All
my bags are packed I'm ready to go (wasn't John Denver a tosser?!).
This weekend I was all set for a trip to
Blogcon. I had my train tickets booked and I was mentally there, but
cruel Fate stepped in and banjo'd it. I've had an issue with my right
knee for ages and, two years ago, was chalked up for an op to cut
away all the ripped cartilage and clean out all the muck (I'm not sure
you realy wanted to read that). As has become usual with the NHS, I
simply dropped into limbo with occasional excuses proffered by the
local ossie as to why I couldn't pass 'Go' and collect £200. It's a
not very long, though pretty boring, story which ends with me under
the knife last Friday.
Now, for those of you not
from these parts, “last Friday” was 1st November,
whereas the Friday just passed is “this Friday” and often used in
the past tense, e.g. “That was this Friday just gone”. Should not
to be confused with “this Friday” when referring to the coming
Friday. It seems to be a device to ascertain whether or not you're paying
attention. O.K.?
Right, so by yesterday I
was hobbling still, but not hobbling as well as I thought I should be
or well enough to make it anywhere further than maybe fifty yards or
so and not to be standing around for more than a few minutes. So, any
sustained movement was out. Not at all satisfactory because of the
planned trip to Blogcon – did I mention that?
By the way, they gave me
a brand new pair of those sawn off crutches, but I can't use them
properly and they're too cumbersome to move with effectively. Instead
I've been using my Dad's old walking stick (Circa 1972-ish). This is
much handier and, when not in use, can be stowed inside your coat
with the 'crook' of the stick hooked inside the arm hole. Well, I
know what I mean.
About tea time last night
(this is all real Northern stuff eh?) I got that familiar feeling in
the nose and throat and then those good old watery eyes and a couple
of hours later I'm about to joss it. Ergo, the waning dreams of
making it to Nottingham other than by air ambulance were finally
shot.
All this finds me still
doing my Long John Silver impression (with more of an “Arrrrgh!'
than an “Arrrrrr!”) and a snot factory on overtime. Oh yes, and
if you haven't already picked up the thread, not at Blogcon . . . .
No flowers by request.
Sorry to hear all this. I hope you're feeling better soon and more mobile.
ReplyDeleteNow explain "t'other Friday".
An undetermined Friday in the fairly recent past, but, in my case, anywhere up to about six months ago! ;O)
DeleteCondolences on your untimely surgery - hope it mends well and quickly. I got diverted by your theme of which week a day refers to. Brought up, like yourself, in t'North, I have always been at pains to ensure that my descriptions of when things were going to happen (or had happened) were unambiguous to folk who were used to the received, Establishment/BBC/Home Cynties conventions. If, say on a Tuesday, I refer to "next Friday", I would normally mean "Friday of next week", not "the next Friday which will come along", which would just be "Friday", unless, of course, I said "I went to the pub on Friday", which would be "last Friday". This has all become even more hairy since I moved to Scotland, where it is common to speak of "next-again Friday", which I think is supposed to be more specific, but in fact I can't quite remember what it means now.
ReplyDeleteIt is confusing, though.
Yes, the Friday of the current week is usually referred to as "this Friday' or 'Friday', irrespective of whether or not it's passed. The funny thing is, when you're brought up with it, it seems perfectly natural - as with most things in life. However, I think that whoever came up with, in this case, "Friday week" should be publicly flogged. It means nothing at all!
DeleteThe Scots? What can I say? 'Next-again Friday' sounds like the Friday after next friday to me. However, the Jockanese sense of time has always been a mystery. They refer to the Act of Union as three hundred years of misery and exploitation yet talk about The Bruce (that's Robert, not Jack!) as though he only died last week. ;O)
Now that is rotten luck, but as I know only too well from bitter experiences, more correctly the Saintly Mrs Awdry's experiences, that to refuse an operation when offered is foolhardy in the extreme. Bring on Blogcon 2014!
ReplyDeleteHuh! I nearly got bounced because I had a small graze on my shin where I'd fallen over Young Henry's bike. They insisted that it could become infected and so infect the wounds from the operation. Thankfully a matron (or whatever they're called these days) picturised them on that one.
ReplyDeleteBlogcon 2014? Can't wait!
Sorry you can't make Blog-Con, Saturday was a lot of fun but certainly would not have been the place for you in your condition.
ReplyDeleteThe floor is concrete and would have played havoc with your knee (I know as that's what it has done with mine)
Looks good for next year as Saturday saw maybe more than 30 of us there. James did a great job
Ian
Yeah, I think I made the right decision as far as the knee is concerned, but the real killer would have been this cold. My wife went down with it almost exactly 24 hours after me, so I'd probably have been like Typhoid Mary at the show!
ReplyDeleteExcellent news on the attendance. I was confident there was enough to entertain everyone, but I wasn't sure about numbers. Bloggers do tend to include a good percentage of solitary souls and I wondered how many would back off at the last minute. I'm really happy now as this means there's bound to be a 2014 meet up and, given that success breeds success, the numbers will be up.
Well done James!
Commiserations is the word I'm thinking of. Hope you recover soon and I'm sure you'll be ready in time for Son of Blog-Con in 2014.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sean. Ironically the knee is improving daily, which is fascinating to experience. However, the cold gets steadily worse, helped along by being thoroughly browned off at missing the meet-up.
DeleteIf I'm stricken at the time of the 2014 'do' I'll nail the lid down myself! :O(
You were missed my friend, hopefully you'll better soon!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cracking get together to miss eh? On the up side this cold has got me out of the bloody surprise birthday 'do' which I didn't want and originally stopped me going Foundry both days as I'd planned. I suppose it's a sort of poetic justice.
DeletePS I only found out about the 'surprise' because my son & daughter tipped me off - they're on my side ;O)
Shame you couldn't make it Gary, it was two days of great fun!
ReplyDeleteYes . . . salt + wounds = thanks Ray
ReplyDelete;O)
Better to be well and catch up next time! Blog Con 2014.. The countdown starts here
ReplyDeleteI bet it's going to be a fantastic event if this year's is anything to go by.
ReplyDelete