Looking Glass Wards - Part eleven

Carolie continues...

Apart from bringing books, friends also brought in food. Some of the teachers from my school brought in big “Get Well” cards. These were large posters each with small decorations made by the children and pasted on by their class teachers. On one of them, a student had drawn a Burmese cat, knowing about my cat called Hendrix. Underneath the drawing was written “The power of cat”. I loved the posters as they were so vibrant and reminded me of where my bed was when I was out of the ward. I loved reading the names of the children and talking with my sister about each one.

Over time, one of the physiotherapists would come to the ward and spend time encouraging me, while I was sitting up in bed, to build a tower using brightly coloured plastic cones. I had to reach for them, on the bed- side tray which required effort and caused some slight pain in my left arm.  Another activity, which I loved, was building, using shiny coloured wooden blocks.  Then I would have to sort beads and to practice picking them up. There were other strengthening exercises using plasticine. I was reminded of the kindergarten room and all of the pre writing exercises and activities that teachers provide. 

One day a cousin and her young daughter arrived with a pot of yellow “theraputty”. I had fun with this trying to press it into shapes and stretch it out with one hand and then another. My goal at this time was to be strong enough and coordinated enough to move to the Rehabilitation Ward. On some days I was taken up in the lift to a gym where the young trainee physios worked on my balance and on encouraging my walking. There was a treadmill which I found daunting at first, and difficult to keep up with. It was so hard to get my legs to find the right rhythm;  to keep in time with the moving tread.  I remember feeling tired, but refused to give up. It was lovely afterwards to transfer to the wheel chair to be back in bed and able to drift off for a snooze. I resented the interruptions for fluids and meals. Because all I wanted to do was sleep.

A very special and important aspect of my awakening brain was music. I have always had a great love of music, beginning with early childhood, listening to the songs from musicals on the radio and record player. There were pianos in the homes of both sets of grandparents. My parents both played the piano as did their siblings. There was always singing around the piano at family gatherings. One of my aunts played the church organ, I loved, the rich sound. My paternal grand father played the piano accordion. It was a beautiful instrument.  My maternal grand father played the piano for us five children and he delighted us with little songs in French, which had been sung to him by his mother. He would wear a beret and sing and we would all sing and dance around the living room. There was a lot of laughter and fun. 

Eventually, when I was about five or six years old, I started to have piano lessons as my parents had obtained a piano. We all had lessons with a very kind woman. I was not very skilled but I loved to play and played with feeling. Gradually over the years, I was able to play more challenging material, and to play duets with my younger brother. This was always a source of fun for us both. My father and his siblings were involved in amateur theatre including musicals. In early childhood, we attended their performances, and I became familiar with the music of Gilbert and Sullivan at an early age. 

My parents loved music too and we would watch concerts including opera and ballet on television. Once when I was older and we were on holiday in Sydney we were taken by our parents to the Ballet. We saw “The Display” performed by the Australian Ballet. I was fascinated with the orchestra, the first time I had seen one live. I was fortunate to have ballet lessons when I was about six as there was a teacher in the country town where we grew up. I loved the opportunity to move to the music and interpret the music through dance.

At school, I learned to play the recorder and joined the recorder group. Eventually there was a band in High School and I learned to play the flute. At the end of High School, I went to Music Camp and had a go at learning to play the violin.  I was in the choir and we made a recording of  Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. It was beautiful music. I still enjoy it immensely.