The hospital complaint

In the end, Cedric (the retired GP advising me) and I felt we had achieved something from our face-to-face meeting after over a year of unsatisfactory answers to written questions/deadlines missed/stonewalling etc. The complaints team has been completely overhauled and changed and we met new people.

Many hospital practices are being changed: the way handovers are done, the ward rounds, the communication with relatives and friends. There was a willingness to take criticism on board and to act on our suggested improvements.

They were moved to tears by my account and disgusted by the matron/nurse on ICU etc. The new head of Nursing brings with her a new regime and new attitude. Really , really very sorry indeed.

They will also run Encephalitis awareness sessions.

They would very much like me to go back at some point and re-tell Dad's story again, if I can bear to , as they say people need to hear how terrible things can be . Not sure I can. They will, in any event, be using Dad's story as a case study in training sessions since it covers so many aspects of medicine and hospital 'care'.

It won't bring Dad back but I think he'd feel we'd fought his corner and got something good to come out of the horror.

Listen to the poems being read to you on your way to work!

http://www.cdbaby.com/artist/AntheaSimmons

A Late Quartet/ The Rules of Civility

Two gems: The first, the film 'A Late Quarter'. Stonking performances by Christopher Walken, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Russian actor Mark Ivanir ( in fact, he was the best, I thought.). Also a very good performance from Imogen Poots.
A powerful, poignant film about ego and symbiosis, passion and technique, respect and love.

The second, a novel:  'The Rules of Civility' by Amor Towles. Set in New York city in 1938 the novel follows the fortunes of 25 year old Katey Kontent as she is propelled, through fate and her own integrity and self-possessed, engaging personality,into the heady world of the moneyed classes.It's a first rate depiction of NY's social strata and social life. Amor ( male) worked on Wall Street until 2012. He's had a major triumph with this, his debut novel, and he deserves it. I was really sorry to finish it. Wish I could wrote something as good.

Films

I strongly recommend the touching French Canadian comedy, "Starbuck" ...Hollywood will remake it and no doubt lose a great deal of its charm. Amazing accent...like very deep south of France.
Watched "Inception" again. One of the  most moving cinematographic explorations of th effects of grief and loss on the psyche. But it's a SciFi adventure?! Well,yes, at one level but it always touches me deeply and makes me miss people very badly.
Easter is now a very poignant time for me and my siblings. My parents' grave has a very simple carving of the stone rolled away from the tomb. "In sure and certain hope" reads the inscription below. Maybe it's no accident that the two films which have caught me off guard are about parenthood and loss.

'The Best, Best Baby' out in June: Bookseller review

'The highs and lows of sibling rivalry are explored in a companion title to the very gorgeous 'Share'. A very sweet and accessible take on a familiar issue'
Big Titles for June
Hurrah!

Art for sale

Everything on website www.antheasimmons.com  for sale half price or less. Make me an offer. Postage will be extra.
Thank you!

Silver Linings Playbook

Definitely worth seeing...stonking performances from Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. De Niro doing his now customary curmudgeon-with-a-soft-heart turn...