Julie Hayward takes a break
I’ve had an eye opener due to an arm breaker. On my quest to become a counsellor I was in London on a training course for a placement, counselling in schools, and on the morning of the second day I slipped and broke my left Humerus bone. For those not offay with the medical names of bones, I wasn’t either until I broke it, it’s the big bone that runs between the shoulder and elbow.
The eye opener came in two ways – 1) how vulnerable and helpless I felt, depending on people’s help and support, and 2) how kind strangers can be and how, when something happens like an accident, illness or variety of other calamities that life can throw at us, I can certainly sort the wheat from the chaff, so to speak, as one’friend melted away. She offered help, but when I said I would take her up on her offer, she hastily said she was too busy with work. Others that I didn’t even know that well, came forward with offers of shopping, cooking and generally taking care of me.
Living alone can be a minefield of obstacles with one arm out of action, and it’s made me even more grateful for my usual faculties, and thankfully the bone will heal so it’s only temporary, but it made me look at disability with more awareness.
My daughter, who is studying and working in London, came to my rescue, and for the first five days took care of me, thankfully, I don’t know what I would have done without her. I then stayed with a mixture of friends and family until my arm felt a bit stronger. My first real break through, I should say my second, happened last week when I did my bra up unaided for the first time since the accident. Up until then I had been letting it all hang out if I couldn’t find someone to help! I had been driven to asking a complete stranger for help with my bra, when common decency demanded that I couldn’t have my boobs knocking on my knees.
Last weekend I went to the Women’s Festival at the Southbank Centre – it was brilliant – there were loads of events on over the three days, including Ruby Wax doing her bit to make people more aware of mental health issues, Jenny Murray interviewing Mary Warnock, the philospher whose 89, and Shirley Williams a mere babe at 84! A comedy hour with Shazir, and the ultimate treat for me was a forum with some of the Archer’s cast.
As good as it was to see what the long suffering Ruth (Felicity Finch) looks like in the flesh and the even longer suffering Pat, (Patricia Gallimore, she’s married to Tony, need I say more?), a producer and a script writer, but Lilian wasn’t there! I wanted to see what she’s got that I haven’t – apart from a 20 a day habit, Matt, money and a bit on the side – Paul.
Whilst on my favourite topic, Ruth and David are going through it with Pip at the moment. Chris is out of intensive care and of course didn’t we know that Alice would get offered the job in Canada (which caused all the problems in the first place), just to complicate things. Lilian’s sneaking around having cladestine meetings with Paul and Brenda’s been left to pick up the slack in the office. But joy of joys, Kirsty has given Tom an insight into how boring he is, how had he never realised before,that he’s a crashing bore? Kirsty asked Tom, ‘does every sentence have to contain the word sausage ?’ Unfortunately as far Tom’s concerned it does. I think his relationship with Brenda will be on the rocks soon, but that’s for another week…
