Thursday 17 October 2013

Life is unpredictable

This morning's post brought a letter from a building society offering me a funeral plan. The letter began "Life is unpredictable..." Oh, please, don't make me laugh because it's painful. I've got a fractured rib and an aching, bruised body. I've been on a diet of painkillers for days. What an ironic letter, because on the fifth of October I was pretty sure that my number was up.
Our daughters and their partners lead busy lives and we are rarely all together in the same place. But last week was my birthday and the celebrations had been planned and eagerly anticipated for months. I had booked an apartment in Venice, my favourite city, and the family had booked time off work to join me. We were driving on a clear stretch of dual carriageway an hour or so after leaving home when a car drove straight out of a side road without stopping. Himself was driving my car, small and handy for street parking, and I was in the passenger seat. I just had time to say, "They're not stopping," and to think, 'why now?' before there was an almighty collision and we ended up, luckily, on the central grass reservation. The fire brigade cut off my door while a very kind stranger, who had been driving behind us, came and held my head still until the ambulance arrived. Many, many thanks to him. I was strapped on a body board and head support and whisked to hospital for a series of X-rays. My car is a right off and I consider myself very lucky to be alive, with, hopefully, no lasting damage.
Note to all blogging friends, ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEATBELT and be sure to drive a car that has LOTS OF AIRBAGS.
Anyway, I thought that I might as well ache and eat painkillers in Venice as at home so I got whizzed through the airport in a wheelchair. Wee One, who works in the NHS, looked after me wonderfully. On my birthday I got to blow out the candles on the breakfast buns.
I had a stab at it anyway, but deep breathing is sore!

The apartment was lovely, which was a good job because I spent a lot more time in it than I had intended!
Some of the days were wet, but it's a city of water, impossible to be spoilt by a bit of rain.

I sat on the water bus and took a great many lopsided photos of palazzos on the Grand Canal (and, yes, I might just bore you with them all.)







We took a ferry to cross the Grand Canal. Venetians stand, but a rather large American by the name of Dave came on board and threatened to land us in the water so we thought it best to sit down!


26 comments:

  1. Happy Belated Birthday and SO happy you are well, albeit bruised. That is so scary. I was hit a couple of years back, but not that badly and it scared the bejesus out of me. Your trip looks so amazing and I am so glad that you got to go! It sure gives one perspective about not missing out on anything!

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    1. Thank you for your birthday wishes. (Glad you got the cooker AND the fridge!)

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  2. Oh dear!
    Sounds like a traumatic experience...good that you were able to celebrate your birthday. Hope that you are on the road to recovery and Venice looks like just the place to sit back and watch the view.

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    1. Dear Hostess, I was VERY happy to find myself alive! Am now ploughing through paperwork, police reports and insurance and the holiday is definitely over!

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  3. Glad you're ok, Cher. Death is more unpredictable than life, eh?

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    1. Thank you, Tom. I thought that death, along with taxes, was the only predictable thing - but not yet, please!

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  4. Holy cow! Sounds much like the wreck we were in in '05. I didn't have a beautiful destination to recoup at. So glad you are recovering and yes. SEATBELTS AND AIRBAGS! I know our airbags saved my husband in our wreck as he took a truck straight into his side of the car. Take care.

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    1. I read somewhere that every time you drive on the road you are taking part in the equivalent of a small war. I'm certainly feeling a bit battle scarred at the moment! Glad to hear that your husband suffered no ill.

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  5. Well that's a memorable birthday for certain! If you can look that beautiful while nursing a broken rib then you are most definitely super human. And I love your vacation photos. I really do. Especially the gondolier checking his iphone. Happy Birthday and enjoy the drugs while they last.

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    1. Not a birthday to forget in a hurry, Connie! IPhones were everywhere - a lot of lost-looking people up alleyways using them as satnavs trying to sort out where they were!

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  6. Holy cow, what a way to start a vacation! You were very fortunate to only sustain minor ( although painful) injuries and still be able to go on vacation with your beautiful family.

    Seat belts and air bags saved both my husband's and my life a dozen years ago. We were both injured ( he did not wake up for a month), and some of my injuries were from the air bag and seat belt, but we lived to tell the story because we were buckled in.

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    1. Oh, Arleen, I'm sorry to hear that you and your husband had such a bad experience. I hope that you made a full recovery.The seat belt has certainly left quite an impression on my body, with bruising clearly mapped out to show the role it played in saving my life.

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  7. Dear god, what a tale. Glad you lived to tell it.

    Happy belated birthday. And you do manage to look both beautiful and happy though in pain.

    Guess drugs don't make it easy to take pictures while on the water....but I think you nailed it.

    continue to take care.

    xo jane

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    1. That serene look of mine on the boat is down to painkillers, Jane, I was as foggy as the weather!

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  8. Gosh it makes you put the wee things in to perspective! Get better and happy birthday!

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    1. I'm a Libran, Karen. On the scales - go home and take painkillers or go to Venice on painkillers. It didn't take me long to decide!

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  9. Happy birthday! But I am sure the celebrations were more meaningful than normal birthdays. I am sooo glad you are okay...did you find out why they didn't stop? But anyway I am relieved to know you want undetected and enjoyed Venice... X

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    1. It was a big O birthday, Coulda, which was quite meaningful enough!
      I don't know why the other car pulled out without stopping because there was clear visibility. I've a horrible feeling that they may have been on the phone.

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  10. Rosemary, so glad to hear that you both c ame through the crash, albeit battered and bruised. I can't think of a better way to recover than Venice. Happy Birthday! We were on holiday last week, and visited Bath Assembly Rooms on the way back. I thought of your offer to meet up there, but wasn't able to get in touch. Just as well by the sounds of it.

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    1. I'm sorry we missed you on your trip to Bath. Email me when you next plan to visit and we'll arrange to meet up.

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  11. What a nightmare, so glad you are ok. The photos of the Venice trip are wonderful. The apartment sounds to have been perfect for your recovery, and you certainly look as if you were having a good time, even if breathing was tough. Hope you make a full recovery soon.

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    1. Nightmare's the word, Janice, but we consider ourselves amazingly lucky to have survived. It was great to be in Venice with the family - where there were no cars to trouble me!

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  12. hey nice post meh, I love your style of blogging here. this post reminds me of an equally interesting post that I read some time ago on Daniel Uyi's blog: Plan For Dating Girls .
    keep up the good work friend. I will be back to read more of your posts.

    Regards

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  13. This post reads like a novel! I so glad it has a happy ending. I'm glad you're doing well--better than the car--and, my dear, you're looking marvelous for being another year older. Venice looks wonderful. Happy birthday!

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    1. Some novel, Steve! (And ,hush, tell no-one, I'm in my seventh decade!)
      Venice IS wonderful. When are you coming to Europe?

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  14. Oh Rosemary' I am just now catching up with everyone. I am so relieved you escaped with only a few injuries. I am glad you were able to continue with your plans to celebrate your birthday with your children. Happy Birthday, you look marvelous. Bonnie

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