I fell down 2 steps last Wednesday after viewing a lovely flat which friends of mine have rented for 1 year. A totally stupid thing to do but I just didn’t see the steps when leaving their apartment block.

I landed very heavily on my knees and the pain was excruciating - however my husband eventually got me upright and I walked back to the car. BUT the next day I had a balloon size knee - so straight up to the hospital. A point to remember here is that it is best to get to the Urgencias in the Poniente before 9.45 am - very few ‘customers’ at that time. Registration took a few minutes into the spotlessly clean new waiting room and straight into Triage to be assessed. It helps if you write down in Spanish what you have done or where it hurts etc. before rushing to the hospital because the Doctors may not speak any English. I was duly x-rayed, back to the Doctor who thought that I had perhaps torn a ligament-tendon and then into another room to be plastered - I asked for an ambulance to take me home - waited a few minutes and the ambulance was there. The whole thing probably took about 2 hours in total. Another point to remember is that the lovely Dr. Tomas is now the Head Consultant in Urgencias and he speaks perfect English, French and German - he is such a kind and helpful man.

I say a big Thank You to all my wonderful friends, Mary from my apartment block has loaned me her husband’s wheelchair, and taken my dog Rufus for a last ‘walkie’ of a nighttime. I have had meals on wheels from other friends, been invited out for a meal, shopping has been willingly done for me, and most importantly Sandra has fed my stray cats nearby and Anthea from the Port has fed the cats for me down in the Port. An added bonus has been that my husband John has had to get up early to walk Rufus along the beach every morning and in the late afternoon - when he is usually to be found glued to the TV in his big chair or asleep - sorry having a siesta - so he is getting fitter and I am getting fatter, but hopefully after seeing the Traumatologist on Friday I will get this horrible plaster off my leg and perhaps have to have some Physio and then its back to walking along the waters edge early every morning.

So a very big Thank You to everyone for being so kind.