Turning it up to 11.

A scale of 1-10 on the volume control for either a home sound system or for that matter the amplifier for an electric guitar would be normal, from 1 the quietest to full volume at 10. So what would happen if the scale was changed from 1-11?

Its' simple according to Nigel the guitarist in  Spinal Tap "It's one louder"  he  explained to a journalist  'These  (amps) go to eleven'  Is  this  just a bit of stupidity from the 1980's mockumentary of a heavy rock band? It may be but as a phrase It has entered the English language 'Turning it up to 11' has now come to mean taking something to an extreme, perhaps ridiculously so .

In a blog last month we wrote of 10 ways to know its' hot, the last , actually no 11, read 

 11) The cacti in the garden wilt ( I made that one up)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our rains have yet to begin properly, the hot and dry weather has returned but I haven't had time to water the garden and so look what happened to our young green spiky plant last week, perhaps it isn't a cactus after all. It is supposed to like the heat, but couldn't cope with the temperature cranked up to 11. It has now been restored with a single long watering. Life giving water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the hospital we have been busy of late, in March 101 babies were delivered, a new record; and over the first 5 months we have an extra 15%  deliveries on last year. In May we set a new record for the number of cases operated in a month ,70, and again there is an overall increase  so far this year of 8%. In reality the increase in workload for us is much more as last year we had an experienced nurse surgeon from Cameroon who did his own lists and shared operating out of hours. This  year Andrea and I have been covering extra on calls and also doing more surgery by day.

As we sit in the transit area at Addis Ababa airport on our way home to the UK, we can relax, reflect on the year,  and look forward to a break.


However we leave the hospital behind, Dr Isaac will be joined by Dr Mike from the US for the first month and they will have to work hard. There will be no surgery but still plenty to do, and with Malc (administrator) and Sue (nurse) still in the UK for health reasons there will be extra burdens that fall on them and our other BMS colleague Rebecca. In August Dr Isaac will be the only doctor and the hospital will have to offer a reduced service. Please pray for them and for all the staff of the hospital, that they feel that they are not being forced to work at intensity no 11.