Another few weeks go by without a blogpost, again with a brilliant excuse.
I went on holiday with family to Spain, I had a lovely time despite a few blips.
The first being when we arrived at the airport at 4am on Sunday to find that our flight had been cancelled. During the next 15 hours or so until we arrived at the villa in Spain, I only had two freak outs. One as we drove home from the airport about what time to go back and how much to trust the airline. The other 15 hours later when I couldn't find the coach that was taking us to the car we had hired.
Did I say car? Sorry I mean van. Actually that was just funny, driving into Puerto Banus on a shopping trip in our little white van, sandwiched between Bentleys and other posh cars. We played a game with the kids, trying to decide what our delivery should be each trip.
I know you'll be wondering, so I'll tell you. Fishing rods to the port, because it's by the sea, and then deliver the fish on the way back to the villa.
Anyway, holiday was nice and quite relaxing. We had a day trip to Gibraltar which we all decided would be gorgeous if owned by someone other than the British. That way you'd get to eat nice healthy food in the sunshine, although you wouldn't have M&S.
So on Thursday morning I am hurrying round the pool, gathering suncream and water bottles and hats and goggles while the kids are getting ready for a swim. Then
Stumble
Snap and twist
Scream
Yes, simply standing still and turning to fetch something I manage to stumble trip. The scream was me telling the kids to move away, the silence was me saying to D I've really really done something bad.
I spent the next 3 days unable to walk on it assuming a bad sprain and getting sympathy by posting photos on Facebook.
Red crutches on Friday bought for 11 Euros help with independence but when on Saturday my toes turned black, I figured all was not well.
Skipping the (don't) meet and assist at the airport, the kind of fun wheelchair through security, ambilift off at Luton, child pushing me hair-raisingly at incoming passengers on way to car, and the new swear words I invented in response to hubby's "man up" comment, we dropped me at A&E on way home to find I had broken and displaced my 5th metatarsal. I made sure I told D I was manning up as the nurse sent me to the plaster room though!
Long story short, temporary cast led to inadequate consultant at fracture clinic who said no pin or cast needed, just walk and see you in seven weeks. Second opinion on Thursday, a week after I hurt it said let's operate the bone is badly twisted.
After the op that night the surgeon said it would not have healed if we hadn't pinned it and that I would have had terrible arthritis.
So, I'm typing this in bed, day 6 of 14 where it must be raised and rested. I now know the following:
Crutches are fun for about a minute
Morphine is great while it lasts and beyond that my body disagrees violently
Codeine and I will never be friends
I am able to safely lie myself on the bathroom floor before fainting after a build up of codeine
6 year old boys do not like immobile nauseous mummies during the summer holidays
Enforced rest is crappy but having no choice helps me to behave...that and the fear put in me by surgeon about a big pin in a very small bone...
And I don't know the following:
Would camping solo with kids and very nice friends be very stupid post day 14 even if am allowed to walk with boot and crutches by then?
Is faking wellness better than admitting pain with angry 6 year olds?
How much apologising and niceness is reasonable to expect from husband who has been on business trip from days 2 to 6 of incarceration and is now asleep on my sickbed, dealing with jet lag, before leaving for a meeting in a few hours?
Whether I am capable of giving in and just going with this resting lark while the house is in disarray despite the amazing and fortuitous former au pair who has been saving things here.
In pure vanity and fitness terms, I don't know whether my left leg should have already have thinned so much. I was afflicted with chicken legs before, hence this stumble trip and broken leg having been put off for so long in one so clumsy??? but my poorly leg already resembles a sparrow. What bird of thin limbs could possibly follow in the next week??
Ah well, new experiences abound.
Day 6, already slightly better than day 5, day 5 much worse than days 3&4
Overall, stoicism and northern grit just about intact.
