swimming, working and Norway

On thursday night in between work and work I dash to the pool for training with the squad, though I'm a little late, too many sick people keeping me back! They've started already, of course, but in the fast lane the regulars have disappeared into the cold weather and I get a personalised training session. It's too cold to start with so I go faster than planned, and keep up the pace until in the end I'm doing 50m swims every 35 second interval. It's intense but in this weather, and seeing it's been shortened for me, it feels great and I feel invigorated. And then I rush out and go to work, again. Because isn't that what everyone does?

At work I'm asked to stick needles into almost everyone it seems - often more than one. And I think of a friend who likes the idea of sticking needles into people and realise that it's good he doesn't have my job, or he would be entirely unpopular. Staff talk to me about stresses they had with a cardiac arrest that morning and how unimpressed they were with the doctor who attended. So I'm debriefing them and trying to keep out of the storm myself, while trying to avoid having to stick more needles into people because you can only push people so far before they crack. (I know).

The kitchen staff at the hospital realise they have no meal for me (I'm starving) but rather than me turning up to find nothing, they call me and ask if they can cook me something - this has NEVER happened before. I'm very impressed, though the options I have for my evening meal are somewhat limited, but still it's been made for me personally so I heartily thank them ( I don't think the other doctors actually speak to kitchen staff) and walk out with a tray so full of food I could survive in remote Iceland for weeks.

And as I'm in my hospital room reading about where to go in Norway (yes we're going there too) I realise how terrible my Norwegian is right now - but the more I think about it the more words come back and think I might be able to pass as a somewhat informed traveller when I make it back there.

And the Norwegian phrases for today are:

Jeg elsker deg.

I love you.

Jeg leser bloggen din hver dag.

I read your blog every day.

Of course you have to pretend you're singing when you say these and people will love you for it when you do. Especially me.

And when we get lost in the mountains in Never-Dark-Norway, this is the man who is going to come along and give us a hand, or a foot, or whatever it is that seems most appropriate at the time. And I will come home wearing his jumper (genser in Norsk speak).