This year I had a milestone birthday. Last September (you can never do these things too early) we booked flights and rented a friend’s villa in the small urbanization of Son Vitamina on the south east coast of Menorca. The journey out was uneventful: a lunch time flight which arrived early evening giving us plenty of time to settle in. The villa was beautiful and there was a gastro-pub (The Nelson) a few hundred yards up the road. Although we shy away from Brit food on holiday, we did think it would be a good watering hole and promised ourselves a traditional English Sunday lunch while we were there.
We stayed on the island in 2011 and when not relaxing in the sun I found a shady place to write. The WIP then was Between Today and Yesterday. Now, seven years later, I had a new book to get underway and planned the same regime. The first four days were amazing, eating out in Mahon, the island’s capital, walking the streets of Ciutadella. Friday was the big day and we spent the morning shopping and then walked down to a small cove someone had told us about. I remember taking great care in walking as the pathway was rubble and very uneven. We spent the afternoon by the pool and then showered and got ready for the big event. We had a ground floor bedroom in the villa and the safe was situated upstairs in our friend’s room. I remember going up to retrieve a piece of jewellery to wear and then coming down very carefully holding onto the rail which ran from the top to just before the bottom of the stairs. Reaching the last step I let go, stepped down and fell. The bottom step was slightly deeper than the rest of the stairs, I had small heels on and I’m guessing I put my foot out and the step simply wasn’t there. I ended up on the floor having fallen awkwardly. As soon as OH and his friend helped me to my feet I knew I’d done some serious damage but everyone thought it was simply a bad sprain. A bag of frozen peas to the swollen area followed by a visit to the local pharmacist produced a support for the foot and some antiseptic spray. By the next morning, however, it was evident this was no simple sprain so all four of us headed for Mahon A & E. There they x-rayed and confirmed a break. The ankle was put into plaster and I was given a discharge letter, meds and instructed to go to my UK A & E for another x-ray on my return home. Before leaving for the hospital that morning I spoke to the insurance company to let them know what they were doing. On arrival back at the villa I was contacted by a nurse to discuss my situation and arrangements were made for an ambulance to get me to Mahon Airport and collect me on arrival at Bristol. Because I needed to elevate the leg during the flight home, the insurance company also bought extra seats on the flight.
The rest of the holiday was spent around the pool, although the weather wasn’t brilliant: hot and overcast most days. With assistance I did managed to get to The Nelson for lunch on the Sunday, other than that I did manage to make a series dent in my Kindle TBR pile.
On the day we were due to fly home the ambulance arrived two hours early just as we were in the middle of lunch. Total panic stations but OH, me and our luggage were eventually on our way to the airport where a designated member of staff saw us through check in and was again on hand to get me onto the plane. Unfortunately our return home coincided with the French Air Traffic Controller’s strike and our flight had been held up in Lisbon and then again in Bristol, resulting in a two and a half hour delay, one hour of which was spent sitting in the plane on the tarmac waiting for Mahon control tower to give us the green light for take off. So a flight which should have arrived home at 6.50 in the evening, instead touched down well after ten. I have never been so glad to be back in the UK even though it took nearly 45 minutes to get eleven of us mobility challenged adults off the plane. From there it was an hour from airport to front door, making it nearly midnight when we eventually got to bed. I didn’t care though, I was HOME.
The next morning (Wednesday)we went to the Royal United Hospital A & E Department. I honestly thought I’d be x-rayed, replastered and sent home. As they were putting on the new plaster I wondered why a small plastic pad with a clear nozzle had been inserted under my foot. I was told it was to be attached to a machine which regularly inflated and deflated it in order to get the swelling down quicker. ‘Am I having this at home then?’ I asked. ‘Oh no, you’re being admitted.’ was the reply. Not exactly what I expected to hear…
I was admitted to Surgical Short Stay where because I’d been abroad, I was given a private room and told I would be ‘swabbed’. This, of course, made my fertile imagination run riot as to what this entailed. In the end, it was simply a cotton wool swab in each nostril and in the crease of the groin to make sure I hadn’t brought back any nasty bugs. I spent two nights in the room, Wednesday with the pad inflating and deflating (and yes I did manage to sleep) and Thursday after the op. I had to have a CT scan before they took me to theatre to check on my heel alignment and that was followed by a visit from the anaesthetist to talk to me about the surgery. My last memory on arriving in theatre was seeing the clock – 15.55- and being told I was going to be put to sleep. Then there was nothing until I heard someone calling my name from far away and opened my eyes to see a nurse staring down at me. I was in recovery and it was 18.55. I had absolutely no bad effects from the anaesthetic, in fact I felt remarkably wide awake. On return to the ward I felt really hungry (having not eaten for nearly two days) and the health care assistant was an absolute angel, organising toast and strawberry jam for me – it tasted like a banquet! All things considered, I slept well that evening and was discharged late Friday afternoon. The consultant visited that morning to tell me my foot has been plated either side – not sure whether it’s a support mechanism to enable the bones to grow back correctly or whether from now on I’m going to have a bionic foot! I shall soon find out.
Since then it’s been a whole new learning curve. A steady round of medication and giving myself daily shots in the abdomen to prevent blood clots while I’m in plaster. And then there is getting around. Not easy but the physios set me up on a walker (easier than crutches) and the occupational therapist organised a series of aids to help me cope with day to day living around the house. OH has been wonderful, his whole life has been disrupted but he’s been amazing with all the household chores. I do actually manage the ironing as I have a high seat which I use in the bathroom to sit at the basin and wash each morning. Boy how I miss having a shower!
I’ve an appointment at the fracture clinic later today – another x-ray, stitches out and a new plaster. It’s five weeks and counting so should be free of my ‘boot’ by early July. I’ll probably need physio afterwards. And all this because I missed one step at the bottom of a staircase and fell awkwardly!
Folks I will never ever take my limbs for granted again, nor will I forget the amazing treatment from the staff at my local hospital. Nothing was too much trouble. At the moment all I can do is read and work on the PC. Writing that had to be put on hold after the accident is now centre stage and the creative juices are beginning to flow back again.
We have hired a wheelchair and next week I’m hoping we can find somewhere with access so we can get out and have some lunch. Am not going to let this beat me!
Will post holiday shots on FB later.
Jo xx
June was born in June and she always loved the moon. She comes from Slovenia, a country in the middle of Europe.
Morton lives with her husband, two sons and Lily, the tiny white dog, in Worcestershire, U.K. She has been reading and writing fiction for as long as she can remember, penning her first attempt at a novel aged fourteen. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Authors.
My hotel in Cumbria inspired me. The property was beautiful and set in a lovely village. In my writing, it becomes a fictional hotel that features in some of my books. As I get older I realised that many of my friends struggled with their middle years and beyond. Research told me that one in three people in the UK live on their own and I thought it might be good to create a place where this age group could go and stay and indulge in courses that would enhance their later years. Guests can take pottery, creative writing and cookery etc. or do something whacky like getting stoned with the Shaman in his tepee or learn about clairvoyance in an old gypsy caravan. Since publication I constantly get asked to open a real Boomerville Hotel and if I had the hotel today, I wouldn’t hesitate!
First off, I would invite the late, great Keith Floyd, TV Chef and personality. For many years, I ran a business representing celebrity chefs and Floyd was always an idol. My book Coffee Tea the Chef & Me was inspired by Floyd’s time in Kinsale, in Southern Ireland, and by following his footsteps there I learnt a great deal about the man and why he loved Kinsale so much. Something that was reciprocal by all the residents in this gorgeous foodie haven. He was tremendously entertaining chef. I’d have Floyd preparing the main course, which he would cook as he enjoyed his notorious slurps, whilst regaling us with his entertaining tales.
My next guest would be the chef Martin Blunos. Martin is one of the finest chefs in the country, having held two Michelin stars for more than 17 years. He currently has a lovely restaurant, Blunos in Bangkok and I would love him to bring the east to the west and cook a variety of oriental appetisers from his vast repertoire.
Andrew Nutter would take the next place. Another brilliant chef, Nutter has businesses in Rochdale and never ceases to amaze me by the creativity of his cooking and style, which makes his restaurant a number one destination for so many. Nutter is crazy and you never know what is going to come next. He would create a dessert for the occasion that would blow us away. I’ve enjoyed memorable times with this chef and as a dinner companion there is little chance that we’d leave the table before dawn.
Finally, Michael Moore. This lovely chef is based in London and I enjoyed superb meals at his restaurant in the West End. Michael’s mum was born in Basheba on the east coast of Barbados, an island that has many connections for me. Basheba is one of my favourite places in the world and inspired my novel Coffee Tea The Caribbean & Me. Michael’s eclectic style of cooking has been described as modern global cuisine and as this dinner party will have many courses, I would ask him showcase his style.
Caroline James has owned and run businesses encompassing all aspects of the hospitality industry, a subject that features in her novels. She is based in the UK but has a great fondness for travel and escapes whenever she can. A public speaker, consultant and food writer, Caroline is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association and writes articles and short stories and contributes to many publications. In her spare time, Caroline can be found trekking up a mountain or relaxing with her head in a book and hand in a box of chocolates.
Morton lives with her husband, two sons and Lily, the tiny white dog, in Worcestershire, U.K. She has been reading and writing fiction for as long as she can remember, penning her first attempt at a novel aged fourteen. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Authors.
Karen King writes edgy YA with a heart and sassy, heart-warming romance. Her first YA, Perfect Summer, was runner up in the Red Telephone Books 2011 YA Novel Competition and her second YA, Sapphire Blue, now republished as Rise of the Soul Catchers by Littwitz Press, was called ‘the best YA book out there right now’ by a reviewer for Ind’Tale magazine.
Playing on the theme of handbags, I tweeted photos of my novel in my handbag. Overwhelmed with the positive comments about the photo, I realised it would be fun to ask authors to send their photos. I developed the Handbag Gallery to showcase the authors’ books.
that’s a challenge for the future. I have ideas for another novel involving the characters in You Can’t Go It Alone. I was sad to leave the village of Delfryn and need to check on everyone. However, I heard two of my characters are refusing to return from a trip to Europe. Before I embark on any travels with my characters, I would like to experiment with the discipline of writing short stories.
Jessie is a bookish blogger, word warrior and intrepid virtual explorer. She loves to entertain with stories, and is never seen without: her camera, phone, notebook and handbag. Fellow authors have deemed her ‘creative and quirky’ and she wears these words like a blogging badge of honour.
Helen Grant’s debut novel The Vanishing of Katharina Linden was shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2010. In 2011 the book also won an ALA Alex Award (awarded to “books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults”). Helen’s short crime story The Beach House won the Jimmy Perez Trophy 2015 at the Shetland Noir book festival. Her work has also featured in Best British Horror 2015 (for The Third Time). Helen has lived in Spain, Germany and Belgium. She now lives in Perthshire with her husband, two children and two cats. She is currently the Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Stirling. As well as exploring abandoned country houses, Helen enjoys visiting the cinema and wild swimming.
Keri Beevis wrote her first novel at age twenty, but it was a further twenty years later before she finally found success after entering the Rethink Press New Novels Competition 2012.
JO LAMBERT 