Catering for 9 here went like clockwork thanks to the “Christmas made easy” booklet. All hot, delicious and on time.
And that was while struggling with the latest cold/flu/whatever is making the rounds.
But the disaster struck on Sunday 28th: whilst the sous-chef made this fabulous sourdough bread castle, I wasn’t feeling so good at the kitchen sink. Next I knew, the sous-chef was putting me into the recovery position on the floor. Couldn’t really move so many phone calls by him and eventually an ambulance to A&E on stretcher. More hours on that legendary trolley in the corridor plus x-rays and more tests. Eventually graduated to a side-room overnight with stalwart sous-chef consigned to a hard chair. More blood tests confirmed no heart attack/stroke but a simple faint due to virus/exhaustion/dehydration. Home by Monday evening with no lasting consequences other than an exceptionally sore rear end (landing point) and discovery of yet two more vertebral fractures of indeterminate age! Overall, a good result but still taking the painkillers for that sore end.
Release from hospital required me to prove I could still manage stairs. It took me back to those years ago in France: hospital stairwell with wonderful echo acoustics and me again singing “I’m a mole and live in a hole” – the last of my musical selections in the recent life/music radio piece for RNIB .
Now back to the joys of the New Year and trying to only sit on well-padded chairs …
