10 things I learned from hitting a Scottish tree at speed
Why I’ve not written anything about the Netherlands or Italy for a while
Back in mid-July I was on holiday with my family in Scotland, and (without boring you with the details) I hit a pine tree at speed face first. There was blood everywhere but somehow I made it onto my feet within a few seconds. My glasses had shattered and the sharp end of the broken frame had ripped a gash in my nose, a couple of centimetres from my eyeball. My nose was smashed and I had broken ribs. For several days I kept discovering new bruises and cuts that I’d just not noticed earlier. Back home in Italy I’ve had to have surgery to rebuild my nose: there was one large chunk of bone in completely the wrong place; up to 20 other bone fragments of various sizes floating around; and a load of cartilage that was knocked out from where it was meant to be.
It all hurt like hell, but within a month I should be good as new. Phew. Without a helmet and a guardian angel I’d be dead, paralysed or blind in one eye. It’s been tough but I was very, very lucky! We’re now a week into August and the last bandages have at last been removed. I’m just about able to write again, so to ease myself back in here are a few simple observations.
1. Choose your wife (or husband) wisely. I did and I knew I was lucky before all this nonsense: now I’m I awe of the choice I made. A good choice is obviously great in the good times, but shows its worth in the bad times (I guess it’s a bit like choosing a boat).
2. I didn’t see my life flash before my eyes, but I had about a second or so of clarity and annoyance as I saw what was going to happen. I’ve always wondered what the impact is like for people in a plane crash. If my experience with that tree is anything to go by, it’s annoyance followed by nothing.
3. There was immediate elation afterwards (I didn’t lose consciousness) when I realised I was still alive and able to stand – and probably flooded with adrenaline. My main concern was trying to avoid getting blood on a jacket I’d just bought. When I used to do ‘hostile environment’ courses as a BBC journalist I was told to look for silent casualties first rather than ‘screamers’ – I’d add that casualties of something dramatic are also not the best at making good decisions.
4. Weeks without wearing glasses has been tough as hell. I remember reading David Landes’ thoughts about reading glass development in Europe in his “Wealth and Poverty of Nations” and found it fascinating. I need specs both for up close and far away, so in earlier times without glasses I’d have been an utter passenger. I can see why billionaire preppers get their eyes lasered! (NB I’m writing this now because the surgeon showed me that I’m now able to suspend a pair of specs from my forehead using tape.) If you have old pairs of glasses, consider donating them.
5. If you’re going to spend ages in bed recovering from a nasty accident, try to time it to coincide with the Olympics. It’s been a bit blurry but excellent. Tom Pidcock’s mountain bike gold was the best bit, followed by Alex Yee in the triathlon, but the top five underrated sports in general have been: 1. Lead climbing; 2. Track cycling; 3. Hockey (but bloody hard for me to see the ball sometimes); 4. Volleyball (big surprise); 5. Badminton, and the worst: 1. Horse dressage; 2. Swimming; 3. Water polo; 4. Speed climbing (I get it, but it’s just too quick and samey and unrelateable); 5. Skateboarding – incomprehensible scoring and commentary, and the very young ages of the (esp. female) competitors was frankly weird. But overall it’s fantastic, and the sheer variety of stuff I’ve seen has been astonishing. God bless sport!
6. There’s a real accumulation of cost for something like this: not just any costs for medical treatment, but also hotel rearrangements, extra taxis, all sorts. And that’s for something time-limited, rather than a sudden longer-term illness diagnosis that some face. Again, I’ve been lucky compared to others.
7. There’s also a financial hit from work, as I’m a freelance, not an employee, and have found mysefl unable to write or otherwise work. My book writing is delayed (see next bit) and this also is also delaying my ability to get stuck into other projects. Bah.
8. I was meant to finish the first draft of my book on the Netherlands – ‘Orange sky, rising water’ – by the end of August, but that’s been blown out of the water. Amazing how a head injury stops coherent thought, even if I’d been able to see! But I’m still on course for my research trip to NL in early September, which should be the last bit I need.
9. A couple of days ago, more than two weeks after the tree got in my way, my brain finally started to make lucid decisions. I’ve felt the energy return and started to think again about the future. That’s a fantastic feeling. Last night I had a glass of wine, which felt like a triumph.
10. What with the Olympics and the headbanging, plus the fact I’ve been off football since a knee ligament injury in February, I’m now looking for a sport that feels suitable for a fit 52 year old who is sick of getting injured. I could reprise something from my youth like athletics or badminton, warily start the football again (listening for my knee to pop or flinching every time something comes close to my face), or try something new. I had to give up rugby twenty years ago after an endless run of broken ribs, and this feels like a similar moment. My money is on sea kayaking… Life is there to be lived, and there are no trees in the sea. Any suggestions are welcome!
More soon (and about more than noses), as I start to feel better. Best wishes from Genova.