I can’t quite decide whether I like locum life or not. On the one hand, I get to travel, which I’ve always loved. On the other, when I get back, I feel I should be building a home, but finding the energy to do so, in the brief bursts I’m there… well it just isn’t happening. This time was particularly bad. Having worked two intense weeks, then driven home without a good night’s sleep (workmen arrived outside the Wolverhampton flat to cut down a tree at 6am) it took me four days to get the energy together to even start walking Triar and cooking real food. Building furniture and working out how to hang a massive, brass, full length mirror on a (probably) lath and plaster wall – well I didn’t even come close.

That said, there were some good things. While I was away, I paid to have a tree in my garden chopped down. It was very close to a neighbour’s house and an obvious insurance risk. Apparently, this was a living Christmas tree someone had planted when it was small, but it grew into a potential problem. I also had the hedge chopped right back. I ran into the neighbour on Blackbird Lane and he offered to pay something towards the tree removal, but after a bit of discussion, he has agreed to looking into getting a fence put in, before the hedge grows back. This should, hopefully, make the garden borders dog proof. We also discussed the possibility of a gate into his garden. As I live in a terrace with no garden access except through the house, that would be amazing.

I’ve also finally managed to get proof to the Norwegian Tax Department that I shouldn’t be paying national insurance in both Norway and the UK, which means they have given me some money back, with hopefully more to come. That means that, when I go on holiday in Norway, I don’t need to worry about how much it’s all costing.

I’m still waiting for APHA to check up on me, before they decide whether to take me back. I guess making the process so difficult is to deter me from doing the same again, but it does seem rather ridiculous. I had to send them proof of my address. One of the acceptable documents was a P45, so I sent them the P45 they sent me in April. I also had to give three referees, and two of those I gave were my mangers at APHA. They did all these checks before in 2023, so unless I have substituted an identical twin, the whole thing seems a bit over the top.

I’m now in a hotel in Drymen, an idyllic village in Central Scotland. Tonight I’ll be going to a ceilidh for the first time in years. It felt odd, driving to Drymen on my own. Charlie and I came here relatively often as his lovely Aunt Janet and Uncle David lived here. Janet and David had eight children and visiting them with ours was great. Nothing ever felt like it was too much trouble. It was sad to know they’re no longer there. I’m reaching the stage of life where so much has disappeared. It’s an odd feeling. Still, the ceilidh is to celebrate the marriage of Kyle and Candice. Kyle was at school with John and Anna when they were small and we lived in Airth. They are the next generation and I hope they have a wonderful life ahead of them.

After this, I’m heading to Yorkshire, to take Dad to a doctor’s appointment on Monday. After that, I’m probably going to be locumming in Middlesbrough and then may find myself heading straight to Norway. Packing yesterday was quite challenging and only time will tell whether the luggage I packed for a holiday in November (where there may be snow) was adequate.

I haven’t many photos yet, though I’m in a beautiful part of Scotland. Hopefully next week, I will have more to share, but I took a few photos of the village last night and this morning, while walking Triar, which I will share with you. As ever, thanks for reading and I hope you have a good week.