Random thoughts of a happy brain damaged ex actress… Me!
“To develop a complete mind: Study the science of art; Study the art of science; Learn how to see. Realise that everything is connected to everything else.” Leonard de Vinci
“But I don’t understand! Why does she prefers the stuff that comes out of a bottle to…to me?” Shania looked up at Brenda beseechingly. Brenda, a worker at Kidstop, put out her arms and held the little girl close. She sobbed as if her heart would break. “My Mummy holds me like this, when she’s…when
Before my Cochlear Implants, going to restaurants with a group of friends, was a total nightmare. I battled to understand what was being said. I found that cupping a person under the chin made it easier for me to pick up what they were saying. I was able to feel the vibration of their voices
Every afternoon, my hearing appliances come off, I lie down on my bed and I have an hour and a half to two hour sleep. Sometimes I don’t actually sleep. I lie there with my eyes shut and just kind of…drift. I shut down for that time. Since my accident (and resulting TBI), this is
I decided I wanted to move from Durban to Cape Town. I wanted to be near family and my sister, lived there. When I told my parents of this, Mum’s response was: “Gaynor, there’s no way you’d be able to afford a place in Cape Town. The prices are astronomical. Why don’t you rather move
Before my accident Elzabe Zietsman and I put on a cabaret in which we sang and performed short sketches. In one, I told the audience a true story about me and Tobin Shostakovich. Great name, huh? Tobin Shostakovich! But he was known as Toby or Tobe. If I had had my way, he would definitely
One Christmas when I still lived in Durban, I flew to George to spend the holiday with my family. Because Mum and Dad’s house was so full of guests, for my first four days before Christmas I slept in the back room with my nieces, Kirsten and Sarah. Oh yes, forgot to mention a vital
The older one gets, the faster time seems to move! I remember my thirtieth birthday party. And that was twenty-two years ago. Twenty-flipping-two years ago! But I remember it clearly. So clearly. Shirley Johnston is one of my closest friends. When I was playing in Camelot we used to share a lift to the State
Norene Blom lives in the flat opposite me. She is a lovely girl with a sparkle in her eye and a ready smile. I like her! Whenever I go away, she very kindly “bird-sits” for me. Spencer, my cockatiel, can be an extraordinary pain. Whenever a “new” person is in his vicinity he shouts loudly,
Dogs are amazing beings. Every night I take off my hearing appliances and go back to being as deaf as 43 doornails. Perdita, my dog, somehow senses this and from the moment my hearing appliances gets put in their box, I have one incredibly avid guard-dog, sensitive to all the night sounds. It was about
