Me and Mister C say a warm hello…

Hi there, Husband has kindly continued to do some more scribing for me today, while in between I am trying to type one handed as well (is quite tricky!). Thanks all for your patience and care, it has been a huge adjustment trying to function and cope with my injuries post our horrid car accident, just over three weeks ago now. I have to say a massive thank-you to my Husband- my rock, for all he has been juggling these past weeks; with me out of action, he’s been the Dad, Mum, cook, cleaner, carer for me and has also been trying to do some work hours from home as well! As we all know, life has its ups and downs and family is what matters most, and will always help and guide us through any a difficult situation or event. I wanted to thank my dear sister and her family for visiting us last Saturday, it was a great distraction and having those few laughs (in between my pain) did help immensely! (Love you C & J. M). Not forgetting also, big hugs to Granny for visiting today; we love you and thanks for your help driving me to the RTA (Motor Registry) and for getting Mister C from school and your care! I finally wanted to thank Husband’s work office team and for their care and understanding in our current life situation, Husband will be bringing in morning tea next week!

Firstly, I wanted to acknowledge the horrible floods and the heavy rain that has been lashing our states again, our hearts are with the families and communities who have been yet again affected by the torrent of water flowing above the riverbanks and into towns and areas; our thought are with you during this sad time. It was International Mental Health Awareness Day during last week. Having been through some traumatic experiences throughout my life (as I have touched on throughout these last one hundred and forty plus blogs), including losing my son Liam at birth (stillbirth), an icky divorce to Widy’s biological father, several previous miscarriages and various painful medical health issues; our recent flood at our property and also not forgetting my crappy situation after the car accident at present; these events make me quite aware of maintaining mental health.

I am well aware of how important maintaining and nurturing our own mental health and happiness is, and wish to acknowledge all the wonderful work that is currently being done through various mental health organisations and initiatives- it is so very vital to care for ourselves and our minds, make sure YOU find something that brings you joy and a little inner peace. I wanted to say a warm hi to my dear friend and senior mental health nurse (love you D. PB), who took time out from her busy work and life to come up and stay overnight with me and the kids the weekend before, to spend some quality time together and chat about our difficult experiences, while also give Husband a well earned rest and break.

I know I haven’t written much about our disastrous car accident yet, in which both Flossy and Mister C were also sadly involved in, but thankfully not physically injured. It is still quite difficult to talk about, the shock of the initial accident impact alone is heart-wrenching and is best left unsaid- if you know what I mean? I am pleased to report Husband and I agreed and decided to put a claim in through our car insurance, particularly given the Police who attended the scene of the accident, confirmed that I was not the driver at fault etc. The claim has been successful and I am now thankfully receiving medical support to aid in my (most likely long) road to recovery. Husband has diligently helped with all of the claim documentation and numerous phone calls (has been quite stressful) and I certainly couldn’t have done any of it without him.

I have had several medical tests pertaining to my particular injuries and moving forward with my GP and claim manager (many thanks), have the much-needed time off work to try to recover, with services and specialists full support, including various allied health services and my insurance group (so very thankful). Now knowing we all have this support is reassuring, and of course the accident could have been far worse, where one or both of the children could have been seriously injured (mild issues thankfully). Having written this though, it is still life altering at present for myself and the family around me. I am now also having sessions via ‘Telehealth’ online with a local psychologist (so grateful to have been able to have this initial appointment), of which has been important for my mental health in order to move forward from the accident and issues. Mister C has also been showing signs of stress post-accident, where his wonderful school teacher has set up a counselling session with the school counsellor, of which Mister C did attend last week. I noticed a good improvement in his mood and overall happiness this week; this service is so beneficial to not only us adults, but for our children as well, who may be quietly suffering inside too…

As most of you know, amongst my nursing work and busy days with the family, I was working hard on completing all approximately thirty-two hand-drawn illustrations for our next sixth book, which was due for release and publication at the end of the month. Sadly, after the accident I have been struggling with intense pain and issues to my neck and right shoulder, along with whiplash, a mild head injury and blurry vision. I have not been able to attend such an activity for the past weeks (let alone shower myself and attend work either!), therefore, the book had to unfortunately be put on hold during this time. My designer was able to continue with the cover layout designs and has produced a wonderful cover for the book (thanks so very much L.F!); seeing the new cover files brought me to tears, as I didn’t think the book was going to ever eventuate, even after all of my (our) hard work to date. So, without adieu, here is a sneak peak of our new cover for book six!…

A Word from Mister C…

Dad came upstairs and walked into the lounge room, he saw Mister C and I talking together. “Hi, my son and my poor injured wife. How are you both going today?” Mister C gave Dad a morning hug and said, “Hi, Dad, okay, I think. I’m looking forward to seeing my friends back at school, when we all go back tomorrow.” Dad smiled and kissed me on the forehead and said, “I hope your pain will be a bit better today and we can get some answers with more tests this week.” I nodded and smiled meekly back at both. Dad then said, “Well, life does take a strange turn now and then. All it takes is thirty seconds earlier or later, and the chain of events change and really do affect the future, affecting everyone’s future moments. Like for your car accident, if you’d been there any earlier or later, the accident may not have happened or unfortunately happened to someone else.” Mister C sighed and replied, “Well it did happen to us, Dad, and that makes me sad… Mummy didn’t deserve for it to happen and our blue car is now gone forever to metal heaven!” Dad nodded his head and hugged Mister C.

Stay tuned…

For more updates on our ongoing issues post-accident; the girls and Mister C look forward to some Halloween fun parties and Mister C goes on a fun sleep-over to his best mate’s place too. I am working very slowly on finishing the illustrations for the book in time for the release date of 10th November (fingers crossed). I am hopeful to still be able to attend our book event and story time at the wonderful Bungendore Library coming up on 10th November too (Husband driving of course). Remember to always love and hug your children, loved ones and pets- it’s ‘Children’s Week’ this week!…

Hugs Me and Mister C… 💖