Trying to avoid sniffing armpits and other peak hour adventures

You can't have truly experienced a life in London unless you've travelled peak hour on the train.

A very empty Kingston Station at 7.55am!

The 7.55am from Kingston to Clapham Junction is the relatively painless part. We're one of the first stops, so it's easy to get a seat. By the time it gets past Wimbledon the carriages are full, and when I get to my stop, Clapham Junction I find myself almost doing acrobatics as I navigate my way between passengers, dogs, kids, bikes and bags to get out the door. 

It's then a mad dash from platform 11 to platform 1 but thankfully I wear my comfortable flatties. The connection isn't an easy one, not just the distance you have to close in a short period of time, but avoiding people meandering while reading their phones and trying not to miss the only connection every 15 minutes to Shepherds Bush.

Guessing where the doors will stop is the name of the game on platform 1 as that gets you first through the door and onto a seat. Of course if you don't, then you shuffle on with all the other sheep on the train, find a spot to hang on and try and immerse yourself in either a book, music or the latest news on twitter. Anything to avoid the overwhelming sense of claustrophobia.

So while the trip into work can be a little challenging, it's the trip home on a warm summers day that I really dread. No it's not the fact that sometimes the platform is so crowed at Shepherds Bush that I just stand back and wait for the next train; it's just not worth the stress.  The fact is, it's just not very pleasant when hundreds of people are squeezed together in a small train carriage and all you can smell are body odours as armpits glare down at you (yes I'm short so can't escape them). I always carry a scarf with me to bury my nose in and thankfully it has the remnants of my perfume to tide me over before I can escape into the fresh air.

It is no wonder that by the time I arrive back to the place I started that morning, it's almost a sigh of utter relief that the travel for today is over and I can disappear back home, throw my bag down, kick off the shoes, rip the work clothes off and change into some comfy trackies and then plonk myself down on the couch for a few brief but welcomed breathes in utter peace.

Serenity now....

ps.. if anyone reads my posts feel free to share your train experiences!

The state of UK hospitals

I can't say visiting a hospital is the top of my list of things to do whilst in Blighty, however it's somewhere I've spent quite a lot of time at over the last few weeks. 

Now that it's a friday and I've had my glass of wine, it's time for me to write this post and vent. 

So let me share with you the state of the UK public health system and in particular Charing Cross Hospital.

I have to admit Australia probably has some bad hospitals and examples of health service, however what I've seen here chills me to the bone.

Firstly, I have to thank the 'good' nurses and doctors, as there are some. They're the ones that show compassion and respect. They take time to provide the care you'd expect in such a place. They answer your questions when you need an explanation, they don't talk down at you or use big words to show their superiority. They were born to do what they do.

However they're not all like that. We've witnessed first hand nurses yelling at patients and grabbing them in anger. They don't care that these people are alone in there, recovering from an illness, in pain, confused and angry.

We've seen the dirt and rubbish strewn amongst the hospital hallways and in the wards. Whenever it was last cleaned, whenever there was some pride in a workplace it was lost and gone a long long time ago. 

You almost need to sterilize yourself after being in there.

We've seen the lack of food provided that is meant to support the recovery of the patient. Some don't even receive anything and unfortunately if they don't have family there checking on them they hardly ever get fed. Budget cuts have meant they only get a sandwich for tea and a cup of soup. It doesn't matter if you have dietary concerns, you get what you're given. If you have trouble swallowing due to illness, to bad.

We've seen patients not get bathed for over 3 weeks. When you're that sick surely it's the small things that matter and can make a person feel like the days a bit brighter.

To say then that patients lie in their own waste for hours, have catheters fixed to them for weeks with no change should not be a surprise. Once again it's up to the family to fight for them and ask and ask again for the most basic of care.

How does a patient that goes into hospital for a basic simple operation end up staying in for weeks .... the state of the public health system.

You continually fight for answers. You continually fight for a patient to get basic care. 

The sad thing is the demand for this health system is growing and the budget is reducing. 

Unless this country has some balls to make real change, it will just get worse.

If I ever need to go to hospital, I'd rather get operated on out in the back paddock amongst green grass, trees and blue skies with a pair of old shearing clippers and a needle and thread - much less likely to catch something there!

Volunteering in Kingston

As I sit here today resting after a rather busy and stressful week I wanted to share with you my latest volunteering experience. I had been pondering posting this one for a while, but now that I am actually working and in between that going to the hospital to visit one of our family members, time is precious and rather limited. 

My most recent volunteering experience was at a local Kingston charity called Age Concern. Below are some stories I have written from my experience there. These stories have been adapted to protect the privacy of the individuals but will give you an indication of the level of support this charity provides the local community.

Margaret is a rather sprightly 80 year old who is getting her hair done. Once a week clients of Age Concern can visit the hairdresser (and a podiatrist) for a discount rate. When she hears my Aussie accent she asks where I'm from. 'Adelaide, I've been to Adelaide many many years ago, beautiful place Adelaide'. She then starts to tell me how the Orient Express a ship she worked on transported migrants to Australia.'

Edith has lost her keys. She's been stuck at home for 3 days unable to make the doctors appointment or get food. At 86 years old you'd think the local council who own the flat she lives in would help but apparently they can't and so she's called for help. 

Jane calls concerned about her brother. He's recently had an operation and is due to be discharged from hospital in a couple days. There is no family nearby. 'How will he do his shopping, cleaning and how can we make sure he's ok?' she asks. Age Concern have an advice line and also can help with regards to domestic chores such as shopping and cleaning.

Bob calls telling me the driver is late. 'Have they forgotten me?' he asks. Bob is not alone as a lot of calls that come through are to make sure they haven't been forgotten. With little else to keep them occupied the oldies look forward to a day out at the day centre to enjoy some company, participate in various activities and have lunch.  

Jack... well Jack stands out as soon as you walk into the day centre. He's the resident Irish larrikin who loves a good banter. I can image that Jack was a bit of a lad back in the day and even now hunched over with age and leaning on a walking stick his mind is as sprightly as ever keeping the clients and workers there on their toes.

With the aging population charities such as this one will continue to need more and more support from us. The work they provide is invaluable. 

If you want to do something good, please don't ignore those around you. Help a local charity like Age Concern either via donation or your own time. If you see someone in the street or on the train that needs some help offer it, please just don't ignore.  

For more information about Age Concern Kingston you can visit their website at www.ageconcernkingston.org.