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 23^rd 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 29^th

August 26^th

September 29^th

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