Sunday, June 19, 2005
Dislocation
It's been a lovely weekend, this weekend. The sun is shining and the temperature touching on 28oCelcius (82oFahrenheit). Yesterday my wife ('Daisy') setup a flickr account (her photos here) and so suggested we could get up early (ish - it's a Sunday) and go for a walk at a nearby heathland. This would give her a chance to take some photos to put on flikr, and would potentially give me some food for my currently ravenous appetite for taking photos of bugs (more of those in another post).
So, off we went about 10 o'clock (told you - it's a Sunday!) and we drove up to the local heath, which is about 4 miles away. The car park is set amongst tall pine trees, and paths lead onto the heath and various small woodland areas either side. We walked into one of the woodlands on our bug hunt. Bugs seemed to be few and far between, but we got some nice photos of some fungi and ferns.
Fungi
Sun through the trees
Anyway, I came across this strange area where it looked like there'd been a small bonfire. A circle, a couple of meters across, cleared in the centre of the ferns, and the floor covered in ashes, and growing in the centre a very prickly looking thistle. The underneath of the surrounding ferns was visible - ideal for bugs, surely?
I ventured into the circle, scouring the undergrowth for any discernable movement which could be a bug that I haven't yet taken any photos of. There was a bunch of ants scurrying along in the corner, but no interesting bugs. Daisy had stayed on the main track and was examining some nettles, ten meters away. As I gave up, and headed for the exit of the circle, I decided I would probably tell her that there was no bugs in there, just evidence of an ant's nest near by.
Clearly, my mind was elsewhere, as I walked into the thistle, in the centre. It was VERY prickly, and I was wearing shorts. I spasmed sideways, and clonk, my knee exited from its rightful place and headed sideways. This HURT. I collapsed, screaming, onto the ashes, onto the ants, onto newly growing nettles. I dropped my new, expensive camera!
Although a bit of a blur, I continued screaming. I remember looking down to my knee, and see it looking all wrong - bits sticking out the wrong places. I must have instinctively grabbed it. I pushed it a bit, but it didn't budge. I pushed a bit more, and clonk it snapped back into place. That's a sound I will never forget.
Daisy came rushing around the corner. She held me, and put her leg as a pillow for me. I was still hurting a lot - crying like a wuss. She held my hand. She was shaking.
"Don't shake", I said. I didn't want her to be frightened. I needed her right then.
"It's ok", I said, "it's back in place, now. It'll be ok in a bit." The pain was easing a little, although I still couldn't move my leg from the position it was in. I was desperate to get up, but couldn't.
I lay there a while - maybe five minutes, I guess. I needed to move. I had to get up. Daisy helped me up and we hobbled slowly to the main path. The more I used it the better it became, although I couldn't put much pressure on it. Daisy gave me support.
A lady came along with some dogs and asked if I was ok. I recounted the story, and she kindly offered herself as a second crutch. I declined, as Daisy was doing a sterling job carrying all my camera equipment as well as me. We got back to the car and headed home, where I've been sitting all day.
I'm still hobbling, but it's feeling much better. It didn't swell at all, although the sting that the thistle gave me is still painful.
Something that struck me afterwards was that I have never (before then) screamed for my life. I always wondered what I'd do - how would I react to something bad happening to me? I cried out with a very loud "aaaahhhh" kind of sound, perhaps expectedly. Now I know.
My wife was wonderful too. She helped me so much, and gave me so much confidence that everything was going to be ok. I do love her so.
Knees are not supposed to go sideways. I don't think I will ever forget the clonk, or the mental picture I have of my knee all bent the wrong way. I think I may be working from home this week :o)
So, off we went about 10 o'clock (told you - it's a Sunday!) and we drove up to the local heath, which is about 4 miles away. The car park is set amongst tall pine trees, and paths lead onto the heath and various small woodland areas either side. We walked into one of the woodlands on our bug hunt. Bugs seemed to be few and far between, but we got some nice photos of some fungi and ferns.
Fungi
Sun through the trees
Anyway, I came across this strange area where it looked like there'd been a small bonfire. A circle, a couple of meters across, cleared in the centre of the ferns, and the floor covered in ashes, and growing in the centre a very prickly looking thistle. The underneath of the surrounding ferns was visible - ideal for bugs, surely?
I ventured into the circle, scouring the undergrowth for any discernable movement which could be a bug that I haven't yet taken any photos of. There was a bunch of ants scurrying along in the corner, but no interesting bugs. Daisy had stayed on the main track and was examining some nettles, ten meters away. As I gave up, and headed for the exit of the circle, I decided I would probably tell her that there was no bugs in there, just evidence of an ant's nest near by.
Clearly, my mind was elsewhere, as I walked into the thistle, in the centre. It was VERY prickly, and I was wearing shorts. I spasmed sideways, and clonk, my knee exited from its rightful place and headed sideways. This HURT. I collapsed, screaming, onto the ashes, onto the ants, onto newly growing nettles. I dropped my new, expensive camera!
Although a bit of a blur, I continued screaming. I remember looking down to my knee, and see it looking all wrong - bits sticking out the wrong places. I must have instinctively grabbed it. I pushed it a bit, but it didn't budge. I pushed a bit more, and clonk it snapped back into place. That's a sound I will never forget.
Daisy came rushing around the corner. She held me, and put her leg as a pillow for me. I was still hurting a lot - crying like a wuss. She held my hand. She was shaking.
"Don't shake", I said. I didn't want her to be frightened. I needed her right then.
"It's ok", I said, "it's back in place, now. It'll be ok in a bit." The pain was easing a little, although I still couldn't move my leg from the position it was in. I was desperate to get up, but couldn't.
I lay there a while - maybe five minutes, I guess. I needed to move. I had to get up. Daisy helped me up and we hobbled slowly to the main path. The more I used it the better it became, although I couldn't put much pressure on it. Daisy gave me support.
A lady came along with some dogs and asked if I was ok. I recounted the story, and she kindly offered herself as a second crutch. I declined, as Daisy was doing a sterling job carrying all my camera equipment as well as me. We got back to the car and headed home, where I've been sitting all day.
I'm still hobbling, but it's feeling much better. It didn't swell at all, although the sting that the thistle gave me is still painful.
Something that struck me afterwards was that I have never (before then) screamed for my life. I always wondered what I'd do - how would I react to something bad happening to me? I cried out with a very loud "aaaahhhh" kind of sound, perhaps expectedly. Now I know.
My wife was wonderful too. She helped me so much, and gave me so much confidence that everything was going to be ok. I do love her so.
Knees are not supposed to go sideways. I don't think I will ever forget the clonk, or the mental picture I have of my knee all bent the wrong way. I think I may be working from home this week :o)
