved to the Cape to work for Escom to generate heat! Hahaha!!!! May be it is not a joke and the post was real! Let me know!
There are others out there that I have not from for some while, Rob and Thilo , are you cross about my comments over face book, I have to be very honest I find it not entertaining and highly time consuming with little or no soul enrichment at present maybe it is because I do not entertain people enough!
I greet thee all, with best wishes to those who write exams , those who are studying hard, those who are awaiting results.
To those preparing for SA visits, enjoy!
Always watch your step, be careful, watchful and observant!
May it not be too cold in the winter areas and not too hot in the summer side!
May it rain and produce good crops!
Love to you all
The Dunnes from Cranleymore