Hexham Trip

This is the last of the blogs I posted in the Newcastle Journal, on 2 June 2011.  At that time Fester was working for the University doing biodiversity (he hates that word) research.  I would drive him to and from The Farm on the days he needed to be there for fieldwork or meetings. 

It being half term, after I dropped Fester off at The Farm to do some fieldwork, I took the boys to Hexham for the rest of the morning until it was time to pick him up again.  

We parked, visited the Tourist Information shop and then headed towards the railway station to visit the model railway shop.

I made it onto the zebra crossing but coming off the other side tripped on the kerb and went face first onto the asphalt pavement.  

I'm not sure why my hands didn't get out quick enough to stop me but they are entirely unmarked.  

My right knee is fairly grazed but the left side of my face is quite a picture.  

Fortunately neither nose nor teeth were broken so it looks worse than it is.

Seeing me go down the traffic stayed stopped and two Chinese gentlemen got out of their car, followed by a pair of Northumbrian joiners from their white van. 

Realising I was in safe hands and the joiners had first aid stuff the Chinese gentlemen made their excuses and left.

One joiner corralled the boys, who were in a bit of a panic, into the bus shelter; whilst the other 'phoned me an ambulance.  

The paramedics were remarkably quick and reached us before the dispatcher had finished asking questions like

"Is there liquid coming out of your ears?"

"Have you had a fit?"

"Are you confused?"

"Is there any new deformity to your face, anything sticking out or sticking in?"

To the last I replied that I wasn't able to see my own face as I was on the wrong side of it.

So I asked the joiner who said "You look lovely love", which was most gallant as I had blood dripping off my nose, cheek and upper lip.

The ambulance driver got the boys seated in it with me whilst a nice lady paramedic cleaned me up.  She did offer to take me to hospital but as it's all superficial wounds there was no need.

We resumed our journey to the railway station and the boys had a look around the model railway shop. 

I explained to the white haired shopkeeper what had happened.

"Oh it is nasty having a trip and fall at our age" she commiserated - then

"If you had got your hands out to save you;  you might have got a broken arm or wrist"- making me feel about eighty.

After lunch we went back to The Farm where Fester busied about a bit, whilst we stood around waiting, before getting into the car and asking "Everything go ok in Hexham?"

I had to give him a really hard stare for some seconds before he noticed my face.