Today my mother had her first check-up appointment for her broken wrist at the hospital. Since our last visit, conditions outside have gotten even worse. The paths around the estate are under covered in a sheet of ice, glistening dangerously. Just like last week, we couldn't get a guarantee of a taxi arriving on time to take us to the appointment, so my mother and I walked to catch a bus instead. Rather than risk walking along the icy paths, we decided to cut through the field at the back of the estate. It was about eight o'clock in the morning, and -7. There must have been six or seven inches of snow over the grass. Still, it was very refreshing, and my mother didn't find it hard to walk across, which was the main thing.

We made it to the hospital in good time, and in one piece. There was a bigger queue than last time, I suppose people had been breaking bones all week. There were two TVs in opposite corners of the room, showing two different channels with the sound off. One channel had a show that appeared to feature a group of doctors. I think it was called Why Did This Happen To Me? This week's topic: incontinence. I recognised a few people from our visit last week - a mother and daughter, a woman who told my mother that since hurting herself she has to slide down the stairs rather than walk, and the pregnant Polish girl we saw with a broken ankle. We weren't waiting long before my mother was sent to get an X-ray of her wrist. The Polish girl was just ahead of us in the queue, looking apprehensive. My mother struck up a conversation, and we sat down with her while we waited. It turned out that she was actually married and expecting twins - she was already eight months gone. Her husband was at home with their four year old son while she was in the hospital. She was in her garden on the first day of the snow when she slipped and fell, luckily it was only her ankle that got hurt. We talked about Christmas, Santa is bringing her son a Meccano kit and her sister is coming over from Poland to see the family. I thought it sounded nice. The mother and daughter pair joined us after a few minutes. The mother had broken her wrist a year ago and was still struggling to get the strength back in her hand, despite physiotherapy. I could see a look of horror on my mother's face as the woman described her symptoms. Before she could go into more lurid detail and scare my mother further, I turned away from her to politely end the conversation. It was too early in the morning for that kinda thing.