Yearly Archives: 2013

Show some Support- HIPZ

09th April 2013
As most of you know, I work in a Doctor’s surgery in my home town. Many of the GPs there are involved in other projects as well as general practice and today I’d like to share with you the work one of our docs, Jon Rees does for the charity HIPZ
HIPZ (Health Improvements Project Zanzibar) is a UK registered charity and was established in
2006 by Dr Ru MacDonagh, a consultant surgeon based in the UK. Having worked for many years
in Zanzibar and Tanzania, Ru had developed strong links in Zanzibar with both the Health Sector
and the Government. In particular he has a longstanding professional relationship with Consultant
Surgeon, and now Principal Secretary to the Minister of Health, Dr Mohamed Jiddawi. It was
an approach from Dr Jiddawi to Ru for assistance in 2006 that lead to the creation of HIPZ. The
other trustees (eight in total) are mainly doctors who have considerable experience of working in
Africa, some qualified in tropical medicine, along with trustees with relevant financial, legal and
administrative expertise.
Dr Rees
The main point of this post is to spread the word about a bike ride that Dr Rees is doing in June to raise some much needed funds for HIPZ. I’ll leave most of the wording of this post to the man himself as he can say it far better than I can (blogger in the making?)
In June I will be part of a group representing HIPZ, cycling round the island of Zanzibar to raise money for our small charity.
I cycled around the island in 2010 and as a group we raised over £80,000 for HIPZ. This has been used over the last 3 years to continue our work in collaboration with the Zanzibar govt (public private partnership) and has been instrumental in allowing us to set up a comprehensive maternity service (including ambulance collection from the villages, and a Caesarean section service) – this has transformed maternity care in the Makunduchi region – there were no maternal deaths at Makunduchi in 2011 as a result. We have also got surgical services running, allowing simple operations such as hernia repairs, appendicectomies etc to be carried out. We have a primary health care unit running seeing over 2000 patients a month. This is all taking place in a hospital that was severely dysfunctional when HIPZ took it over.
As a result of the success at Makunduchi hospital, the Zanzibar government asked HIPZ to take over the running of Kivunge hospital in the north of Zanzibar which serves 180000 people – we now have responsibility for the health care of over 250,000 people. Kivunge has enormous problems and we again hope to develop basic maternity, paediatric, primary care and surgical services as a priority. But we need some funds to do this.
We are being joined on the bike ride by Peter Andre! Pete is now a good friend of Ru MacDonagh who founded HIPZ and Ru’s daughter Emily is Pete’s girlfriend! Pete was operated on by Ru a few years ago and has subsequently become a supporter of HIPZ, travelling out to Zanzibar last year to see our work for himself, with ITV4 film crew in tow! We will be accompanied by ITV4 film crew who will be filming for ‘Peter Andre: My Life’…
HIPZ has had huge support from local Rotary clubs – Nailsea and Backwell have been fantastic supporters and have funded the purchase of specialised anaesthetic machines for both hospitals which have been fundamental in providing maternity and surgical services. Portishead Rotary have also made a number of contributions to this project.
I am hoping to raise over £3000 for the project – I am paying all my own costs so all money raised goes direct to providing health care on Zanzibar.
 
Dr Rees with Fatawi, the nurse anaesthetist with the Glostavent anaesthetic machine bought by Nailsea / Backwell Rotary club

Decorating to make a Children’s ward a little bit brighter

Children’s ward- quite the contrast to the wards we experience here
 
If you’d like to show some support for this amazing work (and I’m kind of begging  you nicely to do so) then you can donate and sponsor Dr Rees and his bike ride by clicking on the Just Giving link
Anything you can spare would make such a difference.
For more information about HIPZ visit HIPZ website – www.hipz.org.uk or follow them on Twitter @HIPZ_UK
This isn’t the last post you see on this. It’s a cause I support fully and I have some fund raising ideas waiting to be put in to action. 
 I’ll keep you updated on the bike ride too, donate enough and I might be able to beg some Peter Andre pics! 
xxx

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sarenza shoe of the week: cut it out

07th April 2013

I’ve seen cut out shoe boots everywhere lately and whilst browsing Sarenza and their latest arrivals from KG by Kurt Geiger I was quite taken by the Vex variety.
Sure they cost £156.90 which seems a lot to invest in a trend but with the weather being what it is these are the ideal way to branch out from winter boots and in to summer sandals. My obsession with all things studded clearly influences most of my decisions at the moment as they were the final selling point on these shoes. Sarenza, you are SO bad for me, I have a wish list ten miles long!
Do you like the cut out trend? What do you think of these?
xxx

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cat lady strikes yet again

06th April 2013

Dress: Dorothy Perkins
Boots: New Look
Necklace: Chelsea Doll
The second Chelsea Doll posted about this necklace on their facebook page I knew I was going to end up buying it. I held out for all of five minutes before giving in to temptation just before the Easter weekend and within a few days it was mine. It’s unlike anything I ever own- I normally go for slightly more subtle jewellery but yeah…can you imagine me not owning this? Much to the amusement of several colleagues and patients I wore this as part of my work (and play) outfit on Thursday, opting for a classic combination of camel and black to tone it down.
I always feel strangely exposed when I wear this dress, something about the sheer expanse of nude colour I guess. I should probably wear it more, although as it only cost me £7 it’s probably paid back it’s cost per wear debt.
I’m pretty certain I’ve just survived the longest short week ever, bank holidays and the NHS really don’t mix. I’m looking forward to the next few months at work as I have some extra clinics rather than reception shifts (I love reception, I just love working on the clinical side more) as well as some extra hours which I’ve been wanting for some time now. I do like to moan about my job but I wouldn’t work anywhere else doing anything else.
Time to enjoy the weekend, what are your plans?
xxx

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How to Style Bold Prints for Spring *guest post*

05th April 2013
The runways for Spring 2013 have been awash in bright floral patterns and psychedelic prints reminiscent of the tail end of the 1960’s. We’ve moved on from last year’s colour blocking to a jazzy, kaleidoscopic new trend to wear with flair. You’ll find printed dresses and separates everywhere you look at the moment, from big name designers to ecommerce shops. But how do you mix and match this season’s eye-popping prints without looking like a clown?
Go big and go bold!
Mixing Prints
Don’t be afraid to play around with the trend by mixing different types of prints. Matching a floral top with a printed bottom can work if you choose colours in the same family and balance the print sizes. If you want to avoid wearing prints from head to toe, you could choose a dress with a solid element to it or wear a geometric top with a solid black bottom.
The Right Silhouette 
To avoid looking like you’ve stepped out of a carnival or acid trip, choose clothes with a slim, sleek silhouette. Busy prints can look sophisticated when they are tailored in a sheath dress or pencil skirt. Smaller prints tend to be more flattering than larger prints, which can overwhelm a smaller frame. You can finish off the look with a simple hairstyle and minimal makeup to let your own beauty shine without being out-shadowed by your outfit.

Statement Shoes
You can complete your head-turning look with a statement shoe. The latest trend is to mix different materials, like snakeskin, leather, and Lucite. You’ll find no shortage of chunky heels and platforms this
season in a rainbow of colours. If you’re hesitant to wear the kaleidoscope trend from head to toe, pair a quirky pair of shoes with basic black. On the other hand, some prints can have a widening effect on the body. If the print is skewing horizontal, you’ll want to slim and lengthen your legs with a solid colour shoe. Choose one that matches your skin tone to lengthen legs even more.
Graphic Accessories
The trend has carried over into accessories as well, which present another opportunity to have fun
with clashing prints without overdoing it. A floral bag provides a bright pop of colour to an otherwise safe outfit, as do clashing eastern printed earrings or bangles. If you want to rock true 1960’s style, choose a colourful printed headscarf in a whimsical kaleidoscope print. Look for vintage pieces to complement the latest high street looks and you’ll stay on trend. You can find some great deals on independent vintage sites built on an ecommerce platform, or on larger sites like ASOS marketplace.
The key to mixing and matching bright and fanciful prints is to have fun with them, as they’re
meant to be playful!

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spring flowers

04th April 2013

Dress: New Look
Shoes: Rocket Dog via Sarenza
Although it was too cold (still) to wear these shoes out of the house I couldn’t put off sharing them on the blog any longer. They’ve been waiting patiently in their box since they arrived about six weeks ago in the hope that one day I wouldn’t risk frostbite….but yep, still waiting. It was pretty obvious as soon as these landed on Sarenza that these had to be mine- I’m not sure if I ever shared the Daisy story and how my blog got it’s name, but Daisy is a family nickname and all my Grandad will call me; the same went for my Nan so they’ll always have a special place in my heart.
I survived my crazy day yesterday, it was good actually and very satisfying even if I was exhausted by the time I finally made it home. I kept my energy up with a few Coconut flavour lindt ball chocolates which are essentially THE nicest thing ever and a new obsession.
Do you have any family nicknames?
xxx

Posted in family, outfits

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