I started this blog in 2011 because “my job makes me think a lot – about people, life, death, injustice and how things could be better.” I often feel that I have too many thoughts, too many things to share, but not enough time to write a fully formed article or blog post. My partner writes week notes, a summary of things he’s working on, things that have happened in the week and things he has read or seen. Inspired by him, I’m going to give them a go.
It is week 41 of 2024, not a typical time for new starts. I am fighting my need for order and convention, attempting to accept that it is fine to start at any time other than week 1 of January. After all, these numbers are arbritrary and there are other calendars in which October doesn’t even exist, or New Year moves according to lunar cycles. In the Aztec calendar it is Day Ocelotl (Jaguar) which seems a great day to start something new.
This week I completed my annual basic life support training so feel ready to save a life if I stumble across someone choking, or in cardiac arrest. You can learn these skills too.
I spoke at the Healthy People, Healthy Planet conference in Lisbon, sadly only remotely. I spoke about the links between the climate crisis and healthcare, the environmental impact of Respiratory care, and work we have done in South East London to influence inhaler prescribing practice, implement inhaler disposal and recycling, and reduce the impact of respiratory physiology testing. You can watch the conference recording , although most of it is in Portuguese. I’m on (very much not in Portuguese) from 45minutes.
I went to a Lambeth Food Partnership meeting and heard about progress towards creating a food system where everybody in Lambeth can eat well and make food choices that nourish themselves, their community and the environment. Lambeth has over 200 community food growing projects, a vibrant street market culture, and a borough-wide cash first approach to support residents to access good food. Many tons of surplus food are also redistributed through the networks of the The Felix Project, City Harvest and Healthy Living Platform. I am interested in improving food within healthcare, and strengthening links between healthcare organisations and community groups creating and maintaining health through food.
I met a friend for dinner at Wulf and Lamb, for a delicious and warming plant-based shepherd’s pie. We went to The Royal Court Theatre to see Giant, a play about the fallout from an antisemitic article written by Roald Dahl in 1983, and attempts by his publisher and family to smooth over criticism to ensure good sales of his new book, The Witches. Dahl is portrayed as a complicated character. He is compassionate and moral, but he is also obstinate, arrogant and deeply cruel. The play has eerie resonance given current world events. Dahl names the occupation of Palestine as apartheid, speaks of the systematic degradation of Palestinian life, and challenges Israeli citizens on their responsibility to speak up in protest. It’s uncomfortable to have art confront life, but isn’t this the point? Giant is on until Nov 16th. If you can get a ticket, don’t miss it.
On Saturday I joined people from the local anti-raids network on a stall, ensuring local people know their rights if they are caught up in an immigration raid. I joined the group following Yvette Cooper MP’s announcement that the Home Office under Labour would be stepping up raids, targeting nail bars and car washes. Immigration raids on our homes, communities and workplaces are violent attacks on us by the state and are a terror tactic. They can have extreme consequences, including lengthy periods of detention, deportation and, in some cases, death. The very least we can do is ensure that people at risk of or subject to these raids know their rights, and know that there are people within their community who stand with them, both morally and practically.
I finished watching Baby Reindeer. It is a brilliant series, initially light and funny but quickly turning dark, and it is the most harrowing TV I’ve seen in some time. The acting is incredible, the characters complex, the themes rarely explored on TV. Watch it, but only if you’re in a very good place with your mental health.
I’ve started planning for Christmas (it’s a mere 72 sleeps away) and ticked one gift off the list today as I weaved a scarf at the beautiful Freeweaver Studio in Deptford. I find weaving incredibly meditative and calming: fibre arts are my place of stillness. Textile artists receive much less attention and praise than painters or sculptures. I hope this changes.
Everything I have done this week exists on a surreal background of the horrors of the attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. Another hospital became an inferno today. Hospital patients cannot evacuate on command. There is film footage of people on iv drips burning alive. The world is watching Israel commit war crimes without consequence. We are watching a genocide unfold. I cannot believe the UK is still sending arms to Israel. I feel powerless and broken. I signed a letter to the UN to demand a ceasefire. I signed a petition urging Keir Starmer to revoke his pro-Israel statement and impose sanctions. I sent more money to Medical Aid for Palestinians.
I still feel powerless and broken.
drlj 