I just got back to Perth from Bridgetown. Dave and I spent 11 days there looking after a friend’s hobby farm while she and her family went on holiday. I had a great time feeding the animals, going on long walks with the dogs, and admiring the beautiful views.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a trip away from home if I didn’t injure myself in some weird way.
The duck pen is also an orchard, so it has netting on it to protect the fruit from other birds. The pen is on a steep slope between the house and the goat paddock. You get down to the ground level of it by walking along a narrow track cut into the slope. Early in the week I’d slipped off the track and tumbled down to the ground level, swearing the whole way and scaring the ducks. No harm done, just a lot of scratches and hay all over me. There were star pickets and big rocks on the slope – I managed to avoid them just through sheer luck.
But on the Sunday, our last day, we were feeding the animals in the morning when Dave noticed a kookaburra stuck in the orchard netting. I hadn’t been in there for a couple of days after another near-slip on that narrow track. But as soon as I thought an animal was in trouble I forgot my own safety and rushed off to help Dave free the bird. I didn’t make it far – on the same spot I slipped before, I slipped again and this time I heard something in my leg snap. I was worried about avoiding the star pickets and rocks again, so I rolled around a lot more this time. When I landed, I was in a lot of pain, with tingling in my hands and feet and an urgent need to vomit. I couldn’t put any weight on my right foot, so Dave had to help me hop out of the pen. That put us in the chicken pen, but that was a lot flatter and easier to negotiate than getting back up the slope.
Anyway, one trip to the Bridgetown emergency ward later, I had a brand new cast. Not sure how long I’ll be wearing it, but I’m still grateful I didn’t impale myself on any rocks or metal. A clean break is not too bad, all things considered.
