This morning the day started early at the orthopaedic centre. It was an important appointment, one I had been looking forward to with a mixture of curiosity and hope. The consultation began with two X-rays of my foot. Their purpose is simple but essential: to check that everything is in the right place and that the bones are fusing as expected. Over time, these few minutes under the machine have become almost familiar. Yet they always carry a certain weight, because these i
7 March will remain a special date in our family. On that day my mother celebrated her 95th birthday and, in a way, became the doyenne of the family. An honourable title … The day, however, began on a rather grey note. According to her neighbours, she had woken up in low spirits. The effects of age do sometimes make themselves felt: arthritis in the knees, hip or shoulder can turn even simple everyday movements into a real challenge. At 95, the body quite naturally tends to
Last Wednesday, my colleague René, a motorcyclist from Cologne, called in for a visit. It was far from an ordinary visit: after several weeks spent almost exclusively at home, I finally got back on the road, quite literally. Thanks to René, I was able to take the car out for the first time since mid-December. The following morning, Thursday, he kindly drove me to the orthopaedic centre for my routine appointment. Afterwards, I went to see the hairdresser, something that was
