Monday, 24 July 2017

I'VE BEEN FLAT OUT

Not working though. My apologies to Robert for my being lazy and selfish.

I've been in Auckland for a few days watching some films - two Film Festival ones plus Dunkirk.
We saw the Gaylene Preston documentary My Year With Helen about Helen Clark's role at the United Nations and her run for Secretary General last year. This is a 'must watch' as it gives a great insight into the 'Glass Ceiling' at the UN.

We saw this film on Sunday and as I was leaving the apartment building I fell flat on my face on the footpath outside.



We have newspapers delivered daily in a big stack that is tied up with plastic ties. Someone who had brought them in that morning had left one of the ties on the mat outside the door. This is a circular piece of plastic tie that looks like and acted like a lasso.


As I stepped into the loop my front foot connected with the tie at the same time that my back heel was trapped by it. The effect was like being in a trap or indeed a lasso and my feet were whipped out from behind me. My forward momentum kept the top part of my body going.....going flat down on to the ground. I hit my left knee and elbow hard and put out my right hand to protect my head and face. Result? Two broken fingers. Bummer!

I was carrying one of Lynn's crutches as she had gone to work by taxi on Sunday morning and left it behind. I was hurrying to meet her at the picture theatre with it. Some young people nearby (we live by Auckland University and AUT) were concerned especially seeing the crutch fly out of my hand and came to help. As it turned out I needed the crutch to walk down to Queen Street as my knee was painful. Neither knee or elbow were damaged beyond grazing so it's only the fingers injured.

It makes you think how easy it is to have an accident and how they come out of the blue. In Dunkirk which we saw on Saturday a young guy was seriously injured when he was suddenly knocked down a few steps on a boat and hit his head on a metal pump. If there had been something solid in front of me as I fell I would have gone headfirst into it without having a chance to avoid it.


15 comments:

Richard (of RBB) said...

Shit! Sorry to hear your news! Hope the fingers aren't too bent or anything. I think they take about 3 weeks to come right. You take it easy.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

I tried at the local pub tonight but just couldn't play the piano with my broken fingers.
Looks like double bass playing might be out as well.
Sad.

Richard (of RBB) said...

Just use your first right hand finger (the nose picking finger) and you'll be right for the bass.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

Well put it this way - my rude gesturing will be curtailed for a couple of weeks.

Richard (of RBB) said...

Rude gesturing? Like wiping your bottom, use the other hand.

Richard (of RBB) said...

By the way, don't just not wipe your bottom.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

Scatological

Richard (of RBB) said...

You love that word. My word is soqquadro. The only word in Italian with two Qs together.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

Yes, well, I'm not surprised that you favourite word is 'soqqatro' given the state you keep your study in.

Richard (of RBB) said...

Good use of google translate.

Richard (of RBB) said...

I know you're old but please watch your italian spelling.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

'italian' should be spelled as 'Italian'.

Richard (of RBB) said...

We don't always use a capital letter back home.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

Yes, I don't recall hearing that Nuova Lazions ever won any major spelling competitions.

Richard (of RBB) said...

Well, clever old Marist Newtown!