Week 50/51 Back in the Thick of it and then …… STOP

Rotary Engagements since July 1                              337

And off we went into another helter-skelter week after our return.  Monday at Windsor & Eton to hear incoming President Geoff and his team set out their stall for the coming year in my role as the Assistant Governor for 2014-2015.

Similarly on Tuesday lunchtime with the folks at Ruislip-Northwood, the one club in the District I could comfortably walk to if I wasn’t lazy.  Followed later that day with dinner with the nice people from the Paul Strickland Scanner Centre at their Golf Day evening.  Terrific work being done just round the corner from me with state of the art imaging – awe-inspiring.

And on Wednesday nice to be back with my own club and be treated to Joan acting as our speaker talking about the life and loves (mostly the latter) of Louis XV.

Thursday and another couple of Club Assembly visits – this time to Gerrards Cross & Chalfont St Peter where our club’s close darts rivals treated ,me to their usual level of banter mixed in with a splendid set of plans for the coming year.  Incoming President John took charge in his inimitable way – good to see current President Jeremy back at the club after his stroke.  And in the evening to Slough where incoming President Mary & her team set out their plans.

Friday managed my first full 18 holes since returning from four weeks away from the course – saw enough good stuff to be encouraged about the summer.  And on in the afternoon to meet DGE Tim & Linda at the Oxford Hotel to finish off the details of the arrangements for our Handover dinner on Saturday 28^th.

 

And then to Saturday – which turned out to be the day that changed the summer (for us at least).  Every couple of years the community of Ickenham run the Ickenham Festival – historically in the grounds of Swakeleys House but this year in the grounds of Vyners School, permission to use the previous venue being withdrawn a week before the event.  So many congratulations to the organisers for managing to make the change so quickly and efficiently.  Mind you, as we got ready for the off the heavens opened and we felt it was not going to be a good day.  We, in this context being our own Rotary Club, whose stall provided the culmination of ticket sales for our “Meal for Two” draw, which took place that afternoon and , as a piece of fun we ran a welly-throwing competition.  Competition was fierce, with one particular competitor having a penchant for throwing long distances, not always accurately, but which culminated with a welly being thrown into a tree.  As chief retriever I (of course) set out to retrieve the welly, which culminated in my falling awkwardly with my right ankle under me and hearing it break in the process.  It didn’t look too good – bone pointing one way and foot the other but I managed to straighten that out and sat out the wait for the ambulance, which took an hour and 40 minutes.  Must say this was NOT down to inefficiency of the ambulance service but pure priority – there were others whose need was greater, like the heart attack victim.  

 

The poor ambulance guys had come all the way from St Georges in Tooting (about 50 mins journey) but fortunately took me closer, to Hillingdon Hospital where I was treated with speed and (as far as I can tell so far) great skill.  Less than 2 hours after arrival at around 6:30 p.m. I was in a ward and at 9:00 on Sunday was reviewed by an orthopaedic surgeon who told me about the op I needed and proposed to do it that morning, which he duly did.   

By mid-afternoon I was back to (a different) ward and on my way to recovery, apart from needing not to put any weight on my ankle for the next 6 weeks!  Discharged on Monday back to home, which was a great result – nasty places to be, hospitals. 

Apart from a bit of an infection towards the end of the week that made my temperature shoot up and down like a yo-yo I now seem to be “onwards & upwards).  More notes next week.