After 4 months and 70 sessions, I have been discharged from the tender clutches of the Physio team. I have almost normal movement - although apparently I still walk like Quasimodo - I do hope they were exaggerating in their mime.
I now have to spend the next 6 months jumping up and down to build bone mass before another op next autumn. At this stage they will take out what ever plates or pins aren't necessary so I need to jump up and down to strengthen the bones prior to this. I will keep my bouncing within the privacy of our own home - as this is not something I would inflict on neighbours.
Ian is pleased too as this means he no longer has to do the return trip twice a day to drop me off and pick me up. So hurrah all round!
The weather seems to be warming quite rapidly now, it is 4 o'clock and 25 in the shade. Even my workshop is in double figures. It is noticeably lighter in the mornings and evenings too - at 8 when I started at physio it was like the middle of the night - however this morning the sun was just up.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Foot rot
For a couple of weeks now I have been aware of a hideous smell following me around. I naturally thought it was something to do with one of the animals – or more likely, Ian. However it was with great distress that I found out that the evil smell was in fact coming from me - or, I hasten to add, my walking boots.
So bad was it that I had to investigate further and check that nothing nasty was contained within them. One of my all-time most horrendous life experiences todate (and lets face it there’s a few to choose from) was putting on my Wellington boots one day and finding that my big toe had speared a rotting mouse.
Amazing – 6 months of my boots being forcibly rested and you’d have thought that the fresh air might have done some good – but instead my boots seem to have suffered from fester fast-track.
Well, good old internet – quick search for ‘smelly walking boots’ (which reminds me I do hope we never have to take out computer in somewhere to be mended as I am sure that they will have no end of fun looking at our search history!) showed that what I required was a spoonful of Bicarb.
Of course!
This is a magical, wondrous material. Do you have any idea what it can be used for – well besides removing nasty niffs from walking boots? Whitening marble, cleaning shower curtains, taking stains from socks, removing nasty taste from vacuum flask, to strengthen nails, to soften the skin of new potatoes, to ‘freshen’ the fridge……
Unfortunately I did not have any bicarb but I did have a bathbomb which is 80% bicarb so I dissolved that and popped the lovely lavender liquid into my boots. The lavender would only enhance the new found freshness I thought. I forgot about the lavender flowers however and think I will be spending the next few weeks removing bits of lavender from between my toes. hey ho.
So bad was it that I had to investigate further and check that nothing nasty was contained within them. One of my all-time most horrendous life experiences todate (and lets face it there’s a few to choose from) was putting on my Wellington boots one day and finding that my big toe had speared a rotting mouse.
Amazing – 6 months of my boots being forcibly rested and you’d have thought that the fresh air might have done some good – but instead my boots seem to have suffered from fester fast-track.
Well, good old internet – quick search for ‘smelly walking boots’ (which reminds me I do hope we never have to take out computer in somewhere to be mended as I am sure that they will have no end of fun looking at our search history!) showed that what I required was a spoonful of Bicarb.
Of course!
This is a magical, wondrous material. Do you have any idea what it can be used for – well besides removing nasty niffs from walking boots? Whitening marble, cleaning shower curtains, taking stains from socks, removing nasty taste from vacuum flask, to strengthen nails, to soften the skin of new potatoes, to ‘freshen’ the fridge……
Unfortunately I did not have any bicarb but I did have a bathbomb which is 80% bicarb so I dissolved that and popped the lovely lavender liquid into my boots. The lavender would only enhance the new found freshness I thought. I forgot about the lavender flowers however and think I will be spending the next few weeks removing bits of lavender from between my toes. hey ho.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Response to 'Trip to the UK'
Well, having written about my flight with Clickair - I was surprised and extremely impressed to receive a comment from the md. I have posted it below.
Dear Kate, my name is Alex and I am the MD of clickair in Barcelona - I am sorry about the delay and the change of plane; after our maintenaince provider informed us of a repair required, we decided not to cancel the flight and rather, find a replacement aircraft as soon as possible. Ultimately, all booked passengers travelled.
Drop me a line anytime if you have any comments - we hope to be able to see you on board soon.
Sincerely,
Alex Cruz
MD, clickair
Dear Kate, my name is Alex and I am the MD of clickair in Barcelona - I am sorry about the delay and the change of plane; after our maintenaince provider informed us of a repair required, we decided not to cancel the flight and rather, find a replacement aircraft as soon as possible. Ultimately, all booked passengers travelled.
Drop me a line anytime if you have any comments - we hope to be able to see you on board soon.
Sincerely,
Alex Cruz
MD, clickair
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Trip to UK
I have just returned from a trip to the UK. I booked the flight through the Iberia website and was surprised to find that the flight was not an Iberia flight but operated through Clickair - a budget airline which Iberia have a 20% stake in. The flight was a good price €160 all in, so I wasn't too worried.
Until the flight was delayed.
There was apparently an indefinite delay at Seville. After 4.5 hours, at 6 o'clock, they told us the flight would not go till 10.00 so a lot of people left the airport for something to eat. About 5 minutes later they said the flight was going NOW, and we were rushed through. Well, those that were left.
Rushed not onto the plane, but onto a bus and then driven around Seville Airport for 20 minutes! People who appeared to know about these things said it is common practice with delayed flights to do this. Compensation is payable after 5 hours and this is timed not to the time of take-off but the time you are checked through the final check at the gate. Therefore although we didn't take off until over 5 hours over the scheduled time, our trip round the airport meant that we didn't qualify for compensation. Hmmmm. I don't know about this - but it did seem strange to be going quite so many times round the Seville airport perimeter!
I also wonder about the message we were given about flight not going till 10, as surely the plane must have been at the airport when this was given. Was it happy co-incidence that the plane that they replaced the broken plane with was much smaller than the original and that there were many less people to go on it as many people had left the airport?
Obviously this meant that I missed the last coach to Bournemouth, however luckily have some friends who have just moved near Heathrow so I was able to give them a call. Needless to say I had not paid any attention to where I was - not even knowing which terminal I had come in at so they told me to stay where I was and they would find me. I was by the arrivals section and I noticed that a man with exactly the same suitcase as me kept sidling up to me and looking at me in a meaningful way. I kept thinking that he was going to tell me that red-fox was running or something equally spy-like. I ignored him, thinking that if he was a spy he was pretty rubbish - and how unlucky that they picked on a case like mine for the 'drop'. All of a sudden another man with the same case poked his head out of the Arrivals hall and started bellowing at the first man. At this stage I any thoughts of them being spys went out the window - I am sure even the most inept spy would not shout across heathrow for the man to come and change the b****dy case.
What had happened I guess, was man 1 had taken the wrong case and was told to come back and change it. He thought he was supposed to swap with me and I ignored him. Man 2 was patiently waiting for his case to be returned and finally cracked with impatience and decided to make his presence known in no uncertain terms.
Anyway - sucker for punishment that I am I have booked another flight with clickair for later this month. I wonder how eventful that flight will be!
Until the flight was delayed.
There was apparently an indefinite delay at Seville. After 4.5 hours, at 6 o'clock, they told us the flight would not go till 10.00 so a lot of people left the airport for something to eat. About 5 minutes later they said the flight was going NOW, and we were rushed through. Well, those that were left.
Rushed not onto the plane, but onto a bus and then driven around Seville Airport for 20 minutes! People who appeared to know about these things said it is common practice with delayed flights to do this. Compensation is payable after 5 hours and this is timed not to the time of take-off but the time you are checked through the final check at the gate. Therefore although we didn't take off until over 5 hours over the scheduled time, our trip round the airport meant that we didn't qualify for compensation. Hmmmm. I don't know about this - but it did seem strange to be going quite so many times round the Seville airport perimeter!
I also wonder about the message we were given about flight not going till 10, as surely the plane must have been at the airport when this was given. Was it happy co-incidence that the plane that they replaced the broken plane with was much smaller than the original and that there were many less people to go on it as many people had left the airport?
Obviously this meant that I missed the last coach to Bournemouth, however luckily have some friends who have just moved near Heathrow so I was able to give them a call. Needless to say I had not paid any attention to where I was - not even knowing which terminal I had come in at so they told me to stay where I was and they would find me. I was by the arrivals section and I noticed that a man with exactly the same suitcase as me kept sidling up to me and looking at me in a meaningful way. I kept thinking that he was going to tell me that red-fox was running or something equally spy-like. I ignored him, thinking that if he was a spy he was pretty rubbish - and how unlucky that they picked on a case like mine for the 'drop'. All of a sudden another man with the same case poked his head out of the Arrivals hall and started bellowing at the first man. At this stage I any thoughts of them being spys went out the window - I am sure even the most inept spy would not shout across heathrow for the man to come and change the b****dy case.
What had happened I guess, was man 1 had taken the wrong case and was told to come back and change it. He thought he was supposed to swap with me and I ignored him. Man 2 was patiently waiting for his case to be returned and finally cracked with impatience and decided to make his presence known in no uncertain terms.
Anyway - sucker for punishment that I am I have booked another flight with clickair for later this month. I wonder how eventful that flight will be!
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