Gosh, it’s all go! From Advent quiet to ever-decreasing circles has taken just one day.
Yesterday DH drove me on the 170 mile round trip to the hospital for my check-up, from which I emerged minus the cast, but sporting a wrist splint, which I have to wear day and night for the next 4 weeks at least. My lovely surgeon was very pleased with my progress, but gave me strict instructions on what I can and can’t do until I’m seen again by a surgeon in Wales in the New Year. Absolutely no lifting or carrying with that hand and no pressure on the hand or wrist, so no Christmas baking and no clarinet practice. Sigh....
Today we went to visit a friend and it was on our return that I discovered that the Met Office had issued a snow warning for Scotland for Sunday, the day we were planning to make the long journey home to Wales. After some discussion we decided to bring our departure forward to Saturday, so while DH is out at a meeting this evening, I’m piling together clothes and other items I can move one-handed, ready for him to pack tomorrow while I’m out in my turn at the monthly Eucharist.
So until we’re back in Wales, I’ll leave you with this seasonal offering, the perfect antidote to Christmas hype, from the wonderfully evergreen Tom Lehrer.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, yes the weather is certainly on the downhill track at the moment and even driving on Saturday I would encourage caution... Be safe and for heaven's sake do guard that wrist! Thanks for the Lehrer laughs... YAM xx
Isn't he wonderful, Yam? I promise we'll be careful and DH has already almost finished packing the car ready for a very early start tomorrow..
DeleteVery glad to hear that the hospital visit went well but make sure you follow the surgeon's strict instructions :-) Likewise, I think you're very wise to bring forward your return journey to Wales by 24 hours, in view of the weather forecast. As you will already know from previous comments, I'm also a great Tom Lehrer fan, but this was one I hadn't heard previously so thank you for it.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, Ricky. I am being very good indeed about following instructions as I don't want to do anything that might interfere with healing. The forecast for Sunday is still for snow, so we'll be leaving very early tomorrow.
DeleteI'm so glad to hear that you are healing. I know it's hard to be so limited, though. When I broke my arm as a college student, it was so hard not to do all the things I normally needed to do, like carry books and take notes in class. I ended up borrowing others' notes instead. Thanks for sharing the Lehrer clip. I enjoy him too. My husband introduced me to his music; he had grown up listening to him because his parents were fans. Now we listen to him pretty often and I find him very funny.
ReplyDeleteI'm delighted to hear you're another Lehrer fan, Jennifer. We brought our two up to enjoy his songs from childhood. :-) It's obviously you understand exactly how frustrating it is to be so limited in what I can do, but I'm trying very hard top be patient.
DeleteGreat news that your wrist is healing nicely even if the list of things that you can't do one handed gets ever longer - it will pass and your wrist will be as good as new. Loved the video, made me laugh. Have a safe trip back to Wales.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Molly. The car is nearly packed and ready to go as it gets dark so early up here. I've been surprised how much I can do one-handed, but of course the Christmassy things mainly need two hands.
DeleteSomewhere I've got all Tom Lehrer's CDs - must locate them and listen to them again. I loved his bizarre sense of humour when I was a student, and now I want to introduce BH to him (he'll really appreciate him- he laughed like a drain at the clip!) Yes, you'll definitely not want to use that wrist for a while - when I broke mine, years ago, I was seriously incapacitated (& in plaster) for 5+ weeks - and was living on my own. Getting my bra on & off was the second worst thing (I won't mention the absolute worst in polite company!)
ReplyDeleteHave a safe journey home - I'm glad you've decided to leave early, as I saw the forecast yesterday and there was a large snow cloud right over Tongue for the weekend! Have you got winter tyres on the car - or a set of snow chains? We'll be coming over the Pennines from Rotherham to Manchester on Sunday - but of it looks really bad, we might just go down the M1 to the A38 and across to the M54 from there via the A5. It's a slower route, but I don't really fancy the Woodhead or Snake passes in snow, not the route from Buxton to Leek, which is another of our ways to and from Yorkshire. We have got a 4x4 with all-weather tyres, but ......! Prayers for bubbles of protection are indicated, I think, for all of us. Will see you next week - fish pie on Tuesday, perhaps?
You mean you have Lehrer's CDs and haven't introduced BH to them, Helva? Tut, tut... That's an omission you must remedy as soon as possible. Thanks for the knowledgeable sympathy re the inconveniences of one-handed living. It's so often the silliest little things that we take completely for granted which can prove the most frustrating.
DeleteDH has just about finished packing the car before the light goes and we're relaxing now and doing the last computer things before he has to pack the laptops too. Then it will be supper and an early night before seting off well before dawn , which doesn't come until around 8am up here.Safe travelling to you. We don't have winter tyres but the new car holds the road extremely well. See you soon.
Safe travel (and safe packing), Perpetua. It's always something in life, isn't it?, but, there you are, handling it with good cheer and positive attitude. You really are such a wonderful example to follow. Thank you, for the Lehrer video. A nice treat as my day is winding down.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, Penny. One-handed packing is now my speciality, though poor DH has had to carry all the bags up the path to the car by himself, a task I would normally share with him. Thank goodness we came in the car this time and had to limit what we brought with us. Now for a nice cup of tea...
DeleteHere you go again Perpetua, your blog is so aptly named. I do hope you will travel safely and with no problems.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is good to hear that your plaster has come off, this is a very precarious time for good healing, so please do as you have been advised (however irksome).
Thanks so much for the wonderful Tom Lehrer. I found I could sing almost every word with him.
Once a fan always a fan.
Once again safe journey and do take care.X
Thanks, Ray. I do have a blog title to live up to you know. ;-) From the forecast we should be OK tomorrow, but Sunday is still looking rather iffy.
DeleteYou're so right that I have to be careful now the plaster is off. The temptation to use my left hand just a little is very strong, so I tend to keep it in my pocket our of the way.
Glad you enjoyed the Lehrer. I remember you saying in previous comments how much you like his work.
Safe travels! I saw that forecast - making me wonder if I'll get to a Provincial Liturgy committee overnighter in rural Perthshire on Wednesday. As I was planning to go by bus (free!), train and taxi, snow and ice could make me wimp out ...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine. The Met Office is still forecasting snow for Sunday, but today revised the totals downward, so hopefully it should all have vanished by Wednesday. That said, the Perth area does seem to catch it when it snows.
DeleteSnow.... MM sighs nostalgically. Look on the bright side of things, you can still lift a glass with your right hand, AND you get out of cooking for this year - could be an enjoyable side to it, if you ask me :-) Have a safe trip home.
ReplyDeleteThanks, MM. I think I would miss snow lot if I lived where it is a rarity, though I wouldn't miss driving in it. I can indeed lift a glass again now I've stopped taking the painkillers and our offspring will be doing the cooking in any case, as we always spend the festive season with them. :-)
DeleteThank you for the update on your wrist and I hope it continues to heal well. Safe travelling back to Wales.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. Everyone has been so kind about my wrist that I thought I should let them know it's making progress.
DeleteGood forward thinking Perpetua and delighted you are making satisfactory progress. This year it will be your turn to be pampered for Christmas - stay safe whilst travelling back to Wales.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rosemary. We're both very relieved it's healing well. As it happens I get pampered every Christmas since I retired from ministry, because we now spend the festive season at our children's homes. But I'm sure I'll find ways to help....
DeleteSafe trip...and will the dumpling king be cooking Christmas lunch this year?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Helen. No, as usual the dumpling king will be leaving it all to his much more accomplished children and their spouses. We haven't had Christmas at home since I stopped having to work on Christmas Day. :-)
DeleteIt must seem such a relief to have that cast off! Have a safe journey on your trip back to Wales. You are very wise to go a day early and avoid the snow.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kristie. It's a huge relief, as the cast was so heavy, but I now have to resist the temptation to do things with that arm. We're all ready to leave first thing in the morning. We've done this journey in snow in the past and it isn't to be recommended.
DeleteSafe journey P. One thing I don't miss is driving in snow.
ReplyDeleteThanks, BtoB. I too hate driving in snow and try to avoid it whenever possible.
DeleteSafe travels when you go home. I'm sure it must be so discouraging to just have the one hand to use. My advice: mind the doctor. I'd hate to see it injured again.
ReplyDeleteLoved the video.
Thanks, Sally. I'm glad to say we arrived home safely last night after a very long but trouble-free journey. I'm now trying to unpack and put things away with one hand, the other being firmly in my pocket.
DeleteI often find it difficult to remember where "home" is for you. No sooner have I got used to reading about you in France, then it's Scotland, and now back to Wales again. Nice to know the cast is off but do take care and follow the surgeon's advice xx
ReplyDeleteHome will always be Wales, Ayak. We've lived here for over 40 years and even now spend the majority of the year here. It's great to have the cast off and I promise I'm being very careful to do exactly what I was told.
DeleteGreat news that your wrist is making progress but I can imagine a little frustration that your 'activities' will be restricted for another month. I hope you had a safe journey home. I think of snow at Christmas, this is just a little too early.
ReplyDeleteWe had a very good, snow-free (if long and tiring) journey, Shirley, but we're very glad we heeded the forecast, as the snow arrived on schedule this morning and we could get some overnight here. I sometimes feel more than a little frustration at times as I try to do things one-handed, but I am being good. :-)
DeleteI do hope you're safely in Wales and managed to avoid the bad weather. Did I read on Facebook that you're still having to sleep sitting up, even with the splint? What a nightmare. Please rest up between the long journey and the onslaught of Christmas (not sure what I meant to type there but onslaught is a definite clue as to how I'm feeling about it all!).
ReplyDeleteWe arrived home safely at 7pm yesterday, Annie, having left at 5am and are glad to have missed the snow which arrived today. I managed to sleep all night lying down for the first time last night, but it isn't easy, as I have to be sd careful when I change position. I'm guessing you meant the onset of Christmas, but onslaught is much better. :) Thankfully our son and daughter will be dealing with the festive food, as we're visiting them, not vice-versa.
DeleteToday (Sunday) has been totally vile in Scotland, with bursts of hail battering the windows and icy air making the candles gutter at church. Glad you're safely home.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine, so are we, having seen the pictures of the weather in Scotland. Here in our Mid-Wales valley, it's just raining but I gather there could be snow on the hills by morning.
DeleteSo sorry to read about your poor wrist! Another hiatus in your clarinetting, alas - but at least you are home safely now and someone else is cooking Christmas dinner, thank heavens. I sympathise wincingly with your long trip to hospital: as a child I broke my arm rather badly while on an island in the middle of a lake in rural Ontario. The trip by bouncing speed boat and then by jeep along dirt tracks for miles, till we got to the highway, seemed endless. All well in the end however, and I hope your break will mend cleanly too. You were right to get home when you did. Yesterday was pretty grim with sleet and blizzards on the A9, and the coming day or two are looking worse! Still, snow makes a change from our very foggy November.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the two glorious musical interludes of your past two posts, by the way. They could hardly be more different but are both wonderful! No need to type a reply, just concentrate on mending. :)
Thanks, DB, but there's o need to excuse me from replying. typing helps to fill the time productively when I can't do other things. :-) Glad you enjoyed the breadth of my musical tastes. I love finding contrasts.
DeleteGosh, your childhood experience in Canada puts mine into perspective. It was an unpleasant journey, but I had the very best of care. I was lucky though that the weather was nothing like you're experiencing at present or it would have taken very much longer. Thank goodness we came home a day early.