Happy Easter

Though this is a day belated, HAPPY EASTER to everyone! It is a good time to think about how life works for you - and what does it all mean? Our minister at church yesterday posed this question to the kids, but I think it is something work thinking about - "If Jesus didn't die on the cross, would we still be eating Easter Eggs today?".
For me it is a time to remember that no matter how hard I try to get things 'right' in life, I am bound to make mistakes, but that this is when the events of Easter - Jesus dying on the cross and rising again, become so relevant and necessary in my life. It means that no matter how hard I try and not matter how badly I fail, the penance for my mistakes has already been paid for me. That ROCKS!!!

The last couple of weeks have just been jam packed!! Work has really been full on. There are 4 clinics in the '4 Paws' group who I am working for, each clinic with one vet and one nurse, except the most busy clinic which has 2 nurses (and is about 3 minutes drive from home - twice as far as the Trafalgar clinic, but very convenient all the same!!:).
The first few days were in one of the quieter clinics, but were probably a good start to let my grey matter warm up again. Then the last week and a half has been at the busiest clinic, and I have most certainly been earning my money!! I think I must have been handling an average of 20 consults a day, with a surgery period in between averaging 4-5 various things from dentals to radiographs to desexings (did my first bilateral abdominal cryptorchid without supervision - went very well once I eventually found the second one!).
I was on call for the weekend, very fortunate to have no calls at all, and a work dinner to meet some of the other vets and nurses on Sunday last week. On Wednesday I referred a Basenji with persistent extreme neck pain to Brisbane for spinal sugery - great to have an owner willing to go the distance (literallly!). There are no specialist or referral centres in Townsville.
Just to be the only vet in the clinic from 8 till 6 Monday to Saturday is quite a shock to the system, but I am actually thoroughly enjoying the challenge and have had no extreme disasters as yet (touch wood!).

I am so lucky to have several visits from very special friends happening during my time up here. Pete and Di are already mentioned below, and my next visitor, which was quite unexpected, was from my best friend from highschool, Helen (currently living in Goolwa, SA) and her friend Shannon. We spent a day sight-seeing the many changes to Townsville since we lived here together 8 years ago(!) ..........................................