COVID 19 and the associated restrictions including the social distancing rules have not been very helpful for the activities of the Blue Vet, at least when it comes to this diary. The last few weeks have shown how lucky we are to be able to travel and to socialize physically with other human beings and that this is one of the key pre-conditions for this account.
Unlike many of my fellow veterinary colleagues I had been lucky though and shortly after writing my last article, I had a call from the team in Abingdon, asking me to help out with their emergency work over the following few weeks. That meant that rather than spending long mornings in bed, I had – at times – to work much harder than in my own clinic in Virginia Water (or at least it felt like it….).
It also meant that I had many opportunities to explore the beautiful villages and the countryside of Wallingford and of the Thames near Abingdon on long evening runs, obviously helped by the absolutely outstanding weather in April and May.
It was also nice to see the account of our CPD expedition to Armenia covered in a well circulated veterinary newspaper – hard to believe that this was soon a year ago…..Looking at the images didn’t help to settle the travel bug though……
Making the most of the good weather, patient 58 in Oxford got a long overdue roof repair, which should finally make all rooms in the building fully habitable (without the occasional indoor use of an umbrella…).
Working once again with the great team of nurses and vets in Abingdon brought included a lot of memorable and satisfying cases. Practicing while socially distancing was at times a challenge, but it also had its comical moments……
The long hours at work – not made easier with the additional provision of video consultations as a new service – were not only sweetened by the occasional lunch break in the sun, but also by some excellent chocolates, courtesy of some grateful owners.
All in all, the last two months didn’t turn out as inactive as I thought they would be.
However, with the days still getting longer and with life slowly normalizing again, it is also getting time for the Blue Vet to move on and to start travelling again……
The Blue Vet Diary 