Cross Country Runs

Thursday 10th Jan

Trevor and I delivered a ‘Trust Me I’m A Patient’ Workshop at the Widnes Viking Rugby League Football Club in Widnes, Cheshire. This was for a group of 46 participants from a Primary Care Trust in Merseyside. Click here for more information about our workshops.

Having been constipated for nearly 3 days, today was the day my sluggish system chose to start working. Typical. Mind, you, nerves played a big part. This particular workshop involves me acting out 3 (scripted) characters. I play a disgruntled receptionist, an 85-year-old patient and an arrogant doctor. Trevor and I had decided at the last minute that I should also play the Chief Executive of a Primary Care Trust. This was unrehearsed, unscripted, un-everything and subconsciously my bowels reacted in …..well, I wouldn’t say nerves exactly ……. just abject terror. After about the 5th visit to the loo our workshop commenced, my bowels switched themselves off and my usual three characters sprang into action (but not at the same time – I’m not that good). As it happened, one of the participants bravely took on the Chief Executive role and I was tempted, just for a second, to hug her. Trevor and I hug each other, our friends and most people we know in fact but we don’t hug NHS management people – they belong to a different species. The homo-slanganus variety has a peculiar language; it speaks in jargon and oh, so many acronyms. So, the CE of the PCT at the NHS was denied a hug.

Workshop successfully delivered, we made our way home and on the M6 back towards Coventry, my bowels switched themselves back on…….oh brilliant.


Friday 11th Jan

Trevor travelled up to Leeds by train today and left me alone in the house. I dislike my own company and felt 'lost' for most of the morning. I couldn’t concentrate on work and ran 6K on the treadmill. Afterwards I was mortified to discover that I had gained 2 lbs, despite the exercise and yesterday’s frequent offloads.

Trevor is a prolific writer on management, business and leadership. It came to our attention that he was featured in the New York Times on the 8th Jan. He’s really excited, bless him.


Saturday 12th Jan

I woke up feeling as though I was in Heaven, as I do every morning. Trevor and I go to sleep and wake up with our arms and legs wrapped round each other with my face buried into his hairy chest. It’s a wonder that I haven’t died of suffocation, but if I do ‘slip away’ during the night, what a beautiful way to go.

Today, we spent a few hours with a friend whose life has been turned upside down recently and he was in an emotional state. We pray for him every day that some normality will return to his life and he will be happy again. Later, Trevor and I went to a local Chinese takeaway and ordered a meal to share with my parents. The flamboyant Chinese lady behind the counter was unusual to say the least! After every sentence, she laughed loudly for no apparent reason and I found myself willing her to speak in longer sentences. After my little problem on Thursday, we decided to nickname her.

My mom is in much discomfort with backache, so it cheered her up when Trevor and I arrived with a selection of food from Won Long Poo.


Monday 14th Jan

This time 17 years ago I was feeling a little tender in the ‘lower regions’ having given birth to Lucy, my second child. The happy memories have come flooding back. As births go, it was comparatively short (but not painless, oh no!) and I managed a natural delivery without any form of pain relief. There wasn’t time. My little bundle of joy is now grown up, tall and skinny with legs up to her armpits and utterly lovely.


Tuesday 15th Jan

Trevor and I shall be attending BBC’s Question Time this Thursday 17th January, when it will be televised from Coventry. Everyone in the audience has to be armed with 2 questions to ask the panel, one each that we have already emailed to the BBC and one that will be based on this Thursday’s news. There will be 150 people in the audience so the odds are that the cameras won't turn on me. I’d better take an extra toilet roll just to be on the safe side.