Saturday 26 June 2010

In Which I Experience Interesting Times

I got up bright and early this morning in order to go to London to see 'They Might Be Giants' in concert at the Royal Festival Hall.

The first part of the trip, into Bath was fine, my connecting train was on time... Little did I know that this was just fate's way of Lulling me in to a false sense of security....

As I was getting onto the train at Bath I slipped. You know that Gap? The one they tell you to mind? They are right. It's a vicious bugger.

It all happened very fast-I *think* that my foot slipped on the lower step, so I fell up the train step, dropping a leg or two down the gap between the train & platform, but fortunately with enough of me falling inside the train that I could scramble in.

I managed to get to my seat before I started shaking, and then examined the damage - skinned the top of my left foot (dammit, wearing sandals just cos it was hot..) grazed my left knee (though my jeans, mind) and whacked both shins and my right thigh (I think on the edges of the various steps, but might be wrong)

and, as I realized when I was a bit calmer and able to take stock, my copy of Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere" was gone. I think maybe it sacrificed itself to The Gap for me...

Most of my stuff was in my backpack, which I was wearing, fortunately.

the nice guy in the buffet car gave me a bag of ice to use as a cold compress, which made things feel a bit better, and I had more or less regained my composure by the time we got to Paddington, although I do now have the problem of how one limps in both legs at once.....

Fortunately there is a direct bus between the Festival Hall & my hotel, so I don't need to walk much. (although I notice my room is as far as it is possible to get from the lift..)

BUT I am alive, and not seriously hurt, just a bit shaken up, and I'm sure the bruises will heal.

I shall be training it home tomorrow. I shall be aproaching all trains with great caution...

2 comments:

rashbre said...

Ouch. I've suffered various travel mishaps but find a good test is whether the walk to a hotel room seems longer than the walk back. If so, then things are usually going to be ok.

To your good fortune.

spacedlaw said...

Good thing you had the right book with you to mind the gap. Another might have left you to your fate...

I hope this will not hurt much or for very long.