The virus is still ruling our planet, but life goes on. It is all unknown territory. We live in isolated clusters that shouldn’t overlap, where we turn from fear to wonder. Rightly or wrongly I avoid the news, I avoid the number of deaths that still go on. I want to hear some good, I want hope in news that rejoices in those who have recovered. We all feel the weight of the tragedies and it is a burden that I feel can only be endured by a balance of joy and hope.

Captain Tom Moore is an amazing man. A man who will turn 100 on the last day of April, the same day I celebrate my birthday. He has walked his way into the hearts of the people and raised a phenomenal amount of money. I think this proves that so many people feel like I do. We are drawn to his positivity, his strength and his determination. This does not mean that we are disregarding the deaths, it means we are striving to survive and remember those that have fallen with dignity and love. We don’t want them reduced to another statistic.

Captain Tom keeps walking, people keep donating and day to day we hear about the little gestures that people have done to help others. Picking up shopping, singing happy birthday outside the window of a family member who is isolated and can’t have a hug, quiz nights via zoom, dinner parties where everyone FaceTimes. We all need this positivity and feeling of community in a time where we are socially distanced. There are more smiles from strangers as we walk by…at a distance…and I hope we continue with this long after we are released from lockdown. We all need to cherish and nurture the little things we have taken for granted.

I am loving the creativity that lockdown has released in so many people. Social media is bursting with brilliant, funny, crazy, hilarious dances, videos, songs, artwork….the list goes on. Peter Kay is going to recreate his Is this the way to Amarillo song with keyworkers providing the background. We had to join in and fingers crossed we may be chosen when it is aired on 23rd April. You can see all the videos at #BigNightInAmarillo

Even if we don’t feature we laughed when we made it and we all need to laugh in these crazy times. We need to balance the heartache with joy.

You’ve seen the dance, now it’s time for the out takes.

I actually laughed out loud when I watched the unedited film. We were hilarious. I don’t think Diversity has anything to worry about. With all the worries about covid-19 we still need the silly things to make us laugh and get us through it. I think everyone enjoyed it. Well, what wasn’t there to enjoy…the sun was shining, we were at the top of Saddleworth Moor and the air was clear, the music was good and we all had a great laugh.

It is Good Friday today and we were working in Oldham. Our manager came out and brought us all an Easter Egg. Then I nipped into M&S on the way home and they had a free Percy Pig Easter egg for all NHS workers…two nice surprises today.

I was at home on Thursday and for the first time I could go onto my doorstep and join in the clapping. Such a simple thing, but means such a lot. I work for the NHS, but the people I see are healthy. There are nurses and doctors who are working with dreadfully sick people and I can’t imagine what they go through every day. I drove home today and as the sun was shining there were people everywhere. There were groups of young girls walking along without a care in the world. People are putting their life at risk to look after and treat ill people, the virus is killing without a care for rich or poor, young or old and most of us are trying to stay safe and do all the right things, but those that flout every rule just prolong the isolation and keep spreading the virus. It is frustrating, it is maddening, it is selfishly thoughtless and arrogant….it is deadly! Will it take a death for youths who still go out and meet friends to find out that they aren’t invincible. I clapped the NHS and I clapped all those who stay home and stay safe.

I do like seeing all the rainbows in windows. If we can look for positives in this difficult time it is how we have come together….from a distance….to support and look out for each other. Little things make a difference. We have been told that they…the elusive they…are going to decorate the reception area at Base with rainbows. Children of employees and staff can take in pictures. I decided to do one too…

I had to snaffle a flip chart from work as paper isn’t an essential item I can shop for. I stayed home all day on my day off and painted. I hope many more people stayed home too.

Stay safe everyone. Stay at home!!!

There are new phrases and words that have become synonymous with 2020….social distancing, self isolation, stay safe…there is another that is just as important…TOGETHER! We don’t have to be hugging, touching, within two metres of each other, in the same room or even in the same house to be together. We are together in support, together in spirit, together in essential work and together on this little planet of ours.

Together we can get through this difficult time. We can look after our neighbours, we can smile (at a distance) to a stranger, we can clap for all those who are key workers, we can put pictures of rainbows in our windows, we can stay indoors and we can stop the spread of Covid-19.

The Manchester Team have been dancing again….together….inspired by Rick Astley’s song. Only go out for food, for exercise, for essential work and to Give Blood!

Rick Astley is going to put on a concert at Manchester Arena when this whole Corona Chaos is over. He is doing it for free for NHS workers, which is brilliant. Unfortunately, getting tickets was impossible because as soon as the lines opened the ticket office was swamped with eager NHS staff. None of the Manchester Team were successful, but we decided to make our own little homage to Rick….together.

One of the best things about enforced isolation is that it brings out the best creative ideas in people. Social media is swamped with brilliant posts that have taken time and thought to complete. I joined in with all the malarkey today by embarking on a cross channel swim …in my back garden.

It’s daft, but it was fun to make. Next week I intend to cross the pond to America.

My neighbours surprised me this evening when I answered a knock on my door. There was a brilliant poster, a bottle of wine and a clap and a cheer for my swim. Life might be difficult at the moment but, when you have lovely neighbours who enjoy your crazy antics then who cares about restrictions and isolation. It gives us all time away from the worries and fears of covid-19.

Everyone needs to turn up their creativity. It is just what the doctor ordered.

It is a strange world we are in at the moment. We are queueing outside supermarkets, we have to keep two metres away from people, we can’t meet up with family and friends, shops are closed, businesses are suffering, roots are going grey, false nails are falling off and toilets rolls are treasured commodities…it’s life, Jim, but not as we know it!

My journey into work is an uncomplicated drive that takes less than half the time it used to. It is like my own personal highway has opened up to deliver me stress free at base. But…oh how I long for those queues of traffic snaking their way down Regent Road. I want to be frustrated that the lane next to me seems to be moving at a faster pace, I want to be batting the steering wheel because the traffic lights have turned to red for the third time and I still haven’t moved more than three metres. I want to be sitting there watching pedestrians and inconsiderate drivers and I want to laugh and talk about them with Sue, who I car share with, I want to be watching the clock hoping I get into base on time, I just want things to be back to their normal, irritating, frustrating, noisy, busy, polluted self. I want this blasted virus to bugger off (excuse my language, but nothing else will suffice!) and to let us get back to normal.

Things at work are changing all the time too. Two days ago it became mandatory for us to wear a mask. We just do not like them.

They make your face hot and sweaty, my glasses steam up and they just flippin’ irritate…but they make make donors feel safer and show we are trying to provide the safest environment we can for everybody to visit and to work in.

So….how do we get through a day when the roads are so spookily quiet they unnerve you and you look like Darth Vader…well the only answer yesterday was TO DANCE!

Of course, I use the term dance loosely, but it made us laugh and if you watch it you will certainly laugh too. Diversity had better watch out as we will have another go and add more moves…I wonder if Lou has perfected her backflip yet?? There maybe a positive to this ‘Corona Chaos’ as The Manchester Team get the opportunity to go on Britain’s Got Talent…..I can see that golden buzzer being bashed ha ha ha.

I want to make a little video about social distancing with the team. I’ve collected all the props, I know what I want to do, I have some willing…well, slightly willing…volunteers, but time is always against me. When we arrive at a session we don’t have a great deal of time to set up before we start and our break time is precious. I wanted this shot for the end of the video, but so far it is all I have.

As I was lining everyone up, two metres apart, our manager drove into the car park, “Hurry up,” I called, “if you you want to be on the photo.” I pointed to the spot I wanted her to stand in but she moved to the side. I couldn’t see the person behind her. “I’ll just crouch down,” she said as she knelt down. “Don’t do that, you’ll look a right nob!” Oops! Not what you should say to your manager. Fortunately, she has a sense of humour as you can see in the photo….phew!

Well, the video will have to wait. Hopefully I will do it this week.

I’ve just spent the morning sorting a song out for the team. I’ll have to let my trusty musician, Mat, know which music to practise and then I shall gather more willing volunteers. I’m stuck at home as I’m on annual leave, it will be better for all my volunteers when I am back at work and I have no time for planning these shenanigans.

I’m an open water swimmer and I’m missing the water greatly. With time on my hands I made my own little video yesterday….as you can see it will be better for everyone when I’m back sticking needles in donors. 🤣💉

are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do. One of these days these boots are gonna…

…walk straight into a Blood Donation Session! Well, we have lots of boots, shoes, trainers, flip flops, sandals, pumps…you name it and we’ve seen them, come to a session, but I’ve been taking pics of some of the funky boots over the last few weeks.

Blue boots, red boots, silver boots, anything slightly different and I whipped my camera out. I did have to explain that I didn’t have a foot fetish…really I don’t…I just like funky boots. It gave people a laugh anyway.

Oh boy, we need a laugh, don’t we? With Covid-19 dominating our lives now when I whip out my camera and ask to take a pic of someone’s feet we laugh at the ridiculousness of it. We laugh because if we don’t we think about illness, we think about isolation, we think about money, we think of pasta and we think of toilet rolls.

It is all very surreal, it is frightening and for many it is life changing. Whilst life shuts down across the world and businesses close the Blood Service continues. The NHS continues. We aren’t the only ones still going, of course, but so many people have had to put everything on hold for something so small we can’t even see it with the human eye. This minuscule virus holds mankind in it’s sweaty little palm. Around the world we are self isolating, we walk two metres apart, we don’t visit family, we queue outside supermarkets and we pray we don’t come into contact with the virus.

Donating blood is a legitimate reason for leaving the house. People still need blood whether a virus is raging war on us or not. We still need donors to come to sessions. Lots of donors have said that they expected to get a text saying the session has been closed, but more than ever we need them to attend. People who donate blood should always be healthy so we are all mixing with healthy people. Never the less, processes have been put in place to help everyone be safe and feel safe.

All donors are triaged before they even enter the session. Numbers are restricted in the room. Chairs are all spaced two metres apart. If the room isn’t big enough to accommodate nine beds being spaced two metres apart then the session is restricted to a six bedder. All of this impacts on the flow of a session and so far most people have been very understanding. Sadly, this wasn’t true for one man…he arrived half an hour before the session started and was asked to wait outside as we were still setting up, he would have to be triaged before attending anyway. We have a daily brief and with the ever changing times due to Covid-19 this brief is vital. The brief over ran and he burst into the room angrily stating that we were late and his ‘appointment time’ had now passed. We assured him we would start in a couple of minutes, but he threw his form down and stomped off stating he had better things to do! What he had to do when the whole country was in lockdown I don’t know. Maybe he needed to stock up on more toilet rolls, who knows. I do know that he won’t be donating again as we don’t need to put up with people like that. The first donor of the session told me she had seen him storming off and she was glad because she had tried to stay away from him outside as he hadn’t stopped coughing!

It wasn’t the best start to a day, but then things improved enormously. A lady came to donate and she brought a goody bag for us…it had toilet rolls in, soaps, bath salts and essential oils. They were such lovely treats they brought tears to my eyes. The angry man was a one off, our donors are marvellous people.

On thursday, 26th March the country decided to give the NHS a clap at 8pm. I was working in Failsworth and so I missed it, but our manager phoned up and sent a clap over the airwaves. Later when I saw posts on social media and the news I was tearing up again. Media City lit up all the buildings with blue lights for the NHS too…

So from boots to boosts. Unexpected gifts and clapping, they boost your morale, they help you feel better when you’re stuck indoors. We all need a boost every now and then.

It is always sad when a colleague leaves, but it is doubly sad when that colleague is also a friend. Suzanne is moving to another area of the NHS and so her last session with us was at Wythenshawe. We all got set for the obligatory ‘last day group shot’ and tiger taped Suzanne to the chair. We stuck a sick bowl on her head and added a few discard labels, took the photo then left her to get out of it whilst we went for lunch…mwhah ha ha.

Suzanne has been with us for three years and we have met up outside work also. There have been our ‘Breakfast Club’ get togethers before work.

Then there have been the Christmas Dos…

…and of course the many times the team went out for a well earned drink…or two!

We all take our job seriously, but there are still times when we’ve had a laugh and Suzanne is a good sport who always joined in…

Oh, there are so many occasions and so many photos. There are many photos that are best not shared…lol. We wish you lots of luck in your new job, Suzanne, we will all miss you. I hope you have as much fun with your new colleagues as we have had over the last three years.

“Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated”….Mark Twain.

Well, reports of Sue’s leaving the team were greatly exaggerated today too. Sue is 50 on Friday and as she goes off on annual leave from tomorrow we were celebrating her birthday today. I thought it would be a good idea to send a text to Radio 2 this morning for Rylan to read out. Oh my, how one little text can cause ructions!!!

I asked for a birthday shout out for her and said her birthday was on Friday but today was her last day for this week. It was clumsily written and Rylan mistook it to read that Sue was leaving the Blood Service. Well, they heard the shout out at Plymouth Grove in the static centre and texts started flitting about saying Sue was leaving. Their manager heard it whilst driving to work, she phoned our manager asking if it was true….it was like Chinese whispers lol. I shouldn’t laugh, but it was quite funny really. Anyway, I shall text Rylan tomorrow and see if he can rectify the situation….no surprise P45 for Sue and no loss of a good venepuncurist for the team. Fingers crossed.

We did manage to celebrate her birthday on session though. Have a fab birthday, Sue and see you back in work after your annual leave is over!!

I could be a very rich woman if only I had a pound every time someone said….

“This is the worst part.” When we do the iron test. It is horrible because of all the nerve endings we have in our fingers. It feels bruised for ages afterwards, I know as I’ve had it done when I donate. I know. But it seems like every other person tells me.

“Ooh I’d like one of these for the garden.” The donation chairs don’t look it, but they are very comfy. Tall, short, big or petite you just mould into the chair. New donors are surprised, regulars like to say it each time.

“I only come for the free biscuit.” What is your favourite? I think the most popular are the Club biscuits, orange being more popular than mint. If Club biscuits aren’t your thing then the next most popular are either the custard creams or bourbons. Then comes everything else.

“I only eat a Club biscuit when I come here.” They do sell them in supermarkets…I’ve checked!

“They used glass bottles when I first started donating.”

“Something changes every time I come.”

I sound like I’m moaning about donors, I’m not at all. I think there are the same things said in every job. The same questions asked, the same comments made. I used to work in education. At nine o’clock when I gathered my reception class together for registration I used to always say, “Right, let’s start the day.” I didn’t realise I said it until a parent came in and commented that her child had started saying it every morning. She wondered who she had heard it from and I had to admit it was me. I became much more conscious of other little sayings I used. I use phrases in my job now too, so donors probably go home after donating and say, “I could be a very rich person if I only had a pound for every time that donor carer said….”