Breakfast with a Nightshifter

At the table, all at once, during a happy family sitting: boys in pyjamas, cereal which we call 'glop' (yoghurt, oats, grated apple or other fruit, linseed, sunflower seeds, milk), smoked mackerel dip with black pepper, jams from Poland and France, cups of coffee, and beer!

Wish I'd taken a photo, 8.30am in the morning. Also, the sun is actually shining in our window, still amazed to see this here in Cork.

This is what it's like, our Cork-life during the week of nights: he's winding down and going off to sleep after a late snack, we're winding up into our day - away from the house as much as possible. We went off to have a wild, sunny, sand-building day at the beach, Ownahinch, pictured here, once we'd finished our city.

Medical Career in Ireland

It's completely outrageous, how this country touts itself as an economic miracle, modern now, and some terrible contradictions remain.

There are LOTS of doctors with brown skin who have worked here for ages, are good doctors, but will never get any career progressions, ie never make consultant. LMM was asked not long ago, had he seen any consultants who were not Irish? - there are none. Downright racist, isolationist, yet no-one tells them, no-one confronts it - and the foreign docs prop up the system for years, unable to question it, as their contracts might not be renewed. This is no open, modern system.

And I thought Australia makes it tough, making them work in the outback, or in other terrible places for years, before recognising their qualifications! At least they do, eventually.

What kind of country makes doctors reapply for their jobs EVERY 6 MONTHS? Not consultants of course, but the big numbers who get the worst shifts, bear the brunt of patient loads in every specialty, across the country. These are professional folks, with years of study and experience behind them, being made to act like temps. Oh and could you please do a spelling test for us. That last part was a joke.

Across the hall from us is an Indian woman who's just been here for 2 years, working, waiting until she could bring her girls, 11 and 13, and her husband over. That's how much a better life means to them.

And in the hospital is a senior doc who'd be arriving at parties in India in the limo, earning 6 times as much as he does here, but he's got an Irish wife, so stays bogged in the system, without a proper career progression for his expertise.

Poor buggers.

Life with a Shiftworker

We're getting used to this now. I know the week must be the night-shift week (ie 7 nights straight), when:

• LMM physically dreads going to work for the weekend ahead. The worst shift is 2200-0900h, 1800-0400h is much better;
• I stay up late most nights alone, too late, and end up dog-tired too. It's as if I'm staying up in sympathy, but that's dumb, because I get to sleep in the bed all by myself, which should be nice for a change;
• I shift clothes and stuff into the boys bathroom so I can shower after the gym quietly;
• I harass the boys to be quiet in the flat, or trawl around town trying to stay out as long as possible;
• A bleary-eyed man sends sms from the bedroom seeking tea and sympathy;
• I'm starting to hoard the clean clothes by about Thursday, planning the packing for 3 for the week ahead - washing and sorting outfits so we're ready for the next trip;
• I'm packing in the early evenings of the weekend, while staying out as long as possible during the days: passports, the right gear, the right bags, what else don't they need, empty the fridge?
• We pour the boys and LMM into some plane on the Monday and go.

The week after, it takes until about Wednesday for him to function again and the holiday really starts. We've used this week for something really good and new every month. This time, it's off to ski in Austria. Flying into Munich, oh we're in the swing of it now - and a car to collect straight away at the airport! And the switch into German won't be hard, it's only been a month. Accommodation organised by cousin, who changed accommodation at the last minute, to ensure we'd get plenty of snow. Exciting stuff - and so easy, we're here, used to eachothers' ways on holidays now. But yes, much the easier for us, having them there.

Next time Turkey, after that France! On our own then.