Personal Update
So much has been happening – and not a lot of it to do with work – that I feel now is a good time to remind myself of what my priorities are.
I’ve had my PIP assessment at home, which went well. Whatever happens next, I feel that I was listened to and heard, and that the assessor was fair and kind. More than that, none of us can expect. And, as it turns out, she was quite able to accept that problems can be difficult to understand, let alone talk about. It’s not as if I’m the first person who has ever been assessed, and I won’t be the last. At some time or other, anyone in receipt of state-sponsored assistance has to be assessed, so I took the opportunity to explain, later marvelling that I have so rarely had that opportunity: from the procedures that were sanctioned on me and over my head when I was young, to the orthopaedic consultant who suggested I try wearing high heeled shoes, it has felt as if I have been “done unto” for ever. Nice to be heard, for a change. I await the decision.
I spent eighteen hours last week, sorting out my passwords, internet accounts and Paypal, as I was hacked by a single spam link which I clicked on… I should have known better, but I’ve been lucky, with no major hassles or dramas, except the idea, at one point, that my internet business account had been deleted. It hadn’t, it was merely locked, but it gave me a few restless hours. Please be vigilant with passwords, logging in and out of accounts, and with keeping stuff up to date. And please, if in doubt, delete spam emails and report them.
I fell again last week, narrowly averting a mangle that could have been noisy, difficult and messy, and accomplished with surprising elegance and luck when I landed and sat back hard on my left wrist. But it was a stupid fall nevertheless, which hurts and is sending out aches and pains all over my left side, my shoulder and neck. Impact falls of this type start with a small site that, as it heals, radiates pain. And of course, a good swim would help, but I’m cagey, having so recently fallen…
I’m still writing, currently hoping to finish a working draft of Pip by October. If my characters keep talking to me, I hope that will work out.
Thanks for listening.
Please share:
Diane Dickson
August 26, 2019 @ 10:59 am
I am so sorry to read about your accident – that’s a real bugger. It shakes you up all over I guess. I hope that by now the aches are easing and the bruises are fading. Glad to know that he PIP assessment went okay. One hears so many horror stories.
have a wonderful week. xx
Fran Macilvey
August 26, 2019 @ 12:13 pm
Hi Diane, thanks for reading this post and commenting. It was a surprisingly elegant fall, much preferable to spilling fresh juice all over the livingroom and a clean batch of laundry, not to mention that I could have landed awkwardly and done a great deal more damage. And with my mother watching? How embarrassing! As it was… Once sore wrist… Not a bad trade-in. Except, of course, later on… Ho hum.
Yes, I’m glad about the assessment, too. I don’t think it could have gone any better for me, and it could certainly have been a lot worse! So I thank my lucky stars. And I shall have a wonderful week, thank you! 🙂 Xxx
Lisa
August 26, 2019 @ 11:20 am
Sorry to hear about your fall. Hope you recover well and soon!
Fran Macilvey
August 26, 2019 @ 12:20 pm
Hi Lisa
Thanks so much for popping in and commenting. It’s so lovely to hear from you. Ha! I fall all the time, and seem to have a talent for elegant collapses, which soothe general consterntation. I’m very pleased to have this useful, if unusual, ability. 🙂 We send you and Jim and all the family much love from across this enormous pond. ((XXX)) ♥ ♥
John Corden
August 27, 2019 @ 9:11 am
Dear Fran
I have vivid impressions of my mother having falls. The best was when she tried to light a gas stove, dropped the match and lit a second one. All the time the gas was on. When it finally caught the explosion threw her across the kitchen. It was fortunate for her that she had a sense of humour.
Fran Macilvey
August 27, 2019 @ 10:16 am
Hello John!! Thanks for getting in touch and for commenting. I love to hear from you :-)))
I’m sure if your Mum hadn’t had a sense of humour, she would have developed one. Part of me is glad that you do understand about the ambivalence of falling, the annoyance and the obvious humour. Another part of me recognises that life would be so much easier for us if we hadn’t had to acquire that knowledge, and we wish, perhaps, that we’d been allowed to live in blissful ignorance. I often think that our angels work overtime to keep things on an even keel. Mine certainly do. Bless you, and thanks for visiting.
Val
August 27, 2019 @ 8:24 pm
I’m so pleased you were heard, Fran. That must have been quite a relief, but I’m very sorry to hear you fell again. You are also blessed with a sense of humour and your creative writing must also be a wonderful outlet. Looking forward to reading some more of your work!
Fran Macilvey
August 28, 2019 @ 10:39 am
Dear Val, you are so right! I’m swimming again – I just take my walking sticks – and it feels great, so I hope to keep that going. I’d be happy to send you a draft of one of my books, if you had time to read it. Just a thought. I’ve not had an editor look at it yet, and am in no hurry for that, but if you would like it, I can send you one. 🙂 Have a lovely day! XXx
Elouise Renich Fraser
August 28, 2019 @ 5:23 pm
Hi, Fran! Your life is way more complicated than I can begin to imagine. So I appreciate your descriptions of what it’s like–all of it! 🙂 Kudos for making it through the assessment and the fall, even though both were affronts of a sort to your personhood. 🙁
Right now we’re mired in housework–getting ready for some contractors to come in and do some work in our bedroom. So far, so good. Though it’s definitely a one day at a time effort. Thanks for your personal update delivered with a pinch of sugar. It’s better than photos! 🙂
Hugs from Elouise
Fran Macilvey
August 28, 2019 @ 5:57 pm
Hi Elouise, thank you so much for reading my posts, and for commenting so generously. :-)) You are so kind. I do hope that your bedroom clearing is worthwhile, and you end up with a lovely fresh space. If the transformation of your attic is anyhing to go by, it will be divine.
I am constantly astonished and reassured by all the help I get, from family, friends, and from what I can only call serendipitous timing. And in a spirit of making the best of things, I’m glad to be swimming again and getting some exercise – enough of this waiting around to see where the ax falls. The biggest impediment to our successs, is the things we tell ourselves, so I renew my determination to stay positive. Bless you, always. Xxx 🙂