Tuesday, June 19, 2018

An Enforced Break




Hello to you all,

Sorry things went a bit quiet, but the day after the last meeting at the Harbour Lights Café
 I fell off my bike during a training session and spent the rest of the day in A & E at Worthing Hospital. The X-Ray showed that I had broken both my Ulna and Radius in my left arm.
Since I was told that they were compacted, I was subjected to an experience much like being put on the rack, to try to pull the bones out and into line again. I wasn’t wild about that. 
It involved one doctor holding my arm just below the elbow and the senior doctor hauling the lower part and further stretching the hand using his thigh as a lever. Final stages shown here.



They put a three-quarter cast on the arm leaving room for the expected swelling. It did swell and turn all shades of purple. Anyway I am still in plaster, a complete pretty purple one now,
but hope to be cut out of it in a few weeks.

However I am still managing to get a little training done.
I am doing a brisk walk pretty much daily and a turbo training at home.
This is with the added use of a couple of big cushions over my handle bars.
I can type using my right hand, and the index finger of the left hand 
which is not as stiff as the others digits.
Meeting your first Alien

Last evening I saw my husband chatting to our next door neighbours at the rear of our garage.
They are a lovely young couple with a little boy of pre-school age, soon to have his 4th birthday
After a few moments Steve came into the house to get me and told me that little Héctor wanted to see my broken arm, if I wouldn’t mind; they had stopped by to ask how I was.
I went out and was greeted by the little boy’s look of complete astonishment.
He had never heard of such a thing, let alone seen anybody he knew with an arm set in a plaster cast. He eyed the purple fingers and the bruises around my elbow with amazement. 
“Does it hurt Daf” he asked.
I told him that it did hurt a bit but that it felt better since the Doctors at the hospital mended it
 and put it in the plaster until it was OK again.
He looked bewildered, so I knocked the plaster so that he could hear the funny noise it made.
His big brown eyes widened even further, he looked from my face to the plaster and back several times. I invited him to knock to see how hard it was.
He clenched his little fist and did a sample soft knock and then tried a slightly louder one.
His mother took him by the other hand and moved to leave prompting the little boy said
 “What have you come to say to Daf Héctor”?
“Get well soon Daf”, he said, still looking as though he had met his first alien.
He waved goodbye to me as he was walked away into his own garden.
He is such a cute little guy, bless him, I thought, bless his little heart.
The pure wonderment of children!
I have taken a few acupuncture appointments at Harmony Acupressure in Chichester, that seems to have helped with the bruising and swelling as well as my stress levels. A very peaceful treatment.

 The date of my latest accident was five years almost to the day

 since I had a fall whilst out running on holiday in Italy.
That time was worse, since there was also a broken foot to cope with and lacerations.
The poems and story below were written then telling of my difficulties and about my first outing a few days after doing that. 
On that occasion as now I told myself that my broken bones would heal themselves in the fullness of time and held that in my mind.  There are thousands of people who are much worse off than me. People lose limbs through accidents or acts of war and terrorism, mine is in the light of that thought simply a temporary inconvenience. This is the incredible Rudy Garcia Tolsen pictured here at a half Ironman triathlon this summer.


Ups & Downs
Missing my training
Life’s not the same
It’s not even raining
Temporarily lame
Six weeks is a lifetime
Nothing is fun
Not even bath time
Is easily done
The gardens a mess
Can’t get to grips
Left handed trowel-ing
Got any tips
Dust bunnies hiding
All over indoors
Our house is filthy
The shelves and the floors
Doing my bra up
Some clothes I can’t wear
Even lifting a cup
Isn’t easy my dear
Two weeks more
Not so much longer
What I hope for
Is soon to be stronger
Life’s ups and downs
Soon come and go
The strength to get through it
Is what I must show. 

The Pyjama Game
Chichester Festival Theatre
Minerva
Starring
Hadley Fraser
Seats G56-57
May 23rd 2013
A game indeed
Seats booked months ahead
They sold at the speed of light
Hadley had been Raoul
In ‘Phantom’ previously
I looked forward to it so
Then I was set in plaster
There’d been a fall you see
I wasn’t going to miss it
But how was I to go?
Wild horses wouldn’t stop me
Now it would not be easy
That, it could not be
I called the theatre
Got them on the phone
A few days ahead
Told them of my plight
To find out about seats
It had not mattered when I booked
That my seats were at the back so high
Manager and receptionist checked location
And told me with a sigh
I should come in early
And they would help me to my seat
The Minerva is so neat
For me the very best
But it’s just a bloody bank of stairs
Swirly almost in a circle
No such thing as a bad seat
On the front row
Actors are at your feet
In the top back row you still see all
Getting to our seats
Would be a labour of love
The theatre assistant was most helpful
Drive up to the door she said
And plant me just inside
My husband then could park the car
And I would not have to go too far
It was an effort and a half
Hobbling up to where we’re sitting
The theatre empty at that time
No coming out again at half time
Once settled with my programme
And lots of time to read it through
So I could see who would be who
Soon after the house lights faded
And the first songs were rendered
I realised a new handicap of mine
And this one hurt in quite another way
Couldn’t clap my hands
At songs divinely sung
Could not even wave my arms
Well at least the good one
It would look like something else
My crutch behind my seat was bunged
Could not even tap that down
Being entertained so well but then
Worth all the painful twinges
I’d do the same again. 


I would like to let you know that I have booked the last Sunday in July, August and September for our next meetings. There is not a June meeting due to holidays.
July 29th
August 26th
September 29th
Please make a not in you diaries.
As ever but nobody has ever taken me up on this.
 Please send me anything you might like included in the next news message