9th January, 2009

Happy New Year. And let's hope this year is an improvement on last year.

We've all been beetling away as ever.

Katie is about to start her Paramedic training. Yippee. At last, a career ! She gained her C1 licence to drive a 7 ton truck or some such, a couple of weeks ago. Us oldies automatically have a C1 licence but anyone taking their driving test after 1997 doesn't get it. It's just the government's way of getting extra money out of us - these stealth taxes - and creating jobs, nightmare. Then when Katie had passed the DVLA C1 test, she had to pass the NHS ambulance driving test which she did. She will make an excellent Paramedic and she's certainly going to experience far more harsh reality than I would ever care to see.

Ellie is now in her second term flexi-boarding at Queen Anne's. As far as Ellie is concerned the jury is still out on the matter. As far as we are concerned she's got seven years.

I have made inroads into the WI and am starting to give talks at the various meetings. I have 3 federation auditions in the next two months which should open up another number of meetings and talks opportunities, then there are my talks for the Sailing Clubs which are going down well. I am also moving into the after dinner speaker and motivational talks business. I spoke at the Draeger (they make ventilators) annual sales conference and there are other corporate engagements lined up. I hope to do something with Hollister (stoma supplies) but I am not sure what.

I am writing...and writing...and writing. There are the books and articles `Just a Sharp Scratch', Sailing Material, articles for Tidings the CA magazine and the Margaret McEwen story and International Help For Children and of course the talks which now run to Just a Sharp Scratch; Boating Capers - bringing Dorothy Lee back from Brittany to the Hamble; The Life of a Voiceover; Handy Hints - boating tips, featuring the value of the spring and close quarter boat handling and the Margaret McEwen story...watch this space, much happening.

We have now given Wexham Park £54,586 and there will be a little more to come once we have got some Gift Aid on a couple of cheques that came in late.

I went to ITU the other day to record two of the alarm sounds that were so much a part of my life. I must be the only person with a Draeger Evita alarm sound for my voicemail ring tone and an ITU computer alarm sound for my message ring tone. We recorded the Draeger in one of the isolation rooms. We then wanted to record the alarm sound of the computer that monitors all the functions. This is very emotive for me. So we were shown to a bed space run by one of my favourite nurses and where the partient was on a ventilator. We were told he was asleep. How did they know, he looked extremely out of it to me. The nurse flicked a few switches which made the alarm go off. I was slightly concerned in case anything should happen and said, "Please don't kill him on our account.". Naturally the nurse wasn't doing anything that might affect her patient and I was just trying to get in a cheap crack. Worked though, Alan who was with me laughed. I don't think anyone else heard. Sally of course thinks I am mad. Well I probably am.

Duncan