The Musings of a Thirty-Something Lady

I always find Remembrance Sunday profoundly moving. For one day, politics is forgotten. For one day, debates over why the wars happened, and for what reason cease. Instead, we remember those who did give up their lives for us, and the many more affected by war. The numbers are staggering. Millions of young men and women taken too soon. Many of them were just children really, in their late teens and early twenties. Those who came home often had their scars, either physical or psychological. As a nurse, I think of the nursing staff who served, and who are serving now. Particularly in the First and Second World Wars, it must have been terrifying seeing casualties coming into the field hospitals with little medical supplies and little medical experience to help. Seeing the hospital set up at Camp Bastion during a documentary, fully equipped with CT and MRI scanners, and fully equipped intensive care departments shows how far we have come. I owe a lot to the medical advances made in p

I never realised how much the Oscar Pistorius case would affect me. Today, he has been sentenced to 5 years in prison (with a likelihood that he will be released in 10 months), found guilty of culpable homicide. My feelings on this are very mixed.  As you may have seen on my previous blog posts, Oscar was my idol - the one that I looked up to when things used to infuriate or unsettle me. The one that when people questioned me becoming a nurse, who I referred to - if Oscar can achieve what he has, then I can too. As the trial developed, it became clear that Oscar had a dark, angry, defensive side, and in truth, I get that. I will never blame anyone for my disability, it happens, it's one of those things - however it does make you very aware, and self defence and self preservation is key. I cannot even imagine how vulnerable you must feel not having your legs. I cannot imagine how frustrating it must be if things are constantly out of reach, or just having to adapt everything just to

There are a few dates in the year that I don’t look forward to. Days when I look a bit more carefully around my shoulder, and don't feel comfortable about being on the Tube. September 11 th is one of these days. Today I’m heading into London, to go to work, and I think about the almost 3,000 people who made their journey into work 13 years ago. They were probably thinking the same thing as many of the rest of the commuters on this train do – what work was due in today, what they were having for dinner that night, whether they left their hair straighteners plugged in. Even dates, anniversaries, birthdays that were being planned. In a horrendous and vicious act of hate, these plans, these futures, were erased forever.  I’m a lifelong Brighton fan, and the Albion community lost one of our own in one of the Trade Centers. Robert Eaton was on the 105 th floor, going about his normal day to day work, probably with one eye on the news coming in about the Johnston’s Paint Trophy

Yesterday, Kate, one of my best friends, got married. It was a beautiful wedding, the weather was perfect, and I have never seen two people look more happy, or more perfect for each other. I grew up on a staple diet of Disney, of believing in "True Love", of being rescued, of people being "meant to be". The years have gone on, and the older (and more like Bridget Jones) I have become, I have, on occasion, lost the belief in True Love. Seeing Kate and Matt get married yesterday reaffirmed my belief - I could not imagine there being two people that were more meant to be - and Kate looked straight out of a fairy tale. The sense of pride I felt when I saw Kate walk down the aisle was overwhelming, and I didn't expect it. It truly was like there was nobody else in the world except those two - that we were just looking in. Nothing else mattered in that moment. I have known Kate (and Matt) since University. Kate is one of the warmest, kindest people I know. She i

Queen once sang "Only the good die young... they're only flying too close to the Sun", and another day starts with the news of another great who flew too close. This time, Robin Williams, aged only 63 has been lost to an apparent suicide.  I was a child of the 90's. Movies like Mrs Doubtfire, Hook, Jumanji, and Aladdin were staples, and Robin Williams shone like the star he was. He was able to make you roar with laughter, then dissolve into tears within minutes of each other. His characters were larger than life, but with even larger hearts. His accolades were many, receiving an Academy Award for Good Will Hunting, as well as 3 Academy Awards Nominations for Best Actor, winning 2 Emmys, 2 Screen Actor Guild Awards, 4 Golden Globes, and 5 Grammy Awards. His  comedy acts were also works of art - often rude, bizarre, outlandish, but above all else, absolutely hilarious.  It is a sad fact that Robin Williams had his well documented demons. Only a few weeks ago I read

I had been looking forward to the 1 st September 2012 for a long, long time. I vividly remember almost bouncing in my seat on the train in anticipation on the way… willing it to get to the Olympic Park as fast as possible so I could watch an evening session at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. It was a beautiful, hot day, and the atmosphere was buzzing. I was looking forward to the whole evening, however there was only one race I had been dreaming about: watching Oscar Pistorius run the 200 meters. It was only a heat, but that didn’t matter to me. Oscar was my idol. It’s probably time for a bit of back story. I was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome (ABS), a condition which means that amniotic bands wrap around the foetus in-utero. This can lead to amputation of digits & limbs, and can lead to miscarriage and stillbirth depending where the bands are. I was relatively “lucky” in that it only affected my fingers and toes, so my actual life is very normal, bar not being able to we