Wednesday 21 December 2011

" oh , have you broken your arm ? ". week 1

sonata :

the world's suddenly strangely different . i can't thread a needle or tie a bow . i can get dressed , after a fashion , but i can't do up my coat . i can't turn the pepper mill or drain the pasta . i can't put handcream on by myself but it doesn't matter because , within twenty-four hours , i realised that i couldn't do most of the things that make my skin dry , anyway . i hadn't realised how many languages i could swear in , either .

breaking your wrist and being one-handed requires a whole new battery of skills . for instance , you learn to grip things between your teeth or your feet ( this is not the time to be a denture wearer or lumbago sufferer )




mind you , the glow of sheer triumph when you get the top off the marmite jar does fade after breakfast , when you find that you can't open the shampoo bottle ( child-proof flip top ) .

still , you square your shoulders and stand plump but grubby , remembering that it's only for a few weeks ..... and , as people never tire of saying , it wasn't my right hand .

oh , and you might have noticed . i can only type one handed , so , not having any capital letters , this looks a bit odd .

9 comments:

Martha said...

I do hope your wrist heals quickly and you can be back to your old self sooooon!!!

English Rider said...

I've been through it as "spare arm" for my husband. It's weird putting socks on a grown man. He, of course, finished up with broken ribs as well, as he tripped and was afraid to use his newly healed arm to break his fall. I wish you a speedy (and uneventful) recovery.

rachel said...

Oh dear, oh dear. Poor you. (Although if you were a ten-year-old boy, you'd probably have full use of that arm, plaster cast, sling and all.) I'm glad you can still type though.

Best wishes for a happy Christmas and
a fully-healed 2012.

Lucille said...

Oh I am so sorry and full of heartfelt sympathy for your plight. I had no real appreciation for the complexity of everyday movements until I fell. I hope you heal quickly.

Mrs Smith said...

Poo bum wee.
Or as we antipodeans like to understate
'Bugger'

Wishing you the Merriest one handed Christmas in one handed Christmas history. May Santa bring you lots of love, laughter and jolly good times that he can fit in his sack.

Thanks for you wonderful blog and the lovely, witty words you have left on mine from time to time. It is lovely to share the interwebs with you.

Merry Christmas!
Gx

Marcheline said...

You're the second person I know who's broken their wrist recently, and I am so sorry to hear it! Hope you put your good wrist to good use tipping back some holiday cheer and get well soon! 8-)

Deborah said...

OK, I'll say I'm sorry for you right up front and then say that, while I'm not glad you broke your wrist, I can see there could be a lot of hilarity coming up. For us, of course, not for you. But you'll be the cause of it. Well, you know what I mean. I think I'll stop now.

(What's going to happen to Christmas dinner??)

Rattling On said...

It'll just have to be kaftans and headscarves this season...
I broke my ankle just before Christmas a couple of years ago (and the other one a couple before that). Most inconvenient as it was strictly non weightbearing. Getting the coal from the cellar was the most challenging task.
Maybe Santa will bring you stabilisers!

Liz Hinds said...

Oh no, have only just caught up with this! Are you still grubby?

Glad to hear though that now you are able to move your fingers. And I love your sketch.