It’s true, shrouds do not have pockets. I heard this proverbial saying this week while my other half was binge watching Shameless and it hit me as not only true, but also annoying. What if shrouds did have pockets? I mean, it’s not as if you could fit much in there but it would be awfully handy for the stuff the deceased do need with them. Families leave little things with them and a pocket would be mighty handy as a place to keep them. My little thought for the week.
It’s been a strange week yet again, filled with ups and downs. The team has been reunited as no one had any annual leave booked this week, and with all but one of our helper staff having returned to their normal jobs it’s an odd time that feels good and positive while we slowly return to our pre-COVID ways.
On Monday there was an enormous sense of gratitude towards the mortuary team and the work we have been doing of late. The trust gave all staff members a bee badge with 2020, the bee being the symbol placed on the tree in the atrium, each one representing a survivor of COVID. While it may feel all too soon to be considering this over with, I think it is also very important to remember how far we have come and what we have achieved. At no point can we not forget that we had some truly tough times. I also received a thank you from our Chief Nurse in regards to speaking at an internal conference about our COVID response which I am really proud of.
Tuesday came with yet another different colour of scrubs, this one I actually quite like. I shall call it raspberry. While we actually mostly have our normal green scrubs back now, the most popular sizes are coming up with some of the wonderful different colours still. It will seem odd when this stops, but I do wonder where all the lovely colours will go.
Wednesday evening I attended an online seminar held by the Royal College of Pathologists at which the AAPT President Dr. Michael Osborn and Dr. Brian Hanley presented a study of post mortem findings in COVID patients. It was really interesting to see the results, although some of it was way beyond my level of understanding I was pleased to be able to comprehend most of what was discussed. I made some notes too, so I could share some of the information with my team. I can’t really say I’m not a Ravenclaw at times like that. I also made some really good fajitas and sat in my pjs with my cats, there’s huge advantages for these events being online!
Thursday and Friday I had what could only be a self-imposed stressful couple of days where I thought way too much about my impending assessment. Trying to think about it logically, I’m freaking out because it’s super important and it has been a long time waiting for this. So when my other half suggested trying out the local pub when I got home on Friday it seemed like an excellent idea. It has been approved as a Safe Pub, with social distancing and other great rules imposed to keep everyone safe. While I settled down with my first pint in a glass since March, my good friend in the US sent me a message.
She lives on Long Island and had found some bones while walking on the shore. She had been trying so hard to figure out what they were and then sent photos of them to me. Together we managed to figure it out, I’ll post them below and see if you can figure it out too! We sure know how to have the best kind of geeky fun. We’re fairly certain we figured it out but if someone could confirm our answer too that would be amazing.
Alongside my upcoming assessment, next week also had the July online Death Cafe with Rachel and I! If you feel like joining us or would like to know more about Death Cafe please do get in touch. I have, what I hope is, an interesting post for early next week too! Have a good Sunday!
MG x
Mortuary Gem 
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