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The night was dark, the September air was brisk, the other dog-owners had all gone home for dinner, and I didn't want to linger in the park across the road any longer than absolutely necessary. So once Chester the Wonderlab had done his business I bagged it up by the light of my phone's flashlight, and swiftly turned towards home, briefly looking back over my shoulder to call him.
Then it happened in an instant. A concrete bench that has sat solidly in the same place for the four years I've lived here decided to shift just a tad to the left.
Nah, I don't believe it either, but that's how it felt. First my left knee, then my right shin, then both my hips all made contact with the hard edges of the concrete and I went sailing headfirst over the bench, landing on the concrete base on my outstretched right hand (I had to protect the iPhone, didn't I?) and finally connecting my left brow and forehead with the concrete too.
I can see it all happening in slow motion in my mind's eye, and it's probably a good thing there were no witnesses - apart from my beautiful Chester - to what must have been quite a spectacularly hilarious tumble.
In the end, the only damage done was to my dignity, a few bruises and a scraped shin, and black eye that took a whole month to disappear while I wore sunglasses so I didn't frighten the children in the street.
And a fractured right wrist. And therein lies the rub.
Fellow quilters will understand when I say the worst possible body part to injure is one's dominant hand - in my case the right. Initially it was plastered, then splinted, and now I've moved into physiotherapy.
So there you have it. I've done almost no hand stitching since September, and just a little machining last week, and I don't mind saying I'm getting a little twitchy! My physio has advised me for the time being to stitch just during the ad breaks as I'm watching TV, and I've never been so grateful for those annoying commercials!
Ironically, some very exciting quilting-related things have been happening in my life, and I look forward to sharing them with you.
