It’s been a whole year since I last blogged. And it’s been a funny year at that. If you read my last blog post, it was all about the expectation of change, moving home, working less, trying to get fitter. Best laid plans, as they say.
The house we were buying on Islay fell through; it obviously wasn’t meant to be our dream home, but I hear that Janet Street Porter is interested, so there’s a claim to fame at a quiz. Having sold up with nowhere to go, we embraced the situation. With our belongings in storage, we were fortunate enough to have a lovely few months as houseguests with family, interspersed with an odd Airbnb here and there, whilst we searched the property market and visited places to find our next home.
I’ve watched many home renovation programmes over the years, and still felt like I had the energy for another project, so talked Mr D into a little ‘doer-upper’ on Kintyre, where we moved to in July. We are surrounded by fab beaches and ferries (when they are running!). It’s remote, but still near enough to civilisation and I can watch the ferry over to Islay when up out on the hill with dogs.
We are still waiting to start a renovation that seems to be taking ages, so I’ve swapped the joy of dealing with estate agents and solicitors for planners and architects; I just can’t seem to avoid dealing with ‘Professions’.
The end point is Grand Designs meets Scotland’s Home of the Year (in my head). However, the reality of some elements feels unsettlingly similar. I should have realised when the septic tank collapsed in our first month that it wasn’t going to be plain sailing. I didn’t think anyone could get excited about a digger and a concrete tank, but there you go, it was the highlight of September, while we waited for planning permission to be approved.
Things got a bit sticky healthwise in the Autumn, when I experienced Scotland’s NHS system as a patient, not as an employee or advisor, as I might have planned. After spending too many years sitting at a screen, my back decided to shout about it and remind me to move more. I couldn’t help but have an interest in looking at the Dr.’s screen. Vision seems so small and cluttered – I could do a lot with that. And no NHS App up here – what’s that about Scotland – I’m dying to help with that too. We chatted about access, remote diagnostics, support for Primary care, and for the medics out there, a few X-rays and scans later showed up usual aging osteoarthritis along with Cam hip impingement, osteophytes, facet joint degeneration, and a nice little slip of L4/L5 – painful!
Time to take control of your health, Lisa!
With daily (who am I kidding) TaiChi with Dr. Potts, a regular massage with Jacqui B, and Pilates in a class and 1-1 with Kath at Headingly Pilates, things have improved enormously. It all felt a bit self-indulgent for someone who isn’t used to putting themselves first, but I know and now feel the importance of keeping active, and these regular sessions are scheduled maintenance for the body. I did wonder, though, if I’d stepped into a scene from 50 Shades of Grey when I first saw the Pilates equipment…..
I even signed up for a winter Pilates retreat at Torrisdale castle, ending up in the Kilbrannan Sound on 1st Feb, in 6 deg water temperature and no wetsuit. A lifetime experience as a Dolphin jumped out of the water, just before we entered.
To balance all this so-called ‘leisure-time,’ I’ve still been helping out at Redmoor Health and with my role in the NHS at the practice.
In the New Year, we were straight into migrating clinical systems, moving from EMIS to Medicus in mid January. Following on as the 3rd EMIS practice to migrate, but as the first in our ICB, many things were still a ‘first’, so it does feel like we are paving the way for others. I’ve got right back into product development, and it’s made me realise that’s where I can help out most. That sweet spot between the product team, service provider, patient experience, and stakeholder relationships.
Whilst I love this sort of work, I’ve enjoyed the freedom to be out in the fresh air when I want to be. I’ve valued that balance of home-work-life this year and need to do more of it. So, today is my last day at Redmoor Health, after 8 years with the Company and enjoying a great chapter in my career. I’ll still be around for their Advisory Board, having watched and been part of the company that’s grown from a team of just 5.
As Spring approaches, I’m not retiring though, just turning over a new leaf.
What Lisa did next..... 