A night of Jazz

We were treated on tuesday night to a night of Jazz at Mentone Grammar where  Nick was playing saxophone in the Band (?Frogs?) Can';t remember the name.

Nick dressed up, most of the boys were the same and some of the singers got into the mood in smart dresses.

Proud father Andrew!

The room was set up like a nightclub so we had our family table and dim lightsto set the atmosphere. They were serving Mocktails and Kate was one of the preparers and servers.

Kate 

The music and singers were good and we had  a great night!

Well done Nick !

Retirement .Well resignation

The last month has flown by and all of a sudden it was my last week
Meredith had been on holiday the last 3 weeks so I had been really busy, also planning how to hand over some longer term patients.
I walked to work as usual and on the Tuesday Bernadette Twomey, my Nursing Manager had advertised a hospital wide Afternoon tea. But I think it went mainly to the Nursing groups as it was the CNC and ward nurses who came.

My newer route where I entered from the park. These are windows of ward rooms.

It was interesting to hear what aspects of my work had made an effect or influence on others. I have always felt I am a really good nurse, even since first days of training, but I also felt that it was a job hat I just did well, not that it was especially clever or gifted.
But the feedback from people made me see that it is not as simple as I felt!! A feel good event!
All day I met people as I walked form the office to the wards who stopped me to confirm (or react in horror if they had only just heard) when I was leaving and wish me well.
The afternoon tea was followed by an Exit interview with Bernadette. (most people were surprised when I mentioned it.) i talked about the good things and then told her that the most frustrating , and a factor in my decision to leave, was the removal of funding for Annual Leave cover since 2009.
She talked with Michael Marks about this and he, also with John Stanway Finance Manager and he said (given an example that meant 2 patients stayed 2-3 extra days till we returned) "Just do it"! So as I walk out the  door we had cover!!
So it also means I will do a week here and there relieving Meredith!
I was given a beautiful gift from teh Sugar Glider ward staff at a separate afternoon tea on Wednesday
A full size umbrella with Monet's Poppy Field on it and a gorgeous shawl/ scarf in reds and oranges. Beautiful!
i paused to look back at the building as i walked way, pensive not sad!
People asked if I was going to dinner etc after work but I had the PMYC Committee meeting, and there
We cracked  a bottle of wine and it seemed a good ending to the day.
The rest of the week continued as usual.Thursday off and catching up on chores  especially house cleaning (amount done in direct proportion to how soon visiotrs are coming (Celia on saturday)

The greatest scientists in the world. ...wear nappies 

Then private patients on Friday followed by getting some hair colour done. A fresh start .
I am taking the rest of this month off while Celia is home, and getting ready to advertise and increase my private practice. mail outs networking and a web site August 1st  !

Nursing reunion

I was planning the day for my retirement based on having started nursing at RCH on June 8th 1984. But that was coming round too soon.

So I reset it to July 11 when I started nursing training but that was a Thursday in what was a short week, working only Monday Tuesday, so I finally settled on Wednesday July 17th 27 years and one month after I started in 1984.

But In the process I realised it was our training day anniversary as well

So we organised a 47 year reunion on July 12 th 2013

This seemed appropriate as the nurses' home and the hospital no longer existed!  

L-R Judy,Pam,Jill, Jenny,Paula, Michele, Robynne, Mary-Rose, Jan, Betty, Bis, Marcia, Lorraine

So the day was planned to do a tour of the hospital, have lunch in a Hospital cafe and then dinner. Paula and Betty planned this as they are both members of the Lyceum Club in the city.

They did all the contacting so all I had to do was authorise a tour and meet them in the other.

Jan, Pam and Marica in Hospital Foyer (or Main Street)

Fourteen people turned up including Lorraine Uhe who we had not seen since graduation.

Sculpture at fed Square

I spent a mixed bag Arts type of day .

NGV exhibition,  Chinses sculpture in the Fed Square, and Movies with kate and Lynne.

I went in by train (always easier) and as I was early, I went to the NGV over the road to see what was on

Had forgotten about the the exhibition of the Australian Impressionists in France telling the story of Australian artists who lived in France during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. With over 120 stunning works of art. it included important paintings by John Russell, E.Phillips Fox and Charles Conder.

The catalogue picture is of the painting by John Russell Peonies and a woman's head  

It was a big exhibition with lots of well known pieces, as well as many little known artists. 

There as an audiovisual piece about restoration of a portrait of Van Gogh that had been done by John Russell one of the first Australian artists to go to Paris. 

The story was about how the painting helped prove stories of who was where and when. Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo “take good care of my portrait by Russell, which means a lot to me.”

I then went out to the Fed Square. Swanston St Forecourt to see these marvellous statues.

Xu Hongfei brought the 'Chubby Women' collection to Melbourne following a hugely successful exhibition along Sydney’s Harbour foreshore,  

Xu Hongfei describers his sculptures:

 “My works of chubby women are supposed to be fun. They weren’t created so people could admire them from a distance; having people come up close, touch the works, imitate them and have their photos taken is an important part of the art.”

Skateboarder

As I was admiring one I saw a photographer asking if a family would replicate the pose for the  Herald Sun, not the guy's original idea!.

JOY

The  exhibition is from the City of Guangzhou and it is the first time the Chinese government has ever sponsored a modern sculpture exhibition in Australia

Fat2 generation

detail of above 

FLYING 

After this I met Kate & Lynne and we went to see The Lone Ranger. Lots of humour and general good lines, as well as an adventure! Johnny Depp in his element!