Learning on the job as a newly qualified doctor, unsure of many aspects of my role, meant some problems with communication and I encountered births and deaths and in between found my feet. Patients, young and old, delightful and difficult, and colleagues presented challenges to be met, both medical and otherwise. From a toddler with a mysterious illness, to a young rascal with a hook in his hand from poaching, a philandering colleague and an elderly lady who wanted to rewrite her will, I had to cope with them all - not to mention the arrival of modern technology.