Just pondering about the future of General Practice and the NHS. With the rumours I've heard, General Practice is going to go down the pan, shortly followed by the NHS.

I wonder what I should re-train as.

Plumber as they cannot out source that as easily.

The only problem will be what to do about your student debts?

TBH I have thought about emigrating. It would mean I wouldn't have to worry about repaying the bloody thing so long as I never stepped foot in the UK again. OZ/NZ seem to be hot choices at the moment but I'm already aware that the respective countries are starting to close the window for this. Canada seems to be an alternative but not as appealing from what I gather. There's going to be a huge number of GPs retiring early because of revalidation and the proposed NHS changes are going to push some to go even earlier. I, rather unfortunately, have just started my career as a fully fledged GP.

I'd take either NZ or Canada myself.

I think that they will start to chase debts abroad so that might not be solution. They are already chasing some debts abroad.

I agree with Lev that Canada and NZ would be my top choices. Though NZ would be better than Canada depending on timing. There is a spectacular property bubble in Vancouver and Toronto so once that bubble has burst Canada would be an option.

Putting up the Christmas tree. It is easier at night because you can turn out the lights to see how even the tree lights are.

Loving the quiet.

Not quite midnight but I suspect I'll be awake all night. Since the neighbours have started building an extension, we've had mice problems again. Thought we had got rid of the few that managed to get indoors but right now it sounds like there's one under my bedroom floorboards trying to enter into my room. Fecker. The weakest point is where the old boiler used to sit, in the airing cupboard in my bedroom. There are pipes running up and down that region. I did seal up the gaps with cement but I suspect they have managed to circumvent it.

Actually whilst typing this, I think it's managed to enter my room from another direction. It stopped gnawing for a bit which is probably when it looked elsewhere. There are three traps in my room. Hope one of them gets it!!!

Just been on a spending spree.

Woke up at 3 am no need for alarm clocks, though how long I will be able to keep going is another matter.

Today I decided to look for where mice might be coming in. We knew there was a tile in a corner of the bathroom that had come away, leaving a gap for mice to come through. Sealed it up with polyfilla and replaced the tile. Also found a gap in my room where the boiler cupboard meets the floorboard and sealed it up the same way.

Tonight I'm awoken (just as I was drifting off to sleep) by the sound of a mouse gnawing away (presumably at the polyfilla). If it is the polyfilla, it's not very mouseproof and I'll need to do something else.

Get a cat.

^^^I would do if I weren't allergic to the damn things. We do seem to have one roaming around in the backyard and my mother wants to adopt him.


ION last night I was wide awake at 2am and couldn't sleep till about three. Had around four hours' sleep. Half day today so napped for an hour. Now I'm still wide awake despite being tired all day.

I need to go back to the gym and start exercising.

Well I was allergic to cats for a while. Though because I saw as a problem for me and not the cat I put up with the itchy streaming eyes, and now I am no longer allergic. Last year a neighbours cat took a liking to me and spent days and nights in my home. I had no choice but to get used to it. I now no longer react when I am near cats.

As to the lousy sleeping patterns I can understand that. Though not worrying about it does help. Force feeding coffee for a day to keep yourself awake till you can get to bed at a more normal time is the only solution I can suggest.

Wide a-flipping-wake at the mo and no idea why. Last time I drank coke was 3PM.