Monday October 20

The observant among you will note that this entry is being made on Tuesday morning. very simple reason - the computer system had a major glitch yesterday so I simply couldn't get into my blog page to write.

The reason for the glitch was a problem with generators onboard. In the middle of operating I was aware that the generator on one side of the ship was shutting down. We had a temporary loss of power while the auxillary power supply kicked in and then of course we had to switch over to tanks of oxygen in the OR rather than the usual supply which comes in via the boons. All added interest to the day and kept everyone on their toes. it also meant being resourceful in what we were doing.

In the middle of a difficult case it would be easy to stress about these things but it is not quite so unusual when operating on a ship and we ultimately trust God to help us. The result is that no-one panics and indeed we seem to bond together even more as a team.

I scrubbed yesterday for just one case but it took 8 hours. it's a while since I've scrubbed for that long! I was fed coffee during the case to keep me going! This is a technique that requires some practice. If you have ever tried to help someone with a drink from a cup and no straw you may have some understanding, throw in the factor of keeping oneself sterile and it adds another dimension to the whole thing. I find tha anaesthetists are usually pretty good at these things and indeed he did not let me down.

So as I write this blog I'm looking out of the window on deck 6 and can see several people either running or walking the dockside, (and feeling ever so slightly smug because I've already walked my distance this morning) the sun is coming up rapidly and activity in the docks is increasing. The crane is already working at the Maersk site unloading containers and the tug boats are around ready to help vessels pull out of port. The is some cloud but not enough to not see the pinks of the sunrise on the edge of the clouds although they are whitening as the sun rises as fast as I write.

Today I have another long case and tonight am out for dinner having organised about a week ago. We have 2 vehicles going so about 18 people in total. We are going to eat at a Mexican restaurant called Casablanca. It has a good reputation so I shall look forward to that while being fed coffee again later!