Webchat with Hannah Mancini

Here's the webchat with Hannah Mancini from RTV SLO ahead of tonight's Eurovision Semi-Final.

It's in Slovene so Google Translate has been my friend although it has its limitations

Looking good Hannah!

Just FYI - I am HannahFanUK!

En2: Hi, Hannah! How are you today? Do you feel FINALy? :) How are your feelings about yesterday, on the second rehearshal, when jury voted? I wish you all the best, and see you in Arena in sathurday! Go, girl! ;)

Hannah Mancini: Hej, počutim se dobro, toda priznam, da sem se včeraj počutila malce živčno.
 
Peter: Kakšne občutke imaš po včerajšnji 2. generalki, če se primerjaš z ostalimi iz tvojega polfinala?
Vprasanje poslano....
 
Hannah Mancini: Čutila sem, da je bila prisotna dobra energija, čeprav sem bila malce živčna. Plesalci Maestra so bili izjemni. Res je bila dobra energija na odru.
 
Senna-Maze: Lepo pozdravljeni Hannah! Meni sta vaša pesem in koreografija zelo všeč. Zanima me, kako ste vi zadovoljni s scenografijo, lučmi, efekti na odru? Se bi dalo še kaj izboljšati?
 
Hannah Mancini: Všeč so mi barve v ozadju in oder je izjemen in dovoljuje meni in plesalcem Maestra, da res predstavimo energijo, ki jo čutimo ob sami pesmi. To je zame bistvo vsega: da ljudje na odru naredijo čim več, kar je v njihovi zmožnosti.
 
Dalton: Pozdravljeni. Čestiteke za odlično pesem, glas in stas. Ali držijo govorice, da včerajšnji nastop na generalki, kjer so strokovne žirije ocenjevale nastope, ni šel po pričakovanjih?
 
Norge10: Hannah, bravo! Yesterdays first dress rehearsal was excellent! Rumor has it that the second one with juries didn't go so as well ... How did you feel it? Nevertheless, we all wish you a great performance and vocal tonight. We believe in final for Slovenia till the last envelope!
 
Hannah Mancini: Najlepša hvala. Sem prefekcionistka, zato mislim, da bi vedno lahko šle stvari bolje. Sem precej kritična, ampak energija, ki je bila potrebna za uspešen nastop, je bila tam.
 
smiley: Živjo Hannah! Ali imaš kakšen poseben ritual za srečo preden greš na oder. Vso srečo danes! Mi navijamo za finale!!!
 
Hannah Mancini: Meditiram, če je možno (smeh). Skušam se skoncentirati na nastop in to je pravzaprav vse.
 
En2: Who, do you think, will pass the final tonight?
 
Hannah Mancini: Zagotovo Rusija, Ukrajina in Danska. Mislim, da bi lahko šla skozi tudi Nizozemska, ker jih predstavlja Anouk. Pa Srbija.
 
miš: Vam je 100 % všeč vaša zunanja oprava za nastop?
 
HanaMancinibejbi: zakaj ne kažeš nog na odru?
 
Hannah Mancini: Ja, zelo mi je všeč naša oprava. Saj kažem noge :), samo bolj udobno se počutim v hlačah, ker se v njih tudi lažje pridružujem plesalcem pri izvajanju plesnega dela nastopa.

esc: hannah, nocoj dajte živce na stran. pojte zase, se zabavajte in uživajte v soju žarometov! me pa kljub temu zanima, o čemu razmišjlate zadnjih 10 sekund, ko se v ozadju vrti predstavitveni film?
 
Hannah Mancini: Vsi smo zbrani v krogu in si izmenjujemo dobre želje, potem pa že letimo na oder (smeh).
 
HannahFansUK: Have you had much time to have fun and relax whilst in Malmo?
 
David: Pozdravljeni, kakšno je kaj razpoloženje? Se čuti v mestu ta utrip Evrovizije in po vašem lastnem mnenju, kako daleč lahko sežete, je pesem med tamkašnjo publiko dobro sprejeta?! Lp. veliko sreče in gremo v finale. ;)
 
Hannah Mancini: Zagotovo sem zelo uživala do zdaj in upam, da bom še naprej. Malo manj je bilo časa za sproščanje.
 
Senna-Maze: Hannah se tudi vam zdi, da evrosong vse bolj postaja podoben politični kuhinji? Opaziti je namreč možno, da ne zmaga vedno najboljša pesem , ampak tista, ki je pripravljena vložiti največ denarja. 

Hannah Mancini: Evrovizijska vročica je še kako prisotna, saj je Malmö precej malo mesto. Je pa res, da naša pesem ni morda narejena za vse evrovizijske oboževalce, toda je naša - in to je najbolj pomembno, da predstaviš pesem, za katero stojiš.
Hannah Mancini: Evrovizija je polna presenečenj. :)
 
mikyca: Hannah, pozdravljena! Katere pesmi pa so Vam osebno najbolj všeč? Želimo Vam odličen šov danes in držimo pesti :)
 
smiley: Kdo je tvoj favorit?
 
Hannah Mancini: Hvala. :) Res so mi zelo všeč Norveška, Črna gora in Francija.
 
HannahFansUK: Are there any plans for some remixes of "Straight Into Love"?
 
Hannah Mancini: Da, seveda. Imamo tri remikse, ki so že skoraj končani.
 
Stella T: Lepo pozdravljena, zanima me kako, kako to, da imajo plesalci na začetku šova maske? Želim ti veliko sreče in čudovit nastop danes. Držim pesti
 
Hannah Mancini: Menimo, da z njimi ustvarjajo dober učinek. Saj veste gre za nastop na odru. :)
 
moderator: Klepet se počasi končuje, saj ima Hannah zelo omejen čas. Sprejeli bomo še zadnja vprašanja.
dinao: Pozdravljena. Kateri je ključni atrubut s katerim menite, da boste vi in vaša ekipa prepričali gledalce.
 
Hannah Mancini: Mislim, da dober odrski nastop. Naš nastop je edini v prvem polfinalu, ki gradi na odrski dinamiki akterjev na odru in to daje dodatno vrednost našemu nastopu.
 
HanaMancinibejbi: CAw! Hannah, kaj si obetaš od sodelovanja na Evroviziji? Pa to ne mislim zgolj v okvitu tega festivala ampak bolj v smislu tvoje kariere? Ti bo Evrosong odpru pot na tuja tržišča, glede na to da je tvoj stil glasbe globalen?
 
Hannah Mancini: Ja, Evrovizija je čudovita priložnost, da se izvajalec predstavi. Evrovizija je enkratna priložnost, ki pride v življenju in ti omogoča, da predstaviš svoje delo - čeprav samo v 3 minutah - zelo širokemu občinstvu.
 
milkshake: who will be supporting you in malmo?
 
Hannah Mancini: Kar nekaj prijateljev je prišlo s Slovenije, ki bodo navijali za me. In upam, da boste tudi vi navijali zame.
 
Coco: Bo kaj razočaranja, če vam ne uspe priti v finale?
 
Hannah Mancini: Seveda. Veliko trdega dela je vloženega v to in veliko ljudi se je močno trudilo, da smo sestavili takšen nastop. Toda na koncu bo pomembna tudi izkušnja. Ampak upamo na najboljše!

Hannah and Maestro on stage in Malmo

ENGLISH-ISH TRANSLATION

EN2: Hi, Hannah! How are you today? Do you feel FINALy? :) How are your feelings about Yesterday, on the second rehearshal, When jury Voted? I wish you all the best, and see you in the Arena and sathurday! Go, girl! ;) 

Hannah Mancini: Hey, I feel good, but I confess that I felt a little nervous today. 

Peter: What are you feeling after yesterday's 2 rehearsal, if you compare with the rest of your semi-final?

 Hannah Mancini: I felt that there was a good energy, even though I was a bit nervous. Maestra dancers were excellent. It was really good energy on stage. 

Senna-Maze: Welcome Hannah! Considers both your song and choreography very much. I wonder how you are satisfied with the scenery, lights, effects on stage? Will you give anything to improve? 

Hannah Mancini: I like the colors in the background and the stage is remarkable and allows me and the dancers Maestra to really introduce energy that you feel the songs themselves. This is my whole point: that the people on stage do as much as is within their capabilities.

 Dalton: Hello. Čestiteke for a great song, voice and stature. Or stick to rumors that yesterday's performance at the rehearsal where the jury evaluated the performances did not go as expected?

 Norge10: Hannah, bravo! Yesterdays first dress rehearsal was excellent! Rumor Has It That second one with the juries did not go as well as ... How did you feel it? Nevertheless, we all wish you a great performance and vocal tonight. We believe in final for Australia till the last envelope! 

Hannah Mancini: Thank you very much. I prefekcionistka, so I think it would still be things went better. I am quite critical, but the energy that was necessary for the successful performance, it was there. 

smiley: Hi Hannah! Do you have any particular ritual for good luck before you go on stage. Good luck today! We cheer for the finale!

 Hannah Mancini: meditate, if possible (laughs). I'm trying to skoncentirati a show and that's all. 

EN2: Who, do you think, Will pass the final tonight? 

Hannah Mancini: Certainly Russia, Ukraine and Denmark. I think I could go through the Netherlands, because it represents Anouk. But Serbia. 

Mouse: 100% Did you like your outdoor outfit for the performance?HanaMancinibejbi: why do not you show legs on stage?

Hannah Mancini: Yeah, I like our outfits. I show my legs :) You just feel more comfortable in pants, because they also help join the dancers dance in the implementation of performance.

 esc: hannah, tonight put nerves aside. Sing to yourself, have fun and enjoy the limelight! I nevertheless wonder about what razmišjlate the last 10 seconds when the background turns movie presentation? 

Hannah Mancini: We all gathered in a circle and share their good wishes, then we'll fly to the stage (laughs). 

HannahFansUK: Have you had much time to have fun and relax whilst and Malmo?

 David: Hi, what is the mood of what? Be felt in the pulse Contest and in your own opinion, how far you can reach into, the song during tamkašnjo audience well received?! Lp. Good luck and go to the finals. ;) 

Hannah Mancini: I must have really enjoyed so far and I hope to continue. It was a little less time for relaxation.

 Senna-Maze: Hannah also you seem to Eurosong becoming increasingly similar political kitchen? It is significant potential that is not always the best victory song, but one that is willing to invest the most money.
 
Hannah Mancini: Eurovision fever is very much present, as it is quite a bit of Malmö city. It is true that our song is perhaps made for all Eurovision fans, but it is our - and this is most important to present yourself a song for which you stand.Hannah Mancini: Eurovision Song Contest is full of surprises. :)

 mikyca: Hannah, hello! What song are you personally like best? We wish you a good show today and keep our fingers crossed :)Smiley: Who is your favorite? 

Hannah Mancini: Thank you. :) It is true that I love Norway, Montenegro and France. 

HannahFansUK: Are there Any plans for some remixes of "Straight Into Love"?
 
Hannah Mancini: Yes, of course. We have three remixes that are almost completed. 

Stella T: Hello and welcome, I wonder how, how is it that the dancers at the beginning of the show masks? I wish you good luck and great performance today. I keep fingers crossed

 Hannah Mancini: We believe that they produce a good effect. You know it is a performance on stage. :) 

moderator: Chat is coming to an end, as Hannah has a very limited time. We will take one last question.dinao: Hello. What is the key atrubut which you think that you and your team to convince the viewers.
 
Hannah Mancini: I think a good stage presence. Our performance is only in the first semi-final, which builds on the dynamic stage actors on stage and this gives an additional value to our appearance. 

HanaMancinibejbi: CAW! Hannah, what do you obetaš of cooperation in the Eurovision Song Contest? This does not mean merely the okvitu this festival but more in terms of your career? You will Eurosong odpru way to foreign markets, given that your style of music globally?

 Hannah Mancini: Yes, a movie is a wonderful opportunity to present the contractor. Eurovision is a unique opportunity that comes in your life and allows you to introduce yourself your work - even though only 3 minutes - a very wide audience.

 milkshake: Who will you be Supporting and Malmo?

 Hannah Mancini: Quite a few friends came from Slovenia, who will be cheering for me. And I hope that you will also be rooting for me. 

Coco: What Will the disappointment if you do not make it to the finals? 

Hannah Mancini: Of course. A lot of hard work put into this and a lot of people have been working hard to compose such an approach. But in the end the important experience. But hope for the best!

UK throws it's Eurovision oar in for 2013

Okay, so, here is the United Kingdom's entry for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. It's called "Believe in Me" and it's by Bonnie Tyler - yes her off the 80s classics "Total Eclipse of the Heart"/ "Holding Out for a Hero". Not, as reported by the ever happy to dish up whatever misheard rumours they can Daily Fail suggested earlier in the week, Bonnie Langford!

For the second year in a row the BBC have selected the artist and song representing the UK. The majority of countries in Europe hold some sort of event to select their entries, ranging from the bigger-than-Eurovision-itself Melodifestivalen in Sweden to the bizarre vote-for-whoever-cos-we'll-change-it-if-we-want Belarus. The BBC had a go with that, but followed up the magnificent Jade Ewen (singing Andrew Lloyd Webber's "My Time" - watch the YouTube clip at 1:06 for the amazing violin bashing she gets) with the letdown of Josh Dubovie ("That Sounds Good To..." well no-one really), and so went on the pre-selection scavenge therafter, with the mixed results of boyband Blue and last year's Englebert Humperdink.

And herein lies our first problem. Bonnie is not a bad singer or artist, but she doesn't feel particularly current; her last non-compilation album release was in 2005. But she is releasing one this year, and so because the UK populace and BBC still see Eurovision as a bit of a joke, she gains publicity without risking losing anything. If only we had the balls to send our greatest acts like Russia or Sweden do, we might do a bit better... but that's a debate for someone else.

Let's take a look at the video shall we?

00:02 - Ok, so it's gonna be a ballad
00:08 - Is this an IKEA showroom?
00:15 - Nice quasi-rhyming! "And you laugh at thought of putting your faith in stuff... like love"
00:30 - Still no face-on shot and lots of cameras poking round corners - but it's already clear that she's had more than just a good make-up artist.
00:50 - And the chorus hits - I am already doing the "fist-grab" move like a backing singer
01:10 - I am liking these lyrics: "The way I speak the truth; I'll never lie to you"
01:34 - Now I get why no head-on shots; dead behind the eyes
01:40 - God this beach is depressing
01:51 - Hands in the air moment - I can already hear the G-A-Y remix kicking in at this point
02:01 - Those lip fillers are weird right?
02:16 - She actually looks a little drunk now as hit a middle 8 section
02:25 - Suddenly lots of cuts, either she fell over or we're building to that chorus...
02:30 - And here we are. I'm singing along... "Believe in Meeeeeeeeee-yeah-eh"...
02:40 - ...*eyes closed, fist-grab aplenty, wind machine* "The way I speak the truth; I'll never lie to you"
02:56 - Oh its over, was waiting for a bigger finish.

Well, that 3 minutes went quicker than I thought. Initial impressions - quite cute but probably not a show stopper... or a winner. But now I think about it, perhaps it will do better than it seems - a lot of entries this year are uptempo, dance-music infused given Loreen's Euphoria last year. If Bonnie is scheduled in between some of those, they annihilate the audience with some killer staging, and her croaky voice does that powerful-yet-vulnerable thing, this might translate well.

I'm gonna listen again now...

"Believe in Meeeeeeeeeeeeee, yeah-hee-yeah-eh"

I'm sold.

See you in Malmo Bonnie!

An Open Letter to Yodel

I thought I would share this with you, given the difficulty I have had contacted Yodel regarding it. Feel free to share, I for one would be happy for market forces to see Yodel's business redistributed to some other players in the delivery market.

http://www.yodel.co.uk/

Dear Very:

 

I wanted to write to you to tell you about my experience with your chosen delivery partner, Yodel.

My previous experience with Yodel has not been positive. The first delivery I had from them (from a purchase at BigGreenSmile) was not delivered on the day paid for, and nor was a card left. No email or SMS had been sent, so there was no actual way to track my delivery, nor a contact that was able to do this. Eventually I contacted the original company, whom had had the parcel delivered back to them, and we rearranged delivery with a different company.

The last Yodel delivery I had, from a clothing retailer, resulted in my purchase being left in a "safe place". This happened to be a recycling bin, which is perhaps not a terrible idea, except that it was my neighbour's bin, and the delivery on the day before our bins are collected. Needless to say I am lucky that my neighbour is observant, for yet again, no card was left. The Yodel website and contact centre could only inform me that the parcel had "been delivered", but not to where.

And so perhaps you can understand that my heart sank when I confirmed my order with you and saw that Yodel would be responsible delivering my new Sony Xperia T phone. I decided to try and have an open mind, but my previous experience was to be repeated.

I had paid for delivery between 0700-1200 on Very.co.uk (a slightly more expensive option). I was already suspicious from the day before, when I received an SMS and email from Yodel, inviting me to change the delivery date, but brushed this off as a technical issue (after all, I had paid extra for "next day" delivery).

I was duly awake and ready from 0645, but as midday approached, I realised that my delivery was not coming. I gave an hour or so's grace, then called you at Very, where you were very pleasant, but regretfully unable to help. You too, could see that my parcel had been loaded onto a van at 0949. I contacted Yodel, who's automated system informed me it might be 2100 before my parcel arrived. I remained at home until that time, but no delivery came. It was interesting then to note that delivery had apparently been attempted at 1019. There is no polite way to say this, but either Yodel is lying, or they did not attempt to deliver to the right address; neither of which is acceptable.

The Yodel tracking itself was not updated until later in the evening, a fact of which I am aware as I was unable to rearrange delivery until the next day. I contacted Yodel and expressed my dissatisfaction, but they were unable to do much more as the parcel was again on the van. They stated they would inform the local centre that my parcel was not to be left in a "safe place" (i.e. a bin) and that I would collect directly from the warehouse the following day. I noted that no card had been left by the supposed delivery agent (Do Yodel drivers even carry cards I wonder? - I have yet to see one)

When I returned home that evening, it was with some surprise to see that a parcel had been posted through my letterbox, containing my new phone. Although I was pleased to have received my purchase, I note the Yodel tracking website states "Parcel delivered - with signature 7130_MIDN_02" at 1414. As there was no-one in at that time, I am fascinated to whom this signature belongs to. Perhaps more amusing is the fact that my parcel was somehow delivered through that convenient medium, my letterbox, which had not been possible the day before, despite the added convenience of my presence for 14 hours.

I could perhaps add some questions about the appropriateness of shoving a £300 phone through a letterbox without a signature, but I suppose if I were vindictive enough it would be easy for me to claim I had never received the phone, given the lack of evidence it has taken place.

I think that the essence of what I am describing is that Yodel clearly did not bother to deliver the parcel when they had been contracted by you at Very.co.uk to do so. Delivery on Tuesday was perhaps inconvenient, so they left it for a day. I'm an amiable person but I would have preferred a more honest approach.

For me it is third time unlucky, and I am not prepared to go through this ridiculous rigmarole on further occasions. I would urge you at Very to seriously consider your choice of delivery agent. For me personally, no offer or incentive would persuade me to purchase from you again if Yodel were to be entrusted with a task that they have repeatedly demonstrated to me they are incapable of doing.

As a personal customer, I seriously doubt anyone at Yodel could care less about my custom, but I suspect they might care about yours.

I would be grateful for a refund of the delivery charge I paid, which I sincerely hope you claim back from Yodel, as I think I have given enough detail to understand just how much the delivery service failed on this occasion. I'd also been keen to hear your feedback about this delivery from Yodel.

Thanks for your time.

Seb

 

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "donotreply@sms.yodel.co.uk"
To: SEB Sent: Tuesday, 5 March 2013, 20:19
Subject: From Very

From Very - Sorry we missed you! We have just attempted to deliver your parcel for your order reference Very but unfortunately we missed you. A Calling Card was left by the Yodel driver but to speed up redelivery you can go to the re-delivery booking website at www.myyodel.co.uk  If you enter the parcel ref, your home postcode you will be able to choose a new day for delivery. Thank you.

On a break

So the New year resolution was to write a blog a month and of course, I immediately wondered what on Earth I should choose as a topic to set the standard high enough to keep interesting but not so amazing I'd never top it.

And so it is with surprise that I bid a grand thank you to Richard and Judy, and their delightful article in the Daily Express on Saturday:

RISKING A BABY'S LIFE FOR LUNCH

West Midlands Ambulance Service’s finest continued to munch their lunch after a six-week-old baby boy suffered a heart attack. His family dialled 999 but had to wait 41 minutes for an ambulance to come, because a crew were on their break and couldn’t be interrupted.

A spokesman for the West Midlands Ambulance Service says that staff work 12-hour shifts and ‘have the right to request’ that their breaks are not disturbed. So the shift in question didn’t even know about the 999 call until they’d wiped their mouths.
Undisturbed lunch breaks? Even if that means a baby might die while you’re finishing off your Muller Fruit Corner, guys? Really?
If you believe that, you’re in the wrong bloody job, the lot of you.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/370313

This is an excerpt on an opinion piece by some experts in daytime entertainment. When you pick away at their words it becomes clear that the actual gist of the story is not quite as clear cut. I think it essentially boils down to there not being an available ambulance rather than a crew actively rejecting to "save a baby's life" as so artfully depicted in the article. It's probably worth noting that the child in question didn't die.

Now you might want to argue, just like Richard and Judy, that a baby is more important than a sandwich. But then it's easy to simplify things down to a simple black-and-white choice like that and sit back in your armchair, content that the world has been put to rights. 

The article itself notes that the paramedic crew in question were unaware of the nature of the call when it went out, or even that one had gone out. I would bet anything that their Muller Corner would have been cast aside and the blue lights flicked on immediately if they had known. Not that it would have made any difference to this child... who was still alive at the time of writing.

For me the issue is a bigger one of taking a "break" and the notion that this might not be considered acceptable. Forgetting about the legal aspects of taking a break at work, working a 12 hour day, where you might have to try to save a baby's life, rush a stroke victim for treatment, talk a suicidal person out of their intentions... or indeed pick up a drunk teenager; it seems reasonable that you'd want that paramedic team to be at the top of their game and that having some food and drink in that time would be a good idea. It's not as if the job allows you to eat whilst you work - the one-handed CPR whilst chowing down on a chicken wrap technique has yet to be developed.

It's not just about the nutritional elements though - the amount of things a paramedic has to see and deal with in a day, and the amount of abuse they get for it - means the break time is a stop to take stock and psychologically re-adjust. Knowing you have some time to yourself is an important element of that healing. 

London Ambulance Service - Staff perspective

"Day in the Life of a London Paramedic" - video - BBC News

To be pedantic, if we follow Richard & Judy's ill-thought logic out, must we ask all trained paramedics to remain at work, without stopping, until there are no more 999 calls to answer? Should we join them in a crusade to breate anyone who does not use their skills 24 hours a day, 365 days a year regardless of their own personal welfare? 

I wonder how Judy would feel about doing such a job?
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/judy-finnigan-says-she-doesnt-miss-1520878 

Oh right.

Let's be clear, I don't support the idea of laziness. But I do think that we shouldn't hound healthcare workers for doing something that is both legal and sensible, and in the best interests of the population as a whole. There are plenty of decisions that have to be made that will not suit everybody, all of the time and to take the long view, I would rather have an ambulance service of focussed and mentally sharp paramedics than an overworked, tired and berated one. In Richard's ideal world, I'm not sure many school leavers are going to be jumping for the career of a paramedic, where crimes such as going to the toilet or an inability to work for twelve hours constantly at a time (maintaining excellent driving and clinical skills, of course) are inexcusable.

One question that the Ambulance Trust will be trying to answer and explain though is the length of time it took to respond - why was there no crew available. Perhaps rather than blame the Ambulance Trust, we should turn and look at ourselves. Every so often, a story like this will appear, reminding us of those who feel the emergency service is their personal private direct line to sort out any element of their life.  (Just out of coincidence, the man who calls 999 in the Guardian article for his pigeon was from the Midlands... where the crews in the Express article were allegedly busy). 

This isn't about a sandwich. It's easy to take this solitary situation, without any knowledge of the greater context in which that situation was just one part. The very same West Midlands Ambulance Trust dealt with just under 2000 calls in the 8 hours over New Year - that's an astonishing 250 calls an hour or about one every 15 seconds. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20881278]. In another story from last year, the number of attacks on paramedic staff in the West Midlands in 2012 was 210. This does not sound like a service that is sitting back eating yoghurts, but one that is working pretty hard. This is an ambulance service that is so busy it is struggling to see an ill baby, which is almost certainly a high priority call (http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/Emergencyandurgentcareservices/Pages/Ambulanceservices.aspx). Despite all that though, let's not forget that the "victim" at the core of this story is actually ok.

So to re-write the headline, "Baby lives thanks to work of local Ambulance Trust so busy paramedics made to feel guilty for eating a meal"

Oh, and to all aspiring journalists out there, and I include our favourite telly couple in that category, I spent about 5 minutes doing these searches to find the information about West Midlands Ambulance - shame good old Richard and Judy didn't have just five minutes to spare to do their jobs properly. 

Perhaps they were on a break.

  


  

New Year Resolutions

Let's see how we get on with these, but good to have goals right?!

1. I will aim to write at least one blog post per month with a vague theme of NHS politics. I mean, at almost 4000 views, this (http://seb-pillon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/fair-not-preferential-treatment-for-all.html) did pretty well.
2. To take up a new active hobby - likely to be climbing and/or ballroom dancing
3. To visit Slovenia again (http://www.slovenia.info/) - let me know if you'd like to go!
4. To buy a new suit for one of the 2 weddings of lovely friends I have this year
5. To send Christmas cards