On Saturday I was determined to do nothing much more than bake a birthday cake for Paul. I came close enough to it that I was satisfied I’d finally had the rest day I’d been craving. We even went for a walk – my first since I got plantar fasciitis in January – and my feet didn’t hurt afterwards. Win!

On Sunday I wanted us to get out of the house together but not rushing about on house-related tasks. We went to a Native Plant Nursery, which kinda is about housey stuff, but the idea was to get inspired and have morning tea in the cafe.

Just after we got there we heard a loud bang, and went outside to discover there’d been a car accident outside. So we spent the next hour helping out. Paul ripped one car’s door open so the female driver of one car could be reached, and I consoled the guy in the other car. His foot was twisted and stuck under the brake pedal, and he was a bit freaked out. It’s been a long time since I did my first aid course, but all I really needed to do was be there, reassuring him, telling him not to try and free his foot, and let him know where his family were and that they were okay. He had no memory of what had happened and was horrified by the thought someone might have been hurt because of him.

The police arrived, then the fire brigade, then a friend of the guy from his work, so I handed over the task to a more familiar face. An ex-nurse who had seen the accident was tending the young woman, and asked us to keep an eye on her children. At that point the ambulances started arriving, and eventually the nurse gave her witness statement and we were free to leave.

We really needed a cuppa by then! The weird thing was, we were on a kind of wobbly high for the next few hours. The after-effects of adrenalin, I suspect. I got some great advice and inspiration from the nursery. And then we went home via Bunnings and I bought a chain saw.

I haven’t been game enough to try using it yet.