Reflections on Salt Water

Some book reviews and a bit of spring colour. There is a word for the smell of old books; bibliosmia describes that special scent that is given off by books as they age and the pages decay. I understand the magic of holding a real book in your hand and feeling the pages but I also love my Kindle. I know that some people have strong feelings about electronic books but I love the advantages of them. I was able to carry War and peace around with me easily for the length of time it took to read it and I can read books in poor light by altering the size of the writing. To me these are real positives. This is not actually meant to be an advert for Kindles but it is relevant as a couple of the books I have been reading recently were electronic versions.  Kindle flatlay So, on to some reviews. Trekker girl Morocco bound: Life after blood clots or how I learned to live and love life as a thrombosis survivor  by Dawne Archer Trekking across the Sahara is a massive challenge and this is ...

There is immense power in the sharing of stories and nursing is a profession that thrives on stories. We talk all day and sometimes all night to people and their families, sharing stories of lives well lived, people well loved and hopes for the future.  It is important that we share these tales to find out what makes people tick and how we can best help them. Talking things through also helps some to share the burden of caring. It is possible to hear amazing stories, there is something in everyone's life that is special or unusual or amazing. Some stories involve travel... Lived patient experience tells us what we are actually achieving compared to what we hope to achieve. Books such as Michael Rosen's Many different kinds of love shines a light on what we do and how it looks from the other side. One of the bits that stopped me in my tracks was when he says about 'whatever it is they do when they look at you for half a minute then write something down'. (Respiratory ra...