When my phone rang about 7 yesterday morning I automatically went into damage control (or some similar state!). Nobody normally phones me at that hour, so I knew it was going to be Dorothy’s care home to tell me that something was amiss….

I was right. She had fallen heavily on the carpeted passage outside her room that morning. She was dressed and had her shoes on, but probably still not fully awake, when she tripped over her own feet on a perfectly smooth carpeted floor. The staff were there in a flash and were disturbed to discover she was unconscious, so they lost no time in arranging for an ambulance to take her to our local hospital where she was carefully checked. No broken bones and she soon regained wakefulness and after a few hours in the emergency ward, was transported back to her care home, bloodied but whole.

Last night she was somewhat agitated, but with the usual kind and skilled attention from the staff, and a mild sedative, she rested well and was ready to get out of bed, at her own volition, a bit later than normal this morning and, after I arrived, she was soon ready for a walk, inside, of course. Although we walked for ages, she wasn’t much interested in lunch but, a bit later, she happily enjoyed a sandwich and a cup of tea. Surprisingly (to me) she was ready, not much later, for afternoon tea with a slice of cake!

When I left later this afternoon, she looked absolutely awful – two enormous black eyes that were only able to open as slits, two dressings on her swollen nose and forehead and a ‘fat’ lip. Despite all that, she was in good spirits and assured me she had no aches or pains and was able to chuckle and laugh as we engaged with the other residents. If that were me, I don’t think I’d have felt like laughing, no matter how good the joke! Like her father would have said, “she’s as tough as old boots”. I’ve come home feeling far more tired than she seemed when I left. Well, let’s see what tomorrow brings. Our lovely daughter will visit Dorothy tomorrow, and I will have a ‘day off’. Just so I will be rested and ready, as always, to expect the unexpected…