Taking it a week at a time

Dear Readers,

I have been differently busy all these past 10-odd days since I last visited the blog. I say differently because it is about learning skills on the ward and brushing up on knowledge through online studying at home. The aim continues to be to achieve a higher standard of skills. I worked on a night shift from half past eight to about three a.m. on the first of the two Fridays that have elapsed in the last 11 days. It was an unusual and very helpful experience. Then, yesterday, I attended part of the evening to practice some more skills. I tried a venous cannulation (sticking a needle and keeping it in to give IV fluids) on a newborn - and did not succeed. It was really depressing. Tonight, I plan to do another night of work. The aim is to keep trying till I reach a level of efficiency that will be considered satisfactory and acceptable to my bosses. 

I am continually improving my ability to tackle patients in the out-patient clinics, and also in the wards, I am happy to say. There have not been many outings except for my extraordinary visit to the Turbary Woods Owl and Birds of Prey Natural Sanctuary on the last Sunday. This place is located on the outskirts of Preston. It was a cinch to reach there, thanks to the excellent GPS services in this country. However, it was a long way from the station. I had to catch a bus, and after an18-minute ride, walk another few miles before I arrived there. 

En route, I captured the beautiful countryside as it is in and around private gardens. Flowers are growing all around these areas, in particular, well-planted tulips, daffodil beds, and so on. 

At the end of the long walk, you are on Chainhouse lane in the Whitestake area of Preston. There is no signboard to guide you to the actual Owl reserve, but you do get a Duxbury Garden Centre signage. The GPS tells you that your destination is at the same place! And it was, but tucked away behind the garden centre. You have to walk past the sales areas of the garden centre, and then into a wooded area before you see the signboard that tells you, you have arrived at the Reserve,

This is a relatively small place, but they have several different species of owls and some other birds of prey here. Most are in enclosures, but some are chained to posts and left out in the open area for visitors to see and interact with. It was a delight to look at owls, eagles, kestrels, falcons and kites. This place is run by volunteers who operate a not-for-profit organisation to help rehabilitate and protect these remarkable birds - especially rescue them when they are found injured or lost.

I spent nearly four hours there. In between, I had a leisurely lunch at the Maple Leaf Cafe - just outside the Turbary area but inside the complex. This was a really busy cafe, with a full British menu. I had a breaded plaice with chips and a coffee for my lunch. At 1 p.m., I witnessed an interesting live show of the birds. The birds were brought out one by one, and allowed to fly free and return to their trainers for food. Also, some of the owls there were trained to fly to whosoever had a source of food in their hands - to me, for instance, when a kestrel flew down to my hand and took food I had grasped in it, There was a whole contingent of school-kids from China, and they had a great time interacting with the show birds. Of course, there were English families as well, so it was a large crowd that had collected for the noon show. Unfortunately, the show had to be cut short as the weather turned inclement. I finally left the reserve after a coffee at the cafe. 

Some photos of the birds I saw:

Kestrel on my forearm

Northern Hawk Owl

Bengal eagle owl

American Kestrel

Large Grey Owl

Mottled wood owl

Eurasian Kestrel

African horned owl

Bengal eagle owl stretches its wings

Brown wood owl

Laggar falcon

This is a hybrid between an African and an European falcon

Snowy owl

Burrowing owl

Tawny owl

Harris' hawk

That's it for now. Thanks for reading.