You would think that two broken ankles and a broken wrist would be enough for one person, but no, I have remembered another one. What Jeri said reminded me - because it was a perfect example of OTHER people making light of something I knew was serious.

It was back in 1978, in another lifetime - the fact that I had forgotten about it shows just how much I have wanted to put this period of my life in the past. I was getting to the worst stage of an abusive marriage. We were living with two small children in a caravan with a lean-to annexe on 50 acres with the road a couple of kilometers away and another half hour's drive from civilization.

A stupid argument (they were always stupid) escalated into violence and my jaw got caught between his fist and the ground. I could tell it was broken - apart from the swelling I could feel something moving around.

But he, and his parents who also lived on the property, made light of it - he kept saying he couldn't believe it was broken because he hadn't hit me THAT hard - and they said they'd take me to hospital the next day and that I should "sleep on it". When I finally did get there, an X ray confirmed it was indeed broken.

So I packed up the car and the children and drove to Sydney (6 to 7 hours drive) with it still broken. In Sydney it was X rayed again and two breaks were found, which meant a piece had been floating around loose, which was exactly what it had felt like.

After 6 weeks at my mother's with my jaw wired up, I "stupidly" went back to him. It was another 7 years and several more separations before we finally broke up for the last time.

Is it any wonder I want to forget this part of my life? Looking at it now, it seems like a bad movie - or somebody else's life. I have heard statistics that only 5% of women ever escape abusive marriages, so that makes me one of the 5% - something to be quite proud of, in my opinion.

So I could beat myself up for being stupid enough to stay in it as long as I did, although it didn't seem so at the time, or I could move on and enjoy the great life I have made for myself now, and that is what I am doing. And I really am fine now.