Olympic Training

As you may know I was selected to drive during the Olympics and will be working in Weymouth. Today I had my first training course which was about the Olympic values. I have to say my first thoughts was ' I know all this, as I work with people every day' However, the day was a real eye opener and did take me out my comfort zone. It also struck me that it has all suddenly become real and just what I will be doing in enabling people to watch something they may have spent a life time dreaming of. What a responsibility! I also get 7 hours towards my  Driver CPC

Health Update

If you have read any of my posts you will be aware I have had my fair share of hospital visits. One of the things I found helped me recovering was not only the excellent medical treatment, but the wealth of information posted on the internet by normal people giving their story, so if you are reading this while sitting in hospital and wondering what the future holds I hope it helps.

In March 2010 I was involved in a motorcycle accident which resulted in my ankle being fractured in three places. You can read about my progress in earlier posts. So, what is life like two years on?  I have full movement in it and do everything I could do before. However, I do suffer with a far bit of pain and stiffness. This seems to be mainly in the morning or after long periods sitting. It is also affected by changes in the weather or should I say changes in pressure. There is a large amount of metal still supporting the leg so that of course may be causing some discomfort.

December 2011 was probably the worst point of mine and my family's  life, when after an ear infection I became extremely ill with Viral Meningitis. This illness does everything it says on the tin, and more, it was the actions of my Wife and our Doctor that saved my life. I and my family knew nothing about it, so the information on the Meningitis UK and Meningitis Trust web sites was a real comfort. So how am I getting on after six months? This illness has really left it's mark on both me and my wife. We both look at life in a different light and realise you really do not know what tomorrow brings. The medical effects at present are headaches, which have reduced over time, stiff neck and tiredness. These of course could just be down to my age. The most worrying aspect though is memory problems. This shows as short term memory loss and lack of concentration. Again both these could be down to other factors. However, not withstanding these the main thing is that I survived and am leading a pretty normal life.

Conversations

One of the things you need as a Bus Driver, is to be a people person. I typically come in to contact with over 100 people a day, from all walks of life. Some are happy, some are sad, some are drunk and some have obviously taken more than prescription drunks. And some are just going from A to B. But as a driver we have to  interact will all these. You have about three seconds to decide what type they are as they board the bus. I always start with Morning, Afternoon or just Hi. This can then transform into a short conversation on any topic. The level of these can make it seem you know these people, but of course you may never see them again Then again you see them the next time you do that particular duty and the conversation continues from where it left off. All these are carried out with a smile and appearance you understand everything they are saying.