Caring, volunteering and walking

Hello lovely bloggers, it’s me Kate Bentham again, sitting in the Weekly Blog Club hot seat, well slouching on the sofa to be precise. I hope you’ve all had a good week? I’m going to top that off nicely now with some wonderful blogs for you to read. There were 13 blogs submitted for week 24 and from reading them it seems our bloggers have all been extremely busy and deserve to be slouched on the sofa too.

To mark National Volunteer Week, and also taking up one of the [entirely optional] themes this week we have a blog from Louise Brown called Volunteering rocks – my volunteering week. Louise has been giving her time to help support her local community, and other projects she is involved in. As Louise points out, volunteering can give you an enormous sense of achievement, can help you to feel you are giving something back, and also looks impressive on a CV. If you feel inspired by Louise, then why not have a go at volunteering to be the Weekly Blog Club host and curator for a week. There’s an easy step by step guide on how to on our Admin info page. Go on, what have you got to lose?

A couple of other bloggers also took up the [entirely optional] theme of Urban/Rural Walk this week. First up is A walk to Dog-Eared Corner by Karen Hart. Karen leads us through the streets of east London, as she makes her way to work, we pass some very interesting objects, buildings, businesses, and avoid some of the more undesirable elements. I was startled to read that sadly Karen has been mugged 5 times, and utterly shocked at the suggestion the police made to try and prevent it from happening again.

We go on quite a journey with Janet Davis this week, a bus ride into Newcastle and walk and the return journey home, as Janet also takes up the [entirely option] theme of Urban/Rural Walks. The collection of images in Urban walk June 2013 part 1 have a focus on some of the public art in the town, Urban walk June 2013 part 2, looks at the softer side, sharing some of the natural objects on display in an urban area, and Urban walk June 2013 part 3 looks at some of the architecture, modern and classic buildings making up this great place. Some wonderful images of objects we might miss if we don’t challenge ourselves to look differently.

I also chose the [entirely optional] theme of Urban/Rural walk this week but instead shared some images captured from a few visits to a Welsh coastline. In A Beach Walk May 2013 by Kate Bentham there are images of jelly fish, a small cairn, a sea fisherman, and an excited 5 year old.

A very important post this week was Carers need more than hugs & chocolate by Jane McIntyre. Jane’s dad has Dementia and in this blog she shares the military style operation needed to care for him over a weekend, while his partner had a weekend away. The blog not only highlights the important and vital role that carers play, but also looks at the relationship between parent and child, and the sadness that can bring when the role is reversed.

In ECCF personal and professional improvement by Graham Kane, Graham looks at the Early Clinical Career Fellowship for newly qualified nurses and midwives, supporting them to develop the personal, professional and academic skills they need to become nursing leaders. Ultimately the end goal is to become a better nurse and to offer the best in patient care.

If you have an interest in health care related blogs then you really should check out   Better late than never, probably! by Scottish Health Monthly. This blog curates Scottish health care blogs each month and covers a wide range of health topics. Plenty of good stuff here.

I really enjoyed reading United Leadership (part 1) by Andy Johnson, which looks at the leadership styles at Manchester United Football Club and in particular that of Sir Alex Ferguson. The blogs looks at communication, vision, learning and mistakes. Eddie Coates-Madden Eddie Coates-Madden recently pitched a session at the LGComms Academy unconference session on how to move into sexy and leadership jobs in central government. Eddie led a lively discussion which questioned whether comms folk, who are skilled at representing others, may not have the confidence or belief to sell themselves for jobs or professional development opportunities. Those involved in the session agreed that this needs to change, that comms folk need to regain some pride, recognise their value and go for those sexy leader jobs. Un-like us is a good read for anyone who needs a boost.  

Karl Green shares Some Classic Karl…with us this week, and shares a piece of fiction he wrote when he was 13. I think this is the second piece of fiction we’ve had submitted to Weekly Blog Club, showing again that a blog really can be anything and everything.

The final post this week is Diverse by Mark Wood. As a professional photographer Mark has been photographing a number of weddings recently. He tells us how he gets the best out of his subjects, which might also involve tucking their shirt in for them. Mark has also been experimenting with techniques, which involves remote wizards and other interesting sounding gadgets. I am sure with Mark’s skill everyone involved will be pleased with the results.

So, that’s your lot. Thank you to all of you who have submitted, shared, commented on the blogs we’ve had this week. If you want to have a go a writing a blog for week 25 then you can find out how on our About page.

This week’s [entirely optional] themes are:

• Dads – with today being Father’s Day – either what it means to be a dad, or what your dad means to you.
• Education/school days/learning
• An interview with someone you admire
• A review of a book/album/film
• A photo with a few sentences around it.

That’s it from me, back to the lovely Janet Davis, unless of course you want to volunteer for week 25? #hint

Kate

Kate Bentham

Sunday 16^th June 2013

Summary of Week 24 posts

1. Better late than never, probably! by Scottish Health Monthly
2. United Leadership (part 1) by Andy Johnson
3. Diverse by Mark Wood
4. A Beach Walk May 2013 by Kate Bentham
5. Urban walk June 2013 part 3 by Janet Davis
6. Urban walk June 2013 part 2 by Janet Davis
7. Urban walk June 2013 part 1 by Janet Davis
8. A walk to Dog-Eared Corner by Karen Hart
9. Volunteering rocks – my volunteering week by Louise Brown
10. Carers need more than hugs & chocolate by Jane McIntyre
11. Un-like us by Eddie Coates-Madden
12. ECCF personal and professional improvement by Graham Kane
13. Some Classic Karl…. by Karl Green

A Beach Walk May 2013

This week Kate Bentham also took up the [entirely option] theme of the Urban/Rural Walk, but taking us instead on a walk along a stretch of coastline in Wales instead. Kate shares some of the items found on the shore.

A Beach Walk May 2013 by Kate Bentham

Urban walk June 2013 part 3

In Janet Davis’s 3rd Urban Walks post for week 24, we are now on the return journey back home.  This set ends in the southern end of Ouseburn, at the eastern end of Newcastle’s Quayside, and shows some of the wonderful architecture the area has. Modern and traditional buildings occupying the same space, both offering something of value to make Newcastle upon Tyne a great place for an Urban Walk.

Urban walk June 2013 part 3 by Janet Davis

Urban walk June 2013 part 2

The second part of Janet Davis’s Urban Walk posts this week focuses on some of the more natural elements of urban living. It feels less harsh and instead softer. Some great images with shadows, and what I am sure was a much needed cup of coffee.

Urban walk June 2013 part 2 by Janet Davis

Urban walk June 2013 part 1

Janet Davis has submitted three great posts this week taking up the [entirely optional] theme of Urban Walks. Janet takes us on an urban walk around Newcastle upon Tyne. This Part One post focuses on some of the artwork on display along the Quayside. Janet reminisces about living in the area as a student and also working in the Quayside. Some great images in this post.

Urban walk June 2013 part 1 by Janet Davis

A walk to Dog-Eared Corner

Karen Hart has taken up one of the [entirely optional] themes this week and shared with us her walk to work. She navigates an urban ‘It’s a knockout’, takes us passed a house where Stalin lived, a Jewish bakery, the raised scented bed outside a care home and several churches, but Karen avoids a group of boys, so she doesn’t become obvious.

A walk to Dog-Eared Corner by Karen Hart

Warmth, compassion and new starts

After some variable and decidedly chilly weather in May, we seem to have started June with much sunnier weather and that was reflected in a few of the Week 22 contributions to Weekly Blog Club. There were also some tough topics tackled.

In a week when right wing groups and those demonstrating against them gathered on the streets in English cities, it was sad to read of issues regarding attitudes towards Indigenous Australians and of a specific incident in Australian football in Racism In Sport – Still A Long Way To Go by Trent Masenhelder on the @SportingWag blog. It was good to read that there was some positive outcome in the case of this particular incident.

Back in the UK, there was a lot of talk at the weekend about the 12th Doctor Who and whether he could be black and/or a she. Karl Green had been wondering about the possible extra Doctor Who? in a different way, before the news broke of Matt Smith’s departure later in the year. If you’re a fan of the series and have not yet seen the finale of the recent series, Karl’s post contains spoilers.

Although Doctor Who is a very hands-on sort of Time Lord, I wonder if some time spent on a community secondment might help his understanding of humanity? Chris Bolton wrote about a discussion he had on Twitter and a post by someone else in  If I ruled the world, all public sector senior managers would do a secondment in the community by @Jargonautical. What do you think? Would senior managers gain more understanding and compassion if they spent some time on hospital wards? Do people need regular experience of the front line work in order to understand the people there? Join in the discussion in the comments on Chris’s post.

Someone who knows all about the front line is Thomas Whitelaw and he shared his story  about his mother who has dementia and his role as her carer in My Filmed interview Mums story – part of the Patients story library acute services training. He makes some vivid visual points about the number of people with dementia and the number of their carers in Scotland.

On the Dumfries and Galloway Health blog this week, Dr Angus Cameron explained how  Guidelines in Medicine had been developed over the years to standardise and improve treatments. He writes about why he is unlikely to be invited to dine again with Members of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, and what he is concerned might start to influence the guidelines in the future.

The Dumfries and Galloway Health blog was inspired by the example set in Ayrshire by Derek Barron. This week, Derek wrote Ayrshirehealth Reviewed – a year of blogging. Happy birthday, Ayrshirehealth blog! When we first started receiving contributions from them, I did feel anxious about whether I would understand the posts well enough to do a micro summary post. Some weeks, I have had to read through a post more than a couple of times to understand some of the jargon, and sometimes the subject matter has been tough to read, but I have found each and every post well worth reading. It has been fascinating to understand a little more about the concepts behind approaches to care and management, and how the National Health Service for Scotland is changing. I feel  honoured that the Ayrshire health bloggers trust us with their posts, and admire how Derek has not only encouraged people to blog in his own area but has inspired others elsewhere. I know it’s not an easy think to do. I look forward to the next year of posts.

Sometimes, the health bloggers write about ways of doing things that are highly applicable to sectors other than health. Susan Hannah’s on the Ayrshire Health blog this week was a great example as she used an ancient Greek tale - A Warm and Sunny Lesson From Aesop - to show how a more collaborative approach to management can be more effective.

Richard Overy shared a wonderfully sunny picture of smiling people in Lady & gentleman at a windmill. The bicycles in the background suggested it was a leisure outing. Some people prefer to create their picturesque views at home. Samuel-James Wilson’s post this week described how he constructed a Folly/Garden Feature for a private garden. Graham Budd wrote about getting park rangers in his local authority involved in telling people about the work they do (including setting up new beehives) in A new reason to bee excited. He was so successful that they now want to contribute so regularly that they need their own blog.

Mark Braggins wrote about the proposed end of the Knowledge Hub that was set up for local authorities to use and share information and advice in Knowledge Hub: Good CoP or Bad CoP? He and others have been talking about what they can save and possibly doing things in a new way.

It was Out with the old and in with the new in Mark Wood’s post this week, as his work involved photographing the outgoing and incoming Mayors of Walsall at the formal ceremony, and then taking a set of photographs of the new year to be used as his publicity pictures for the year.

There was a surprise in Graham Budd’s second post of the week, hinted at in the title - Aloha: goodbye and hello: he is heading off to exotic parts to do a new job (I’m not telling you where or what because you should read about it in Graham’s own words). I’m sure that other Weekly Blog Club members and others who know Graham would want to join me in wishing him a very happy time in his new home and new job. I, for one, am already looking forward to his posts and really hope he will get into photo blogging because I want to see what his new environment looks like.

Karen Hart could probably do without the distraction of Graham’s pictures of his exotic new environment because she is a virtuoso at the gentle art of displacement activity. In fact, this week she had BAGs of displacement activity! I do hope she also managed to get the writing done by the deadline.

Finally, in a week of news of yet more protests elsewhere in the world, Louise Atkinson’s post, Practice as research [Week 33] Why art is not protest, seemed especially relevant. Louise considers art and protest, from the agitprop forms that began in the 1917 Russian Revolution to work by the world-famous British artist Banksy, and the Chinese artist, Ai Wei Wei.

We set the [entirely optional] theme last week as heroes/heroines and this could continue as a theme this week. You could write about your childhood heroes/heroines; how you relate to a particular, famous hero/heroine; or unsung heroes/heroines whom you think should be recognised. It’s also National Volunteer Week from 1st to 7th June, so it would be great to see posts about volunteering.

If I have left out anyone’s post, please do say. It is not always easy to keep track of which posts are to be included in a week when handing over from one host to another.

Thank you very much to all who contributed by writing, reading, liking, following or retweeting the Week 17 posts. If you are inspired to join the contributors, more about how to can be found on our About page. As Derek mentioned in his post, it is really helpful if you retweet posts via Twitter or post them as links on other social media channels you use.

Help with looking after Weekly Blog Club is always welcome. It does take some time, but those who try it have found it rewarding. The people who contribute posts here are lovely.

Have a wonderful week.

Janet

Janet E Davis

Summary of Week 22 posts

Guidelines in Medicine by Dr Angus Cameron on the Dumfries and Galloway Health blog.

A new reason to bee excited by Graham Budd.

A Warm and Sunny Lesson From Aesop by Susan Hannah on the Ayrshire Health blog.

Doctor Who? by Karl S Green.

Aloha: goodbye and hello by Graham Budd.

Folly/Garden Feature by Samuel-James Wilson.

Knowledge Hub: Good CoP or Bad CoP? by Mark Braggins.

My Filmed interview Mums story – part of the Patients story library acute services training by Thomas Whitelaw.

Practice as research [Week 33] Why art is not protest by Louise Atkinson.

Ayrshirehealth Reviewed – a year of blogging by Derek Barron on the Ayrshire Health blog.

If I ruled the world, all public sector senior managers would do a secondment in the community by @Jargonautical by Chris Bolton.

Out with the old and in with the new by Mark Wood.

Racism In Sport – Still A Long Way To Go by Trent Masenhelder on the @SportingWag blog.

BAGs of displacement activity by Karen JK Hart.

Lady & gentleman at a windmill by Richard Overy.

A new reason to bee excited

Graham Budd has been trying to get colleagues to contribute stories of what they do in their daily work to share with the public on Facebook. He writes about getting the Parks Rangers to record and contribute something about their work from repairing paths to setting up bee hives. Now their interest has grown to the extent that Graham is having to set up a new online space for them.

A new reason to bee excited by Graham Budd.

Out of town

If, after reading Karen Hart’s post this week, you do not feel the urge to live on a narrowboat and have owls to lull you to sleep, kingfishers to wake up your eyes, I might have to worry about your soul. Holidays in the UK can be splendid.

Out of town by Karen JK Hart.

Travelling in your own back yard (and getting a social buzz for your event)

Ross Wigham writes about the Our Places, Our People weekend which gives Northumberland residents access some to the county’s best tourist attractions for free or discounted prices. He shares the very interesting breakdown of how many people used which type of medium, analogue or digital, to get their vouchers and entry tickets.

Travelling in your own back yard (and getting a social buzz for your event) by Ross Wigham.