Work, holidays and getting ready for major surgery

Woah, quite easy setting up this blog thing.

Hubby not too happy though, he has enough to deal with considering I have about 1,000 books, all about crime and serial killers! Deaver and Cornwall, Kellerman etc, all devoured. I can read a book in a day, given the chance. Funny, some people have days off work to play golf, or watch tennis and this is considered totally rational behaviour. Hitting a ball into a hole! I, on the other hand, find it hard to justify taking a day off just because I have had a delivery of Koontz.

Got a few days coming up though when I will have as much time as I want. I can see the thought crawling across the minds of colleagues when I mention that recovering from a hip operation is likely to take 6 weeks. The word "wimp" wanders into view, albeit hiding in corners and behind the back of larger colleagues. It does sound like a long time, and you look at it like a gift - a gift that someone else has been given that you would exploit far better - do more meaningful things or just more shopping, depending on your character. Six weeks. How would you spend it? The fact that I will be recovering from having a hip operation, a re-surfacing no less, is a small price to pay.

Imagine. I will be able to get up when I want, watch what I want on TV, read thirty books at a time, do crosswords, become an expert at sedoku, hobble to the loo, can I sit in a chair without dislocating my new hip, how big will my scar be?

I am 46. I need a new hip. I appreciate that I led a very wild life when I was younger, associated with people in the pop world, went to the London Fashion Week and appeared in videos, danced, yada yada yada, so I should be able to take this in my stride!

Can't walk very well though. I mean, really cannot walk very well. My foot thinks it has lifted up and it hasn't. If I am holding the hand of my husband when I start going over then fine , it is a Stumbleclench. If not, then I fall over. Simple as that.

I use the trolleys in Sainsbury's like a zimmer frame, and we bought new bikes in the New Year so we could exercise to get rid of the post smoking spare tyre and I haven't been able to sit on mine. Ever. We sold the VX220 cos it hurts to sit in it, and I haven't been on the motorbike for two years. Couldn't manage the Via Condotti.

When shopping is suffering then something has to be done.

So, my doctor sent me for an X Ray, and looked at it with a frown

"Hmmm" he said, "Never had a patient as young as you who needs a hip replacement!"

So, I will be "going private" as they say when you are not in the army.

Will be having a Birmingham hip - could have been a Windsor! - and it appears that it is really quite new technology. At least as far as the States is concerned. We have been doing it over here since 1996, however it has only just been signed off in the US.

Never had an overnight stay in hospital before, never taken major painkillers (legally) before, never really had anything wrong with me before so this is all new and I am terrified.

Still, 6 weeks off work just before Christmas. hell of a lot of Koontz!