20.6.2013 Night Duty

Returned to duty last night on nights, I work 10 hour shifts and each month see's me working 4 -5 nights. After 39 years of being a nurse I am still not used to working in the night time. When the children were small I did night duty as a necessity, so my hubby and I could minimise childcare. When you work nights for a number of months, it becomes routine and you get used to existing on 4- 5 hours sleep. With one getting older now, I am finding it harder to exist through the day, mainly sleep and do not get out of my PJ's. The good thing about being on nights, is through the day I can catch up on a lot of preparation for my next quilt and some hand sewing. Something below that I am working on..

Working night duty in the winter months, is always a challenge for our retrieval teams, because of the availability of Fixed wing and Rotary wing aircraft due to freezing levels and fog. The only way to get the teams to children that are sick, is by road. NSW is a large area to cover and it may take a number of hours to reach certain hospitals. Teams have had to drive for 3-4 hours at times. The good thing about winter, is the hearty soups, I am always trying to find new soup recipes, that I can make.  When in Peru recently I had a Peruvian soup that had quinoa in it, I found some recipes in Good Taste and have cooked it, a great tasting soup.