For the past few weeks, I have been ill. So ill, in fact, that I was bedridden in constant pain for a week and housebound for nearly two. Thankfully, though, the worst is over. The pain is gone, and the risk of further infection is minimized. Riding in a car is still uncomfortable, and I’m very concerned that driving and sitting will not only prevent complete healing but cause my abscess to return.

You see, I have a very sensitive immune system. Just a few brief moments around triggers like cigarette smoke, molds, and certain grasses cause my body to work overtime. Combined with general stresses like switching jobs, having family visit, putting on an exhibition and publishing a book, one tiny bit of pollen can cause my whole system to crumble. What might be a simple sinus infection for you may develop into a long-term chest infection for me (or cellulitis, or worse). It’s testimony to how well I take care of myself that I am so rarely off sick — a record I’ve just shot to hell this past month.

It is a big concern that I developed an abscess so rapidly (and in a very inconvenient place), but not unexpected, as I did damage my coccyx by falling down the stairs roughly last year. It has not been the same, since. Getting my driving license and a ‘new’ car meant more pressure on my tailbone and soon my body was not able to fight on its own anymore. The biggest danger is that the abscess will never go away on its own. Indeed, I still have it, though without pain. This means I need to limit my sitting and driving, something I can’t really do with a new office-based job with necessary travel. What awful timing, really.

Awful timing like this note my husband found on my car today:

Note 1:
I AM SICK OF THIS CAR HERE
MOVE IT FROM OUTSIDE MY HOUSE

Note 2:
Dear Sir/Madam,
I have been seriously ill for two weeks + look forward to moving my car from in front of your house aka the valid parking space on the street as much, if not more, than you.
Kind regards,
Katherine

There are a number of excuses why a car might be sitting in the same spot for nearly two weeks (and even more reasons for those excuses). I empathize with all of them: broken down, no reason to drive, cannot drive. I also empathize with the neighbour who wrote the note, having more reasons to hate that car than anyone else possibly could (it triggered the illness that took me off work and ruined my holiday/festival, after all). Would I ever write a note like that myself, though? Never, ever.

I hate finding examples like this, especially here in Bollington, as it shows the worst of humankind. The writer is demanding and selfish, extending ownership over the street beyond their house with imperative sentences and exclamation points. The method of communication is unplanned, desperate, and guarded (scrawled pink marker on an old envelope, unsigned). They are clearly offended and conflicted, with the desire to exert dominance by dictating the resolution of their conflict rather than seeking a compromise: the only solution being me, moving my car somewhere else.

Consider the alternative. My car has two magnets, both of which advertise this website. With a bit of planning, the writer could have discovered several ways of contacting me to express their desire for me to move my car. They would have discovered, quite humanely, why I have not been able to move my car. Furthermore, they would have realized there was no conflict at all. I don’t like my car sitting there, either. I don’t even like my car, period.

This conversation could have saved a bit of pink marker and also quite a bit of stress on both our parts, because, to be honest, you have to be pretty stressed to write a random note like this. I like to think the best of my neighbours, but it does not seem like the writer thinks the best of me. It does hurt to see someone so upset, especially over something as unthreatening as a legally parked car.

We can only hope they aren’t the sort of neighbours who will be offended by ‘kind regards’… I’m not sure I can handle any more prescriptions this month!

Unfortunately, for most of the festival I was busy with the Bollington Festival Photography exhibition, the 20 Photographs & 20 Stories book with Nik Perring, and, finally, being very ill. So, my own photographic record of the event was limited to a short portion of the parade, the fireworks, and the few events I was able to go to before being bedridden.

I’m pleased to have captured a few good memories in addition to the photos and am already looking forward to next year. Have a look at a few select smiles from May below. If you see yourself and/or are interested in an image, please drop me a comment. The slideshow at the end shows my Bollington Festival 2009 images, but if you would like to see even more, please visit the Festival group pool.