Where to From Here?

Needless to say, I was a bit despondent when I was admitted to Apt Hospital, pending my surgery on Wednesday morning.  However, things were quickly put into perspective for me when I met my room-mate.  There is nothing quite like an amputated limb to put a broken wrist into perspective.

I was well impressed with the hospital.  Within an hour of arrival at Urgences, I had been x-rayed, the orthopedic surgeon had been consulted and I was being wheeled to my room.  I would still have been waiting for Triage in Cork.

I was also really pleased with how well I coped with the language… or maybe they were all speaking to me as if I was an infant or a simpleton!  Whichever it was, I understood most of what was said and was able to cobble sentences together in reply.

I was discharged on Wednesday, four hours after surgery, greatly relieved to be going home.  Yes, it's a bit sore, but it will improve as the weeks go by, and the surgeon was quite positive that I will be out of plaster in six weeks.

And the prospect for Le Big Trek?  It’s going ahead, of course!

IF I am a good girl and stay out of the saddle for six weeks, I’ll be back riding sometime during the second week of March.  That gives me a whole month to get riding fit and to simply enjoy trekking around this beautiful region before we head off up the GR 36 on April 9^th.

If I am NOT a good girl and start riding while I still have a cast on then that would probably give me an extra two weeks riding before we start Le Big Trek, which is an even better outlook as far as I’m concerned.

We’ve discussed this quite seriously.  I can borrow one of La Florentine’s cavalry saddles, which have a high pommel and cantle, so they are difficult to fall out of.   When it’s still in the cast, my wrist will be more protected than at any other stage, so really, why not?  And, honestly, the surgeon really did say “On peut monter en plâtre” but he may have been teasing me!

People have been rallying around and we have many offers of help riding Flurry for the next few weeks, so he will maintain his fitness level and his feet will continue to get the “work therapy” that they need.  I am happy that “Spooky Tense Flurry” who made his presence felt in early January is gone, and “Normal Bombproof Flurry” is back for good.  However, he can be a bit nappy (barnsour) so I have to make sure his riders know this and won’t let him away with it.

I intend to do lots of walking over the next six weeks, so I can build my own fitness levels as well so when I am finally back in the saddle I can pick up where I left off, planning longer treks and plotting routes along the local GR trails.

So, it’s a shattered wrist, not shattered dreams.