Steve's Knee

The intrepid Ford's conquer striding edge.

2007-06-08T00:12:00.001+01:00

IMG_1320
Originally uploaded by Steve Ford

What a day. We climbed Helvelyn up Striding Edge. A task that ranks alongside some of my best achievements. Mainly because it was quite scary, even though we had the best weather and there was almost a queue to get up. In the end you have to climb and there are at times no distinct paths. Still, we got there in the end. Amazing - check out some of the other pics as well.

Rosie's Valentines

2007-06-05T23:41:00.000+01:00

Tuesday 5th June 2007

Currently listening to: Stefan's Tape

I have to post this. Rosie - sorry if it's embarrasing but this was the most well written and tear inducingly funny email I have ever read!

my valentines day:
get up 530 am.
beat head on wall several times to wake up as am utterly knackered from very long week so far.

Set off to drive to airport to catch flight.

Pull over after 2 miles of pissing rain to rip off passenger vindscreen viper in fuming frustration, which after gippo mutilation some weeks ago, wafts around limply - except in driving rain where it viciously entangles working viper in constrictor like embrace, causing burning motor smoke to invade car and making it impossible to see.

get to airport to catch shuttle plane

Subject self to lengthy pat down from security after setting off metal detector. Subject handbag to archaeological dig from secuiryt staff who have clearly decided am terrorist.

get plane.

spend day hopping on and off bits of half built submarine, crawling through tight spaces and trying to imagine what a confined space full of 90 blokes stuck under water for 3 months is like.

vaguely get the horn.

get plane home with boss.

Pick up car at airport. Thankfully driving rain has stopped.

Hop enthusiastically onto A3 with good intentions about seeing hubby. Call hubby. Hubby working late and sounds stressed. Ease off accelerator until within stones throw of actual speed limit as clearly any chances of nuptials are vanishingly small and not worth a speeding ticket.

come off M25 a junction early to go to tesco sevenoaks as is more en route than our local which is the other direction, with intention of filling up gasping car and buying nice goodies for valentine supper.

Pull into tesco petrol station. Fill car up. replace nozzle in pump. Look twice at nozzle. Nozzle is wrong colour. Have just filled up unleaded petrol car with diesel.

Swear.

Go into shop and slightly hysterically inform them that have filled up car with diesel but want to pay for it before moving it in case get arrested. Attract looks of pity and possibly slight fear.

Go outside and ring green flag. Whilst collecting info about my car she asks "is that a red corsa? And that's with petrol engine?" "Yes, I know that now!!" sez I not amused.

Return to car. Look for credit card I thought was in pocket. Cannot find card. Go out and scour petrol station forecourt. Cannot see card. Panic slightly. Return to car and find card in handbag. wander round forecourt looking like drooling woman on day release and accost burly man who is deliberately not meeting my mad eye, and beg him to help me move car out of way as have been cretinous, knackered it, and am too tired to move it on my own.

Man unquestioningly (probably fearing for his personal safety) helps me push it to side. As I sit in abject despair sniffling to myself about my own utter crapness, petrol station lady (surely no older than 15) comes out and kindly offers to make me cup of tea, like startled and disturbed old lady. I decline politely, and try and explain my ineptitude.

She nods understandingly and retreats to safety of shop. Nice man turns up in whopping great van, pushes my car to the other end of the petrol station and hoists it onto his flatbed. Dump car outside my little local garage with note on dashboard saying "Dear Andy - DO NOT DRIVE! Have been outstandingly stupid and filled with diesel. Please help. Or maybe this time we turn it into a chicken shed".

Nice rescue man drops me home in flatbed. Get into porch and remember I lent my front door keys to luke some weeks ago - can only go in through back garden. Cannot bear to look like cretin twice in one evening so close porch door and hide in dark until rescue man decides I have gone into a dark house and like it that way as am some sort of vampire, or perhaps am blind which would explain poor choice of fuel, and drives off.

Get in and realise have no food. Hubby arrives home and handles gingerly like
lit firework. Make curry from remains of fridge. whilst attempting to cook with maximum 13% functioning higher brain function, throw pan on floor.

Swear again.

Weigh up level of filth on floor and decide to throw away stuff on lino. Leave to simmer whilst pitta breads smoke and smoulder in the toaster, as I have given up on life and am cuddling the washing machine, eating chocolate spread out of the jar with my fingers.

So yesterday when I couldn't operate my stapler, people were asking if I'd refilled it with tippex..

oh the hilarity just never.. begins..

picked car up last night, drained and cleaned, and suitably chastised (me not car) and only smoking slightly (Car not me)

Flickr

2007-06-05T23:28:00.001+01:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Long time no write

2007-06-05T23:16:00.000+01:00

Tuesday 5th June 2007

Currently listening to: Our Earthly Pleasures by Maximo Park

Wow, it's been ages since I posted onto here. The reason being that I've been well busy.
After the disappointment of the cup final last May we set about to win division 2. And succeeded. I'm so proud of the team. Mind you, it went down to the last game and the last goal in a 2-1 win!

Here's a photo of the team on that fine May day this year.

I actually played in this game, one of only 3 games I really had some part in. The first was in January of this year when I played a full game. So overalll operation to playing time was probably 11 months or so. The knee seems ok, it did ache when I first started playing again, but now it's ok. The lasting legacy seems to be tight hamstrings and that numb patch on the right side of the knee.

I'm going to try and post more often. Especially since I've managed to link Flickr and Blogger together so there's something more interesting than just words.

Loads of other stuff's happened since last August. People getting married, people leaving the church, people joining, births, deaths, house moces, job moves, holidays, new music, old music, gigs, books and films. All in all a great consumer life. Athough I'm sure there was more to it.

Busy couple of months...

2006-08-03T11:59:00.000+01:00

Thursday 3rd August 2006

Currently listening to: XFM

Well, it's been another long wait for a post, and I won't bore you with the details of the last month, except to say that England were incredibly disappointing in the world cup; I had a great night at the Royal Albert Hall, got a new digital camera, new phone and new Bass! Lots of new presents for me!

Helen married Trev last Saturday and it was an amazing day. So chilled out (thanks guys for not getting me to do too much) and all my friends and family were there. We had a great party, the food was good, the company excellant and I just wished it could have carried on for about 3 days.

In order to share some of the fun I've set up a Flickr account which hopefully should help me to share the photo's I've been taking.

So here's the first effort of a link to some online photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/67104512@N00/sets/72157594222612025/

Need to figure out how to link to a photo online - i'll get there eventually. Maybe I should talk to Matt, he seem's to have got it sorted.

I'm sure there's been loads more going on as well. Been playing with Aye, Jack and Max in the band. It's great, sounding good, lots of fun. Want to do some live stuff.

Trev has obviously moved out and it's been quite nice having to the flat to myself. But Luke is planning to move in at the end of August, so that should be good too. I currently only have a 14" TV which is a bit naff!

Here's another photo, just cos I can!

Slacker!!!!

2006-06-11T22:30:00.000+01:00

Sunday 11th June 2006

Currently listening to: Live at Leeds by The Who - borrowed off of Aye. And what a great live album it is!

Ok, first off I must apologies for not writing more frequently. It's been a hugely busy month and writing in the Blog has become less of a priority, but given the comments complaining about the lack of post's I guess more of you lot read it than I think. So here is an update on both the knee and the last two months!

Knee:

Ok. Still going to physio once a week. Almost at 100% flexibility and it is getting better the more work I do on it. I've joined the local LA Fitness which means I can go on the way home and means it's harder to slack off.

At the gym I'm onto treadmills, cross trainers, bikes, leg press, abducter weights and a few upper body stuff as I'm there. Spending a lot of time on the core stability muscles doing crunches, lunges (for the thighs) and bridging for the gluts.

I'm just about managing three times a week, which is pretty good I think. I'm hoping that I can return to playing footie fitter than I was before the injury. Part of this new found determination is what happened in the cup final. Read the report here. It deserves a post on it's own, but probably not tonight.

Other stuff, this is what I've been doing since April. Sorry its a long list of things, but there's just too much to write about!

Sunday 16th April - Max got baptised at Penge and we had a bit of a party afterwards. What a great day!

Saturday 22nd April - PFCFC beat Christ Church Bromley at home 1-0 . Max scoring the winner. Helped young Pippa Williams choose a bass and also indulged in a small practice bass amp! Went to Southampton in the evening with Ralph, Dani, Rich, Luke to see Rob and Lou. Excellent night out although we did end up in Flares in Southampton - DO NOT GO THERE. It was possibly the least classy place I've ever been in. Also - try flaming sambouca's in plastic glasses...

Sunday 23rd April - wandered around Southampton with local guide Rob. Had a great lunch by the marina with a fantastic chocolate fondue for 7. Mmmmm..... chocolate fondoue.....

Monday 24th April - Met Sarah N for a bite to eat at Miso's in Croydon before heading off to training where we had a focused last training on astro before the cup final

Tuesday 25th April - physio

27th- 28th April - on a course in Brighton. Was in a room with a view of the sea and the Pier - awesome!

Sunday 30th June - Ben and Lou came down from Brentford in the afternoon and we many people came over for lunch and then a bit of frisbee in the park. Parent's popped in as well, which hasn't ever happened and was a nice surprise.

Monday 1st May - Mum and Dad hosted a reunion of old friends from when I was a wee nipper (I.e. under 13). Great to see Paul, Barbara, Pete Claydon; Paul and Lucy Norford, the Gough Clan - loads of them now; Toby & wife, Suzie and Liz Buckridge (that has been a long time). In fact too many people to remember (must make the effort), but a top day nonetheless.

Tuesday 2nd May - Physio

Friday 5th May - Isaac's stag do at Boisdales - classy, pricey but definitely a place to return to. Especially when the rather nice jazz singer say's she love's me!

Saturday 6h May - Mike Laxton cup final. We lose 3-1. Bugger. End of season get together after the game helped to numb the pain though... Still gutted.

Monday 8th May - to the gym and then to a BCCL management meeting.

Tuesday 9th May - Physio and then for a curry with Tim W to dicsuss the weekend away at a great curry house in Croydon.

Wednesday 10th May - saw the consultant re the knee. He's more than happy with the strength of the graft and appears to be unconcerned on the whole about any scar tissue still kicking around. Got another appointment in 3 months.

Friday 12th May - was supposed to be hosting a dinner for Charlie, Simon and Helen, but given the weather we swtiched the venue to Simon's and had a BBQ. The fantabulous CT joined us as well. Is this a new member of the dinner circle?.....

Saturday 13th May - saw the podiaterist in the morning. I have flat feet and need some orthopeadic insoles. Had the privelige of playing bass at Isaac and Sue's wedding and had a loverly afternoon at their reception. Isaac's brother Ben cooked the food and it was luch. Must get out to his pub in Chelsfield. Missed watching what everyone tell's me was the greatest cup final for many many years, but saw the highlights. My word Stevie G is a player!

Monday 15th May - Met up with Sarah N and John A up in town for some drinks, a catch up and dinner at Wagamama's

Tuesday 16th May - physio

Wednesday 17th May - Champions League final - Arsenal go down 2-1 to Barcelona. Felt like a repeat of our own cup final.

Thursday 18th May - was planning to meet Brian and Gill for dinner, but they had to cancel so went to the gym instead.

Friday 19th May - Pete Keen's Birthday BBQ. Excellant evening. Caught up with some peeps, met some new ones.

Saturday 20th May - had a worship jam. Did 'You are God in heaven' b ythe Redman. Had lunch at Jack's then did some shopping in Croydon - still searching for a decent pair of work shoes and then went to gym.

Monday 22nd May - gym

Tuesday 23rd May - birthday drinks up at the Bierodrome on Kingsway. Good to see all who came out to sample the strawberry beer. Thanks for the drinks and the presents! A good evening was rounded off with this fantastic email from Ralph 'inbuilt sense of direction' Palmer:

Morning all
Well, after getting absolutely battered last night I obv got the train from CX
Sadly I then fell asleep as was knackered and did the usual thing of waking up at Hayes, doh...
As I was not really that with it being both hammered and tired I then proceeded to leave my mag I'd been reading on the train, doh... did manage to get my bag down from overhead though, yeah!
As I walked out the station a bus pulled up (don't know the no) but I did notice it said "via WW" so I was like, result! and jumped on. Oyster machine awasn't working double result so free trip. Sadly said bus was going back to Bromley North where the bus driver kindly informed me it wouldn't be going any further...doh!
I then jumped off and was left with walking as very little cash left for cab and due to idiot card cloners no bank card either, doh...
Got down to end of the bypass towards BS and crossed the road at the islands. Then notice a coppers car with his lights on next to me. Take out my headphones and he mentions he "nearly got me". Can't actually recall what I replied with but I was tempted to go "your a c*ck, your a c*ck, your a c*ck!" I notice even though he had his blues and twos on he still had time to lecture me, nice!
Then proceeded to carry on the walk home and got in just after 2! Had a couple of bits to sort when in so got to bed at 3 and I am now very much Dion Dublin. I'm actually quite proud I've managed to bash this mail out this morn and I reckon it's gonna be about thye sum total of what I acheice today
Lesson to be learned, don't let me go near Strawberry flavoured beer
Roll on 4 o'clock
Yours
A dead man

Thursday 25th May - gym

Friday 26th May - dinner and football chat at Ron's house. My digital camera arrived today. It's a birthday present to myself. As soon as I can I'll get some photo's up onto the web.

Saturday 27th May - decided to go to Paris for the weekend, to see my Uncle and family and to have a look around this great city. Took loads of photo's saw the Mona Lisa and lot's of other cool stuff. Slightly inspired by the Da Vinci Code, it was a great way to see bits of paris you wouldn't usually go to. Was really pleased I managed to make it there and back on my own. Never having done it before. Even managed to order some food in a cafe. Makes me wish I knew more languages, but also made me think it wouldn't be so hard to go elsewhere either.

Tuesday 30th May - physio

Thursday 1st June - my bosses leaving do. Much fun and again, some great nosh.

Saturday 3rd June - met up with Mike for lunch who was back for the weekend and then went to watch England beat Jamaica 6-0 at Ralph's.

Sunday 4th June - possibly the most overbooked day ever. Up to Biggin Hill to see Pricey get Baptised. Airshow was on as well, so got to see loads of old planes. Best bet was seeing Dave get dunked and thanks for an ace BBQ afterwards. Then onto Lauries 18th party which was also lush. Lasty to my parents for high tea to celebrate mine and my sister Becky's birthday. Mmmmm .... cakes....

Monday 5th June - BCCL management meeting

Tuesday 6th June - gym

Wednesday 7th June - joint cell group at the building. Lead worship on the bass for the first time. Great stuff.

Thursday 8th June - physio - then spent an hour praying with Jack, Aye and Max. Think I might be in a band again.Bring it on.

Friday 9th June - Tom's stag do. Poker night at his place. Went out in the first round to a guy with just 20p left! The world cup has begun!

Saturday 10th June - gym then to Andy F's for a Birthday BBQ and the first of the England world cup games. We win 1-0 but could do better. Next match on Thursday. Up to Jazz after dark in the evening for the second part of Tom's stag do. Excellant evening. Home at 3am.

Sunday 11th June - played bass at chuch. What a great morning. Had a fry up at the Pride of Venice. Feel asleep for two hours in the afternoon. And here we are!

I have discovered Ebay......

2006-04-11T23:26:00.000+01:00

Tuesday 10th Apr 2006

Currently listening to: The Best Album in the world ... Ever! - Vol 4

Oh dear.

I've signed up to eBay.

This could be a very bad thing.

Within a week of siging up I've already purchased 6 CD's in 5 days. [Gulp]. I could be hooked.

I've been looking for those "Best Of" compilations that were released in the mid '90s as they were a great collection of what I liked at the time. The first one has some absolute classics on it for me. Of course, you look at them at think that they are expensive at the time and that you have a lot of the tracks elsewhere. But hey - on eBay they are only £2.50 or so - Ace!

As you can see, they have started to arrive in the post and I'm listening through them before I leave any feedback on them. Two have arrived in 3/4 days but I'm still waiting on my first one from 5 days ago. I quite like the feedback aspect of eBay. I guess it's a great way of rating something that could easily be a rip-off. It has obviously gone through a lot of development, with the ability to mutually withdraw feedback etc, but it is a self regulating marketplace and is interesting from that point of view.

But the thing I like most is that there's always that element of uncertainty that you may not, in the end, get the goods you have bid for. It does make shopping a lot more interesting than just paying at a counter for it, although, at least in that scenario you can see the good's before it arrives. I quite like the items with an actual photo as they definitely give you more confidence about buying it.

Hmmm, what else has happened this week?.. PFCFC won again on Saturday. We were 1-0 down at half time, but some tough managerial decisions helped to send the team out to win the second half 2-0. Cup final in 4 weeks! Blimey - still excited about it. Had a great lunch at Mum and Dad's on Sunday with Alan and Bev, Emily and little Jonathon, then headed over to Jack's to watch the Arsenal vs Man Utd match which was well worth a look.

Went to the flicks to see Ice Age 2 on Saturday. Enjoyed it and it had me laughing out loud at points. Not the greatest film ever and not as good as no 1, but I didn't regret giving up 2 hours watching it.

We had 30 people at training on Monday. That's the most we've ever had. Mainly becuase we had the astro for 2 hours and people were looking to play in the friendly next saturday and people were back from university. Thought we coped quite well overall, but phew!

Only a 4 day week this week, so I guess I'm halfway through it already! Yea!

Recovery - Week 8

2006-04-11T23:15:00.000+01:00

Tuesday 11th Apr 2006

Currently listening to: The best Album in the world ... Ever! - Volume 4

I've managed to make it to the gym 3 times since my last physio appointment. Which, for me, is pretty good. I've been pushing it on the bike and I have been feeling the familiar feeling of aching thighs again. It's also got me working cardiovascularly as well, which is really useful as it's been about 5 months (!!!!!!!) since I had done enough exercise to make me sweat.

I went to physio again tonight. The flexibility in the knee has got better; it's almost at full flexion but not quite. There is still scar tissue around the wound which will get worked out the more it is moved. So I got another session of having my ankle pushed up to my butt (owww that hurt - but not as much as last week), and also having the patella massged. It's still numb in that area, but it isn't as swollen.

The question is what to do next week as the physio gym is shut over Easter. I guess I'll have to do all the stretches etc at home and try to concentrate and not get distracted!

Steak Cheese Melt

2006-04-05T23:36:00.000+01:00

Saturday 1st Apr 2006

Currently listening to: Parachutes by Coldplay

Had a busy day on Saturday; worship jam in the morning, and we had a pretty good stab at Deeper by Delirious? I then had a hench fry up at The Pride of Venice cafe at the top of Penge High Street, which was made better by the compnay of Aylers who has returned from uni for a few weeks. Then I pegged it over to Orpington with Adam to watch Laos play Orpington Eagles. Another good scouting opportunity and had a bit of friendly banter with their manager who is a decent guy. Mike came over in the evening having come back for the weekend from Sheffield where he's doing his master in Japanese. Had a pizza and then we journeyed to Crystal Palace to meet up with my sister Helen to celebrate the end of her NQT status. I got to share this event with Luke, Trev, Adam, Sarah, Jack, Tessa, Max, Aylers and Millhouse, someone else I haven't seen for ages. Thanks for coming and good to see you all.

Funny story to go with the pizza. I rang the pizza place, wanting a Steak Cheese Melt as advertised on their menu and that I'd seen on telly - this is the conversation:

"Good evening Sir, how can I help you?" (with an accent)

"I'd like to order a pizza for delivery"

"Can I take your phone number please"

(I confirm my number and address)

"What pizza would you like Sir"

"I'd like a large Steak Cheese Melt please"

"I'm sorry Sir a cheese feast?"

"No a Steak Cheese Melt"

"We don't do that Sir"

"Yes you do, it's on your menu, a Steak Cheese Melt"

"Maybe in the resteraunt, wait a minute please"....

(manager comes on the phone)

"Hello Sir how can I help you?" much clearer accent

"I'd like a Steak Cheese Melt please"

"I'm sorry sir we don't do a pizza by that name"

"Yes you do, it's on your menu, you are 150 the High Street, Penge?"

..... suddenly it dawned on me that there are two pizza takeaway places on Penge High Street. All I wanted was a Domino's Steak Cheese Melt pizza..... I had rung Pizza Hut.

I then hung up without really apologising properly and made some excuse about something - basically that I was a bumbling idiot!

Got the right pizza in the end, but it wasn't as nice as I thought it might be and it certainly didn't have as much steak on it as the adverts suggest. Did get a free coke and garlic bread though, so not too bad overall!

I took my Mum out for a late Mother's day lunch on Sunday to Cafe Rouge in Dulwich. We ended up sitting outside under a canopy while the rain came and went and came and went again. It felt a bit like being in the Med at times, and fortunately we didn't get wet!

Had another jam on Sunday evening with Max, Aylers and Jack. Much riffage was to be had. After which we retired to the Steele residence to battle at Simpson's Monopoly. Thanks to Laurie for an ace sarnie and well done to Ad for being the slum landlord that drove us all into the ground! Phew - busy weekend.

Recovery - Week 7

2006-04-05T23:27:00.000+01:00

Wednesday 5th Apr 2006

Currently listening to: Parachutes by Coldplay

Had a physio appointment yesterday at 6pm. As I haven't really been keeping up with the exercises it was tough. But I've got all my exercises on one sheet now, and I was taken through a few stretches that should help. Mainly hamstring and thigh stretches as these are still tight and making the knee ache. The physio also really pushed the flexibility in the knee and this really did hurt, but it felt a lot better afterwards. This is done by putting a rolled up towel behind the knee (whilst lying on my stomach) and then pushing the ankle towards my butt. Then you are supposed to push against the physio to loosen it off after which it is moved even further downwards. My patella was massaged to try and get this looser and make movement better. There is obviously still some healing to occur here, after all they did take a third of it out!

I then did an hour in the gym and really pushed it on the bike. Probably the hardest workout I've done so far and my glut's and thighs can still feel it today. But it's good pain as you know it is making you stronger.

I need to book an appointment with the pediaterist as well, as my slightly fallen arches are causing my feet to turn in which is twisting the knee slightly and putting everything out of line! Another thing not quite working properly then!

Recovery- week 6

2006-03-31T18:04:00.000+01:00

Wednesday 29th Mar 2006

Currently listening to: King of Fools by Delerious?

[I've already written this entry once - the PC crashed and I lost it!]

I've decided to write knee related news weekly as the recovery is less dramatic and ties in with my physio/consultant appointments. I'm now seeing the physio's at the Crystal Palace Sports Injuries clinic, which is where I've been going to the gym and where I've had physio previously. This is mainly a convenience thing, as well as the fact that they always seem to know what's going on and the ladies on reception have learnt my name! I had my 4th outpatient physio last Saturday. It went quite well; I'm onto the leg press and have got exercises to work on involving the trampoline and throwing a football against the wall in order to improve stability.

I managed to make it to the gym on Monday and Tuesday morning before work and have got to the stage on the bike where I can feel myself needing to take deeper breaths, so at least there's a little aerobic exercise creeping in too.

On Wednesday I had my 6 week check up and the consultant was pleased with the strength in the knee. Although he did tell me that the graft is still in the process of getting a blood supply and doesn't heal until this is all reconnected. This usually occurs after 3 months, so the 6-12 week period is a dangerous one as the knee gets more movement and you push it more, but it isn't too strong yet; caution is therefore in order. He told me that I was allowed to drive and that I could ditch the crutch and the brace. This is great news and I've spent the rest of the week with neither! Feels very odd though as I can feel the instability in the knee a lot more than I thought I would. There is more strain at the front of the knee going up and, particularly, down stairs and ramps. The main thing I've noticed is that people don't get out of your way when you don't have a crutch! It was about time I got rid of it; I left it at a til the other day and it wasn't until I noticed people weren't giving me the space I'd become accustomed to, that I realised I'd left it somewhere!

So, all in all a good week knee wise, although there is a lot of physio to be done. It's getting more tempting to kick a ball the easier it is to move around, but I know that's not going to be allowed until Christmas, so I've got to control these legs even more!

Recovery - to Day 39

2006-03-28T13:24:00.000+01:00

Monday 28th Mar 2006

Currently listening to: nothing, except the gentle whirr of air conditioning and a computer.

Ok, not written much for a few days. I'm too tired to write anything interesting in the evening so I'm trying to save you from the monotony of reading a list of things I have done. I'm gonna start reviewing the knee progress weekly as well, so all these other posts hopefully will be more about everything else that's going on.

Stayed in on Friday with my friends Ralph, Rich and Dani. The purpose of said evening, apart from enjoying a curry from the Belash - the current No1 Indian takeaway in Penge (and I say current because if standards ever drop....) was to book flights and the cars for our trip to sunny Spain in August. Actually we were sorting it for seven people, so there was lots of ringing around trying to find the exact name people had in their passports. And are you supposed to include your middle name as well? Some of us did, some of us didn't. I don't think it matters too much.

I need to upgrade my PC. It's still on Windows 98SE and IE runs like a dog when you're trying to fill in forms. It's supposed to be 2Mb broadband but it took an age to get it all done. I reckon I need a new processor, more memory, new OS and a better graphics card, but everything else should be ok. So what do I do? Get a new motherboard and do it all myself, or just buy a new PC and whack my current stuff into there? Any advice gratefully received.

After sorting out the holiday stuff we watched Fargo. A film I had bought on the recommendation of a few friends but never got round to seeing. What an ace film. It's only 90 minutes long or so and the story in itself is pretty straightforward. Essentially a botched kidnapping and the solving of the crime. But the thing that makes the film stand out are the characters and the setting. The film is based in and around Fargo (hence the name) in Minnesota. Central Northern USA. From what I can tell there is a large Swedish immigrant influence there and the accent that they trained the actors to use is very strange. It has a repressed, sounding too cheerful to actually be that cheerful, kind of feel about it. Everyone also has this forced politeness that gets even more polite the more annoyed they are. I can see this creeping into the service culture in the UK (translation in brackets):

"Good afternoon Sir, how can I help"
(What do you want?)

"I was given this DVD for my birthday but I already have it, can I exchange it please?"
(I was given this DVD for my birthday but I already have it, can I exchange it please?)

"Do you have a receipt?"
(Are you a criminal?)

"No, it was a present"
(No I don't)

"Well I'm sorry I can't exchange it without a receipt"
( I think you're a criminal)

"But it's still in the shrinkwrap and has your firms price sticker on it!"
(But you don't lose out here - they're the same value)

"That may be the case, Sir, but unless you can provide proof of purchase I can't exchange it"
(Yep - a definite crim)

"Why not?"
(You're an idiot and I want to prove it)

"You might have stolen it, Sir"
(You're a thief and a menace to society)

"Why would I want to steal a film I already own?"
(Get out of that one!)

"I don't know you own it Sir, and I'm very very sorry but it's against company policy to accept returns" - forced grin
(You're a liar and a menace to society)

"Yeah - well return this" shoves DVD into till operators face
(Arrgghhhhh - I'm soooo annoooyed)

muffled yelp - "SECURITY!"
(Someone kick the crap out of this guy - he's probably a drug dealer working for Al Qaida)

Security - "Please step this way Sir, we need to have a little chat with you"
(You scum, you're going to get such a kicking)

[Not a true story]

Anyway - Fargo - give it a try, it's cool.

PFCFC beat Immanuel Youth for the first time ever on Saturday. So not only is that another 3 points, but we've beaten every team in the division apart from Drummond Rovers this season. (We've lost a couple of times as well!). I think that's an excellent achievement and I was very satisfied with the result. I actually took my Captain off this week. Don't think I've ever done that in a competitive game, but I know the tiredness being displayed will disappear for the next match, when he'll score another 30 yarder. We're in danger of getting promoted if we win our remaining 2 games and other teams drop points in theirs.

Spent Saturday evening playing poker, watching Ice Age and having another Ruby Murry (really need to watch the frequency of these!) with Jack, Max and Adam. This time a Chicken Dupiaza as opposed to the Lamb Shaslick on Friday night. Still good though. I love getting together after a footie match, as you not only get to savor the food but also the performance of a few hours previously.

Lost an hours sleep due to the clocks going forward between Saturday and Sunday, but it wasn't a major problem. Although I did find out that changing the clocks isn't about farmers; it's about saving energy in the evening by using less artificial light. So now you know. Slobbed at home for the rest of Sunday after church.

Back to work on Monday.

Recovery - to Day 35

2006-03-23T23:15:00.000Z

Thursday 23rd Mar 2006

Currently listening to: The telly - Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares

Ok, It''s been a few days. Mainly because I'm back at work full time this week and have been busy and tired in the evening. (and to be fair, I've been playing GTA 3 -San Andreas instead). As far as the knee is concerned I've been slack on the physio; 'cos I've been getting in late to avoid the rush, I've been getting back late as well, and then I've had things to do in the evening, so it's been pushed aside. I'm going to need to focus on it if I'm going to get back in shape.

Monday wasn't very exciting. Apart from the return of Justin Lee Collins on Sky's the Games: The inside track. This is the programme where he does some punditry on The Games for a half hour show. The Games the TV show, is in my humble opinion, utter rubbish. Putting celebrities into Olympic events just doesn't cut it for me. It's not like The Match when the celebs play the pros, as not only is it interesting, but there will always be at least 11 players on the pitch with a decent amount of ability. Maybe it's something to do with the 2012 Olympics and they feel they should raise some interest but I couldn't care less about the actual events. I do care about the post event show though. JLC is possibly the most enthusiastic presenter I have ever watched. He turns a dull programme into the most important display of athleticism you could imagine, by a combination of innuendo, timing and general micky taking. And he manages to carry his guests so much that they are laughing with him without being insulted. Maybe it's the west country accent, but his 'lovin yoouuuu' and the high fives are trademarks to take on board.

Tuesday evening involved spending a lovely evening with my team at a local pub/restaurant called The Bell Inn at Outwood. The food was excellent and substantial with a really friendly barman/waiter. I had a delicious trout stuffed with prawns for main and an ace Monkey Puzzle dessert thing - lots of cream, ice cream, mashmallows, shortbread, butterscotch... ummmmmmm.

Wednesday is cell night. Probably the first one we've had for a month due to various circumstances, so it was good to see everyone and spend some time waiting on God. I saw Sarah R this evening for our regular cell chat and it was good to catch up.

The thing that's struck me most this week has been the conviction of the six men for the murder of Mary-Ann Leneghan. The whole episode is horrific and I'm stunned that people can do something so horrendous. It could be said that the root cause of it all was the dealing of drugs and the criminal element involved in this, but the premeditation of the whole thing is what is disturbing.

On a more lighter note, I've got some photos from my dad of the fire I mentioned in my last post. Here they are:

That's our church building on the corner. The fire was in the building next to the railway line.

Recovery - Day 31 - Fire

2006-03-19T23:06:00.000Z

Sunday 19th Mar 2006

Currently listening to: War by U2

!FIRE!

Ok, not in my home, or even in a way that put in me in danger, but one that affected my day.

It's not often that there is a Sunday that I don't go to church if I'm at home. The only exceptions are if I'm ill or recovering from an operation. So probably about twice in 6 years! However, this morning I got a call from our Worship Leader at about 8:15am. I thought I was going to be reminded that I was needed to play bass (as I'm often late and there had been some confusion over who was going to play), but instead I was told that the meeting had been cancelled due to a fire in the carpet factory next door.

Apparently someone at the early morning prayer meeting had noticed the fire and called the fire brigade at about 7:30ish. Loads of fire engines then turned up and it was thought safer not to have 150 people arriving next door! So instead of going to church I arranged to meet some of my cell group in the pub for breakfast. By the time we got down there the smoke from the fire was billowing all over Penge. Really dirty black smoke as well; it smelt terrible. The roads surrounding the fire were all shut off and more and more emergency vehicles kept arriving. Due to Penge being a hub (ahem) of local bus routes, the bus people were out in force as well, arranging diversions.

The factory itself apparently contained pressurised containers which meant that the railway line next to the factory was also shut. This is the line that the Eurostar runs on, and that many people get to work in the morning, so hopefully it'll be open by tomorrow.

So, after turning up to the pub when it opened and being the first customers (drink bought - Tea) I settled down to an excellent breakie. Cooked by my very own sister who is slaving away in the pub whilst going through college (again!). By the time we'd finished this the smoke had died down but the streets were still all cornered off.

I spent the rest of the day staying in and watching the TV and doing boring domestic stuff, but I was told the fire was still going at about 8pm. I don't think the church was damaged at all, although I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.

The disruption to the normal Sunday routine has been strange. I've been checking the news for reports but although this is probably the most interesting thing to happen in Penge for a while, I guess in the wider world it's only really affected some transportation.....

Recovery - Day 30

2006-03-19T22:48:00.000Z

Saturday 18th Mar 2006

Currently listening to: War by U2

Nothing new to report knee wise. Except maybe, that I'm now comfortable enough with it to roll over in bed rather than forcing myself to just lie on my back. But I'm not going into my sleeping habits on the interweb.

PFCFC won the return match against Orpington this afternoon with a solitary goal. A reverse of the scoreline 4 weeks ago. One more win and we're definitely going to avoid the bottom two spots which are usually reserved for the relegated teams. If we win our remaining 3 games in the league we could end up 3rd in the league, which would be a fantastic position to finish in. It was, once again, freezing outside and I'm so glad I have a sk-jacket that works.

Watched Hellboy in the evening with Ralph, Luke, Rich and Dani. Really enjoyed it. If you haven't watched it, but liked other cartoon films, you'll like it. Good characters - dry wit and pretty good effects make it a watchable movie. It does help it was on my mates nut's home cinema system. I'm sure that the foundations of his flat will become weaker over time the more he uses it.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to plug my friend Jonnie's charity run that is taking place on 1st April 2006. He is trying to raise money to build a hospital in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. Anyone can enter. If you'd like to take part please see the flyer I've posted for more info, (actually, I can't load it at the mo, if you want details then let me know and I'll get them for you)

Recovery - Day 29

2006-03-19T00:36:00.000Z

Friday 19th Mar 2006

I was still really tired when I woke up today, but managed to get to the gym for an hour and upped the resistance on the exercise bike which pushed the knee a bit. The session down the gym livened me up and by the time I left to go to work I was feeling better than I had all week. This time I didn't forget my wallet although it was still really cold! One of my trains had a platform alteration which meant climbing down and up the same two sets of stairs twice; I could have just stayed on the platform I came in on. It made me want to hurl my crutch at someone.

After work I had two tickets to go and see my friend Sarah's production of Much Ado About Nothing. I wasn't up for going on my own and thankfully my colleague Jenny rearranged a few things to come along which was really appreciated. However, if I mention Jenny in this blog I'm duty bound to mention Jas who would have come if she didn't have other commitments elsewhere. I'm not sure if I'd have gone on my own as it meant getting back late and staying out after work can sometimes make the day seem incredible long, especially when it's that extra struggle to get in and you've been low on energy all week. However, in this case it was an excellent evening.

I've never seen Shakespeare performed live before and I quite enjoyed the experience. You have to concentrate to get into the language and it helps that the performers at this play spoke clearly throughout. The amount of words they have to remember is significant (well so it seemed to me), so it must be even harder to deliver them as natural speech rather than reading from a script. Now being an amateur production, some are better at this than others, but none were bad. Beatrice particularly stood out as a believable character, with a fast wit and feisty character. Claudio also performed with gusto and commitment to the role. Not having read the play means I cannot comment on the plays departure from the written word, but it kept me entertained and, crucially, wanting to investigate further. The productions simplicity of set and costume meant that you had to focus on the performers and the dialogue, which, I think, is the whole point of Shakespeare. Saying that I thought the revelry scene was a nice touch. Might want to be careful with that bench though! All in all I was very pleased that I went and it was great to catch up with Sarah.

Recovery - Day 28

2006-03-16T22:40:00.000Z

Thursday 16th Mar 2006

Felt better today having taken some medication last night and spending a fun evening watching various cup matches on the telly, so decided that I'd make the step back to work after missing out on Wednesday's meeting. Only did a half day, so as to avoid the rush hour in the morning. It didn't start too well as the moment I stepped out of the flat I was frozen and had forgotten to bring a brolly. Then halfway down the road I realised I'd forgotten my wallet so I had to turn around and climb back into the flat to get it (and an extra jumper and previously mentioned brolly). This isn't a major problem usually - just annoying, but when you have to walk slower than normal in the freezing cold it almost made me give up. Anyway, made it to work by about 1:45 and was given a really warm welcome by my colleagues which was great. They'd even saved me a cookie from the meeting yesterday, which I unfortunately and uncharacteristically had to decline. Had a good chat about the scar and the op and even pointed them to the blog - so hi guys!

The positive thing from today is that the leak which had been dripping slowly into the flat through a light fitting in the hall for about a week was isolated and resolved. So that's one less thing to worry about. It never looked major but could have easily got worse and it was a good job it wasn't a really obscure pipe under the floor.

I even got my appetite back in the afternoon and had my first full meal in the evening. Only time will tell whether I'm over this bug!

Got down the pub again tonight. No insights of deep knowledge but did get to see Rosie who I haven't seen in ages - word up girl.

Need to find some more photos for this blog or maybe I should experiment with colour. Your thoughts are welcomed!

Recovery - Day 27

2006-03-15T19:17:00.000Z

Wednesday 15th Mar 2006

Not a great day in the recovery process today. Physio told me that I hadn't made as much progress in the flexibility stakes as much as expected. Should have been at 120 degrees last week and I'm about there now. But at least there's been progress since last week which is good. The illness was back this morning though and I wasn't up for getting into town for the work meeting, which is a pain. I'm hoping to go in tomorrow afternoon to test the journey and to get back into the swing of things. Of course, the most annoying thing is that I'm not hungry and can't eat. Lot's of fluid and maybe some dry toast later tonight is all I'm going to manage.

New exercises for the knee are calf raises with weights and very light leg presses. I'm also allowed to up the cycling and step machine times. Some new things were using the wobbleboards and tramploine - designed to improve balance and stability. I was also told that I can keep the crutches (something to do with cross infection); they should be useful for some sympathy in the future! The brace was given more range today as well. Full extension and 90 degrees flexion. I'm still supposed to wear it unless I'm doing exercises in case I fall, but my walking gait appears to be good.

Still, couple of good things did happen. I got an upgraded NTL box, so my broadband should be 2mb instead of 700b and my old flatmate Ben popped in on a rare day off in London. Given I haven't seen him for about 2/3 years it was really good to catch up and we should be able to do the same next week. Hopefully I'll have recovered by then as we can enjoy a jar over some food.

Recovery - Day 26

2006-03-14T22:11:00.000Z

Tuesday 14th Mar 2006

No post yesterday as I've come down with a bug that's left me lifeless and with the squits! (Nice I know).
I did manage to get to the gym for some gentle cycling and the walk. But everything else was an effort. Didn't eat anything until lunch today, mainly because I had no appetite. Which must mean I'm not well as usually I'll eat anything.

Got another physio appointment tomorrow and I hope that he'll tell me it's going well. After this session I'll be moving to the physio's at Crystal Palace as they are a lot closer to me. The main thing they seem concerned with is the flexibility. Apparently after 6 weeks I should be able to move my leg back as far as my unoperated leg. Not there yet, but it's beyond the 90 degrees and swelling is more flexible than it was, in that it moves when you apply pressure wheras before it was very solid, so hopefilly that's a good sign.

Went to see my grandparents today in Hastings. They're both over 80 but doing ok. My Nan's had a knee replacement last year and has a scar even bigger than mine. I think her problem was arthritus and no cartilege. But she can walk about ok, but doesn't have that much flexibility in the leg. We went for a walk along Bexhill seafront which was a good bit of exercise, and cold as well.

I'm making my first foray back to work tomorrow as well. There's a meeting I'm attending in the afternoon. It's not my usual place of work and as such should be a little less hassle getting to and a good test as to how I'm coming along in terms of returning to work. Let's hope it goes well!

Recovery - Day 25

2006-03-12T23:20:00.000Z

Sunday 12th Mar 2006

Currently listening to - Match of the Day 2

No blog entry for Day 24. Mainly because I helped out at my churches youf lock-in on Friday night, which essentially meant getting no sleep whilst making sure that 20 youngsters didn't hurt themselves or someone else. It's blitzed me for the entire weekend.

I did manage to get to see our cup final opponents play on Saturday afternoon. I think it'll be a great game as both teams like to attack and they play the game in the right way. Their manager is a decent guy; we had a good chat and moan about the tribulations of injuries (he's had a menisucus tear and only just come back) and management in general.

My main thought for today is how eating toast makes a cup of tea taste better. Why is that? It has to be the best pre-Tea food. Cereal ain't bad, but toast seems to set the tastebuds going in a way only a good cup of tea can satisfy. Especially if the tea is just the right temperature - hot but not scolding. Whilst I'm talking about tea, just want to mention my favourite brand. It's Clipper freetrade tea. Tastes great even if the bags look a bit old!
Anyway, that's my top tip for today. If you have any favourite tea food then let me know. I know some people have a penchant for Hob Nobs.........

Recovery - Day 23

2006-03-10T13:30:00.000Z

Friday 10th Mar 2006

Currently listening to : Out of Exile by Audioslave.

Have done a whole hour at the gym today (well, it was an hour to walk there, do the exercises and walk back). No major changes in the knee, but definition still coming back. Trying to ascertain whether my right leg has suffered any atrophy or not just by looking at it. It's hard to tell, but I reckon it looks less muscular than my left.

Anyway - spent another excellent evening in the pub last night. The Thursday night pub visit is a very productive time. We often seem to be discussing ideas of note. A very interesting one that came up the other week was whether we could auction on E-bay Trev's exit music at his wedding and how much we could get for it. The thinking goes that the money generated helps to pay for the wedding. A few of our ideas were below, maybe Trev and Helen could let us know what they'd take to play the following (I bet they have different prices between them!):

Emperor's Theme from Star Wars
Killing me softly (with his song)
Tears of a Clown
How long has this been going on
If I could turn back time
I'm not in love

Basically, the more inappropriate, the more money you'd want. Although i have heard rumours that Trev wouldn't mind the Emperor's Theme........

Recovery - Day 22

2006-03-09T14:27:00.000Z

Thursday 9th March 2006

Got across to the rehabilitation gym at Crystal Palace this morning and managed to do ten minutes of very gentle cycling and 5 minutes on the step machine. I'll be going back there regularly as it's so close and only £15 for two weeks. Seems like a good option at the mo. I finally got a photo of the scar. Thanks to Trev for this - here is is:

I'll need to get one with a flash etc, but think it is clearish. The size of the knee itself is a lot better and there's more definition around the patella which is great. Certainly - all the interesting yellows are going!.

It struck me again the other day how well PFCFC are doing without me playing for them and whether I'll ever get back into the team. Let's look at the facts:

I play in the first 5 games of the season. No wins, 2 losses and three draws.
I'm injured in the last draw at 1-0 down and we go on to draw 2-2
We then win the next 6!!! in a row
We then lose 2 in row to better opposition and then win another 3, lose 1 and draw 1

Now, it looks bad. Especially since I play in defence. And this is what get's me becuase at the beginning of the season we were short of centre halves and now they seem to be springing up all over the place. Good job really as I've always seen myself as a full back. But with Pricey and Lawzzer in the squad there's no hope for me! The only saving grace is that in all the games I've managed from the touchline we've won. The only game we didn't win when I was there but not playing was when I was refereeing. I think it is certainly easier to manage from the touchline than from the pitch in terms of substitutions etc, or maybe I talk a better game than I play! Hopefully I'll be able to play next Feb and if I'm still in charge I can pick myself again!

Recovery - Day 21

2006-03-08T16:51:00.000Z

Wednesday 8th March 2006

Wahey - I'm finally up to date. Hopefully these entries should be more in real time. I'll probably only do them everynow and again. Had my second trip to the physio today. I haven't got as much flexibility in the leg as expected (can only do 90 degrees rather than 120 degrees). But it's been a slow exercise week to be fair. So, no changes to the exercises or the brace, just some encouragement. Went for a walk around Crystal Palace park and popped into the sports injury clinic there. They have a rehabilitation gym that you can use for about £15 for two weeks, so am going to sign up for that and get on their exercise bike in the mornings. Got another Ocado delivery - now at last my cupboards are full. As sad as it is to talk about domestic issues, I couldn't get this beforehand as I was defrosting the freezer. Unexciting I know, but still essential.

Just wanted to add a BIG NOTE of THANKS to my family for the excellant care they gave me when I was at their place. It really helped and made those first 18 days or so, so much easier than they could have been. Sorry for hogging the internet connection ;-) My top tip - have a knee op when your mum has recently retired, still lives 2 miles away, has a great spare room and is an excellant cook!

Recovery - Days 14 - 20

2006-03-08T16:20:00.000Z

Wednesdy 1st - Tuesday 7th March 2006

Went back to the physio on Day 15. This was at the same hospital as the op, but as an outpatient with a different physio. I got a few new exercises - steps with no brace, sliding down a wall, lots of leg flexing, gentle kicking of the lower legs whilst on stomach. I also got onto the exercise bike, which was great for getting the leg moving. Not working hard, just getting movement back. I was also told to try and walk to local shops etc. This can now be done with just the brace and one crutch. The reason for the crutch is to alert people you have a problem as much as anything else, and it does help. People stop to let you by and give you extra room. The brace was also opened up a bit, so that it can go 75 degrees flexed and is only 10 degress from full extension. So all in all, a good visit.

Saw Sarah R on Thursday about cell and also managed to make it to the pub again! Although this time I managed to walk there (I got a lift back!). Also managed to make it to the local Tesco's on foot in order to purchase a newspaper. Not that exciting, but it was the first time I had left the house on foot and on my own, so all a step in the right direction.

Friday was much more interesting as my very good friends James and Beth were coming to London to watch 2 pints of lager and a packet of crips being filmed. So after securing V tickets for them, they turned up about 11:30 and we had an ace lunch (mmmm white crusty rolls..) and a great catch up. Given they live in (well near) Swansea it was a joy to see them. Spent Friday evening playing Pro Evo 5 and doing ok - ending up 3 of 5. I even managed to beat Jack finally. The biggest thing on Friday was the move back to my flat in Sydenham. I realsied how much stuff I had at my parents - loads. I took way more than I needed, but better that way than the other way around. Many many thanks to Jack who came and help lift things up the stairs. He even drove himself - a very strange sight initially, but well done! The reward - a Belash curry. Mmmmm curry.....

Saturday was very fulfilling. We had a worship jam in the morning, which was really good, but very loud! 4 guitarists, keys, percussion, drums and bass. Pretty full on but everyone seemed to fit together well and there was some great stuff being played. This set us up for the main event of the day - the Mike Laxton cup semi final. Without going into the details (should be a match report on the PFCFC website - see links) we won the game 2-1. It was very tense and I'd like to think it was the excellant management and substitutions that won the game, although I know it was actually the players. So - after a day of being on my feet all day and getting a lot of use out of the crutches I ended up in a bar in Crystal Palace, having some celebratory beverages. Very tiring, but an excellant day all round!

Went to church on Sunday and then to the M&S (Moon & Stars - a Weatherspoons) for lunch, which was lush and went on for about 2 hours (mmmm roast beef.....) Then back to the flat where I whiled away the day watching the football and continuign to sort out my stuff from my parents and plan the week ahead.

Monday and Tuesday were slow days. Got through loads of stuff at home as the work link was not up and running yet. Did walk to the doctors which took ages, in order to get a medical certificate. Also had my first experience of ordering food from Ocado. I was very impressed. They turned up on time and got the order right. This is much better than going to the shops. It's a lot harder to get things you don't really need - y'know those instore offers. Watched Chelsea go out of the Champions league.

Recovery - Days 9 - 13

2006-03-08T15:28:00.000Z

In terms of the knee, not much happened in this period. I've been doing my exercises and getting more movement back in the leg. I've been given a Theraband to use, which basically provides resistance (it s a bit elastic band to be honest) when doing exercises. So that's changed the routine slightly. The days have been filled with playing on computers and watching TV.

Notably events in this period not related to the knee:

Liz's birthday on Friday 24th. Happy Bday girl!
Musicians social and meal on the Friday night - mmmm chinese
Gathering at Sara's on Saturday evening - trivial pusuit kings!
Going to PFCFC training on Monday evening to asses everybodies form for the semi-final

I did get the IT link to work going though, so managed to get some work done.

Recovery - Day 8

2006-03-08T15:05:00.000Z

Thursday 23rd Feb 2006

The IT department visited on Thursday to set me up as a homeworker. We had it working, but there were a couple of bits missing and I had to deny the family use of the internet in order to log on. At least it means I can be in touch and do something so that I don't feel like I'm taking the mick out of being off.

Got a lift to the pub for the regular Thursday visit. Really good to see people and get out of the house. I've found that crutches can get you a lot of sympathy - or at least some understanding. Found out that two couples I know have put in offers on some property. All very exciting and lets hope that it all goes swiftly and with no problems.

Recovery - Day 7

2006-03-08T12:42:00.000Z

Wednesday 22nd Feb 2006

I went back to the consultant today. The nurses removed the dressings and I got a good look at the scar. It's about three inches long in a hook shape. The consultant said that the knee was looking good; not too much swelling and the scar was healing well. I think they've done an excellant job with the stiches, it looks very neat. Best thing is that the nurses have informed me that I can get the wounds wet - so no more faffing about with plastic bags. It makes washing a right royal pain. I had to book an X-ray appointment, which is to check where the screws in the knee are, in case they move later on. The second part of the hospital appointment involved seeing the physio. She gave me some extra exercises and emphasised that I need to try and get movement into the leg by regularly flexing it as much as possible. To be honest, this is the most painful part of the exercises (the hamstring stretches are annoying but not painful), but it is the main restriction in the leg at the mo. I was also told I could bear minimal weight on the leg without the brace which basically meant I could shower standing up. When it takes an hour to wash sitting down, this was a great relief. So, I'm due to see the consultant in 5 weeks, and the physio once a week for a while. The x-ray and the further consultation had to be cleared by the insurance company. But this wasn't a problem.

After this my mum took me to Amida for lunch. I've never been before and it is very lush. It's getting busier too by all accounts. We bumped into Roo and Sharon T, who we joined for grub and a pint (the medication had gone by now). All very pleasant.

I stopped taking painkillers after a week. Mainly because they had run out and also because I wanted to be able to have some beverages. It's really nice not being able to drive! Besides which the knee doesn't hurt like it did on day 1. It aches occasionally and when it is being flexed, but on the whole it's ok.

Luke came over in the afternoon and we progressed the Indiana Jones trilogy with Temple of Doom. Snake Surprise anyone?......

Recovery - Day 6

2006-03-08T12:25:00.000Z

Tuesday 21st Feb 2006

Ok, still doing exercises. Day trundled by. Main point of the day was the family get-together in the evening to celebrate my Dad's and Liz's birthdays. (They're only a week apart). So another great Ford Family get together. Mum cooked some lush beef wellington and finally there is parity in the gender stakes at these dinners. What with my brother in law and brother in law to be both present. I love it when the best part of a day is a meal. I think that's the way to enjoy life. By enjoying food. Must give a big shout to Adam who popped in for lunch. As this is not the most exciting entry, I've posted one of the few pictures I have from Becky's wedding. Ain't she beautiful!

Recovery - Day 5

2006-03-08T11:44:00.000Z

Monday 20th Feb 2006

Had a great day today. Spent most of it hanging out with my big sister Liz, who had a day off work. She was ace in her nurses mode in helping me. In particular those essential items I forgot to take into the bathroom, such as scissors and tape for the plastic bag. And she made me tea.

But most importantly we watched Indiana Jone and the Raiders of the Lost Arc in the afternoon. It was like being 8 again. Who would have thought that at 27 and 29 we'd still be sitting in our parents house, during the day, watching one of the few films we had on video when we were young. And what a great movie!. The opening scene with the boulder is absolutely classic. I was also introduced to the behemoth (just used my dictionary for that - any more will be annotated with a - dict.) that is GTA 3 - San Andreas. Man this game is big. It's gonna need some time.

Knee much the same as it was. Here's some photos of the knee in the brace.

The dressing to the left is a drain they put in my thigh. Which is still bruised and a little swollen. The main scar is covered by the other dressing, and one of the pads of the brace goes over it, so it could be a little painful at times.

Recovery - Day 4

2006-03-08T11:31:00.000Z

Sunday 19th Feb

Didn't do much today. It was enough effort getting up and trying to shower sitting down with a plastic bag taped over my knee that it pretty much wacked me out.

I did do my exercises though - simple stuff for about 30mins. There was more FA cup football on so I watched a game in ther afternoon - thanks to Gee for popping in in the afternoon/evening.

Finished Medal of Honour.

Recovery - Day 3

2006-03-01T15:52:00.000Z

Saturday 18th Feb 2006

Check out day. This was the day that I left hospital and went to stay at my parents. (Much better option than going back to my flat).

Again, woken up with breakkie (it hasn't happened since). This day I managed to get myself to the bathroom and effectively clean myself by sitting on the edge of the bath (as I didn't want to get the dressings wet and couldn't put any weight on the operated leg). So that was an achievement. But after that I was knackered so went back and lay down!

The physo came to see me again and checked I was ok to get along the corridor and up and down the stairs again. I tried to do some preliminary packing up of the room, mainly extending to unplugging the ps2. I then just lay there and watched Soccer Am on Sky Sports (great addition to hospital TV) and waited for my mum and dad who were coming to get me at about 11am.

OK, so Mum and Dad turned up and helped me to pack the room. I got everything apart from the toothbrush! Doh! The nurses gave me my medical certificate, painkillers (1000mg of paracetemal 4 times a day and Diclophenic three times a day with food - this is an anti-inflammetry drug) and saw me on my way. The hospital period felt longer than it was. Mainly due to the lack of change of scenary, and although I didn't get bored, leaving felt like I was coming into a new world (for me anyway) in that I was going to have to adapt a lot of the things I would usually do.

Day 3 turned out to be quite busy. In the afternoon I watched Liverpool Man U in the cup and felt muchos sympathy with Alan Smith. (see if they are really injured they don't roll about all over the place - they stay still).

Then I was on the phone to Adam, my football teams vice manager. Also with an injured knee, as PFCFC took on Orpington in the league. We lost 1-0 although sounds like we hit the woodwork 3 times and could have easily as won as lost. Then another FA Cup match during which I fell asleep.

In the evening, Ralph, Luke and Mike came over and we hung out, enjoyed the over the top antics of Alien vs Predator and Match of the Day. At this point, I was shattered, the guys left and I went to bed!

Recovery - Day 2

2006-03-01T14:56:00.000Z

Friday 17th Feb 2006.

This was the day when I made my first foray from the prone position that i'd be in for the past 36 hours or so.
Actually, having your leg elevated on a pillow (as can be seen in the pictures) can give you really bad cramp in your butt. Mine really ached!

Anyway - I was once again woken up with breakfast (all much too early at about 7:30am). I'm so not used to eating at that time, although if someone brings it to me on a plate (literally) I'm not going to turn it away. This time I got grapefruit, cereal, fried breakkie, tea and orange juice. Ace. An a newspaper which kept me amused in the morning.

The nurses helped me to clean myself, again whilst still imobilised, but I wasn't as out of it as on day 1.

GRIZZLY BIT =>

They then started to remove the various tubes attached to me, starting with the catheter, which I was grateful to see the back of. Having a catheter really takes the piss. The extraction of said tube was an interesting pain experience. It didn't last long to be fair but you feel it all the way out and it is like peeing acid. It's the best description I can think of.
So that was interesting, but a relief to be rid of it.

The nurse then took out the drain in the knee. Now this did hurt. It was a dull kind of pain, but again you can feel it all the way into your knee, and the longer it is there, the more tissue grows around it which has to be ripped off of it. So although it didn't last for long it was a very bizzarre feeling.

GRIZZLY BIT OVER

Not sure if the drips and the morphine (PCA - patient controlled analgesic for the lovers of technical terms) came out then or a bit later. But it was definitely on day 2. These are much longer than you think (about an inch or two). having them removed is good, because applying pressure on the skin then doesn't hurt, but the removal is annoying. The loss of the PCA was also a little sad.....

The nurses then started to remove the compression bandage. This turns out to be a hell of a lot of cotton wool and it was all sticky on the iodine that thay then had to clean off. It must have been busy on the ward because it took a few visits before it was done. The physio had popped in a few times as well to see if I was ready to get out of bed, and every time I was still having the bandage removed!

Once that was all done, my mate Dave De popped in to say hello, which postponed the physio for another 30mins or so.

After Dave had left the physio got me to put my brace on. It was pretty tight over the swelling, but not too uncomfortable. She then showed me the correct way of getting out of bed using crutches and got me standing up. a short trip down the corridor and down and up a small flight of stairs was as much as I managed on recovery day 2. I was also given some exercises involving, moving the feet and sliding the leg to the edge of the bed and back. All designed to get the thigh muscles working and keeping the blood moving through the leg.

After all that effort I decided to settle down and play some Medal of Honour Frontline. Great game, but could have done with a bigger TV to see all the snipers in the backround.

After lunch Lyndsey came in to see me and brough me some sweets and hot air blimp including helium (sourced at great effort) to aid in the recovery process. Many thanks to the Denton Parents for their sweet contributions. They proved very good comfort food. Until day 13 I think these were the only sweets and cards that I got! Still, I've had loads of tea and sympathy so I'm more thna happy. (Although some grapes wouldn't have hurt!)

Jack came in at about 4ish, and beat me on pro evo 5 (4-2), so no change there (but congratulations on passing the driving test - nice one), and then my mum also turned up and had some coffee.

At this time I made my first unassisted trip to the loo (it was ensuite so not far to go). This went fine although I knocked over a bottle and made a bit of noise, requiring me to shout out that I was ok. A comic moment apparently.
The trip really brought it home how useful those handles that they put in the disabled loos next to the toilets actually are when you can't put weight on one leg. Brilliant.

This was also my dad's birthday so I gave him a call.

That was pretty much it for day 2.

Recovery - Day 1

2006-02-28T22:48:00.000Z

Day 1 for me started when I came round from the anaesthetic. This was officially on Wednesday night. The surgey kicked off about 3pm and apparently I was on the table for about 2 hours. I can't remember coming round from it quite as clearly as I can remember waking up from the hernia operation I had last year (is my body falling apart or what!), but I do remember having a nurse explaining what all the tubes going into my arm were there for.

The one on my left was for any drips they wanted to put in, and I think had probably been used during the surgery for fluids. There was also a green plaster on the back of my left hand which I think was where they put the aneasthetic in.

On my right arm was a tube leading to what was effectively an oversized syringe hanging around my neck. This was the good one. It contained morphine which I could administer whenever the knee was painful. Great stuff, it made my shoulders feel really heavy and then you could just drift off to sleep. It's set so that you can't overdose and apparently I used less of it then most patients - get in. Maybe a higher pain threshold, probably too lazy to press the button.

My right leg was also immobilised by a pressure bandage which was huge, and the knee had a drain coming out of it to drain off any excess fluid. Here are some photos off the leg with the bandage on - the one where I look in pain was just playacting - thanks to my sister Helen for these :-)

Anyway, my mum and big sister liz came to see me on the Wednesday night. I don't remember much about it as they were they at about 7:30pm and I was still well out of it. Apparently apart from introducing the nurse to my sister (who is also a nurse and they knew each other from another hospital) all I managed was some sarcastic grunts!

GRIZZLY BIT =>

Part of the aneasthetic was an epidural in my lower spine which took away all feeling to my legs. However, this also cause you to lose feeling in your bladder and makes your sphincter seize up (so I'm told). There is a danger that your bladder can fill up and you are unable to relieve yourself (or even know that you need to). They try and avoid this by not giving you too many fluids, but it still happens. I can remember a nurse asking me if i needed to urinate and saying I wasn't sure. There was a test by which they put pressure on the bladder, and then I could tell I did need to. So they gave me a bottle designed for the purpose. However, what with the morphine and other aneasthetics I was drifting in and out of conciousness (and I'm sure it was about 4am at the time - although I could be wrong). So like when you are standing next to someone at the urinals, I couldn't do it. They then had to catherterise me. This basically means putting a drain into your bladder through your uretha. Well, as a bloke this had never happened before and its not comfortable. I don't remember much about it happening as I was well out of it. And it does have some advantages as you don't need to get up and go to the loo ever again! But it's still very weird. The worst feeling is that if you move the pipe you can feel it all the way to your bladder and it means you stay very very still. It made sleeping at the end of day 1 a bit uncomfortable, but at the time you just don't care.

GRIZZLY BIT OVER

So the start of Thursday morning I was woken up with breakfast at about 7:45ish. This was a full on fryup. I wasn't sure if I was going to manage it as I hadn't eaten anything for about 36 hours. However, once it had gone done I felt fine. Although I was more restrained in the rest of my meal choices for the rest of the day (its always hard to pick from a menu when you are not really hungry).

After breakfast I was given a bed bath. Another interesting experience, but again, although it sounds embarassing at the time you don't care. What with tubes coming out of all sorts of places, I didn't feel I had much dignaty left, so youre just grateful that someone is looking after you. The nurse also managed to change the bedclothes with me still on the bed. A delicate process when moving the knee as it hurt and I didn't want to put any strain on it at all. But I was well impressed with this. The bed has these cleanable mattresses. So they have some plastic coating over which sheets are put. The matresses are well comfy though. Soft and firm at the same time. So, that was breakkie and getting washed.

The physio also visited during day 1, and gave me some exercise that involved moving my ankles to get the calf moving and one involving tensing the thigh muscle to stop atrophy. This one hurt a bit as it pulls at the wound site. But that just means that the exercise is affecting the correct place.

The knee hurt on day 1, as the aneathetist said it would when he stopped by. (He also apologised for the catheter as he'd been hoping to avoid it - I had been warned before going down that it was a possibility). This meant the morphine was used, so I was dozing a lot.

Lunch was a sandwich I think. They also gave me a lot of tea.

I whiled away the start of the afternoon by watching School of Rock with Jack Black. I wasn't up to reading or playing computer games as these required far too much concentration. By some impeccable timing at the end of the movie my Mum and Helen came in to see me for about an hour which was ace.

In the evening my friends Luke and Ralph both popped in to say hi and they were joined by my Dad who had swung by after work.

Oh yeah - I also got a call from Sara who rang about 9 in the morning. I was a little dopey during this comversation, but it was appreciated. I'd got text from loads of people as well, wishing me well, thanks to you all. It really helps to know people are thinking of you.

So all in all, not a bad day given I was totally immobile for the whole time.

Oh yeah - as for the other bodily function. Well the morphine slows down the peristalsis in your gut. So it wasn't a problem on day 1!

What did they do?

2006-02-28T16:34:00.000Z

Well, I'm not the best person to explain this.
However, the following website gives a brilliant breakdown of what happened.
Some of the detail about the operation may be wrong, but the general information as to where the graft was taken from and where it was attached is all correct I think.

I haven't had a go on those continuous motion machines either.

http://www.arthroscopy.com/sp05018.htm
http://www.arthroscopy.com/sp05025.htm

It's all very cool. I know that the screws I had inserted are made out of stainless steel rather than being biodegradable (I had to ask at the following appointment a week after the op). I was also given the product stickers of the screws in case there is a product recall. I've been told that they shouldn't set off any airport alarms as they are quite deep.

So, that was the op. Obviously I didn't remember much about it!

Why did I need an operation?

2006-02-27T14:49:00.000Z

Some would say the answer to the question above is simply 'football'.
Ok, I tore the ACL in my right knee whilst I was playing football but it wasn't the game itself that caused the injury.

It happened because I was in a crouched position (as you are supposed to do when defending) and slightly side on to the play. I then pushed off with my right leg whilst turning to my left and having my knees bent. The pitch was sticky and my studs didn't move through the mud.
My lower leg therefore was pretty much stationary whilst the upper leg was turning, causing me to over extend the ligament in my right knee.

I heard a very loud click/popping noise (which was audible on the sidelines apparently) and there was a lot of pain. The comedy moment of falling to the floor and yelling in agony will live long in my teammates minds (so they tell me), especially the banging of the ground with my fist - i swear it helped. It was more of frustration that I knew I was going to be out of action for a while rather than the pain.

I managed to get up, walk off the pitch and even do some light running. I even tried to carry on playing, but after kicking the ball once I knew I wasn't going to be able to continue.

Interestingly there wasn't much pain. Certainly in the weeks that followed, although I couldn't straighten my leg, or fully flex it, I could do pretty much everything else.

To cut a long story short, I saw various healthcare professionals but the knee specialist told me that I had torn my ACL and got an MRI scan which confirmed it. The options were to not have an operation, but not to play football again and be very careful playing sports involving planting the feet and twisting, or have an operation, risk it failing and not being able to play football for 9-12 months.

To be honest, I wanted my body back in working order and didn't want to be restricted now or in later life, so I plumped for the op. Deciding that some pain and a slow recovery were preferable to not playing football ever again!

Here's some interesting websites that explain how the knee works and some common injurieis

http://www.arthroscopy.com/sp05000.htm
http://www.ski-injury.com/

So, my firms private healthcare kicked in and I got a date for the op of 15th Feb.

I'd already booked a ski holiday for the end of Jan, and foolishy had not gotten travel insurance. So without a willing buyer I decided to go. I got travel insurance (and will now be purchasing it annually to avoid this problem again) and also a hardcore knee brace, which I was told I had to wear to avoid causing more injury.

Here's a link to the website of the firm where I bought it from.
http://www.technologyinmotion.co.uk/flash/knee-bracing/index.htm
I bought the flex sport one (the white one) as it was slightly slighter than the Edge brace, and not as rigid. This might have given me more confidence that I should have to go down black runs, so I plunged for the other brace.
This firm were really helpful, and because they are based in Wimbledon I could go and try it on before buying.
It was expensive though, and for a weeks sport seemed like a lot of money.

So with most of my work finished or handed over to colleagues and my flat as organised as I could get it I set up camp at my parents house, where my initial recovery would begin. the hospital I was in was private so I could take my PS2 in, which staved off boredom.

Unanswerered questions

Pre-op is a funny time. I wasn't sure exactly where they were taking the graft from, or how I was going to wash and perform other bodily functions if I couldn't move.

Fortunately the nurses and consultants answered all the questions and the aneasthetist was also very helpful.

At about 2pm on 15th, I took a premed (basically sleeping pills of some description) and some painkillers. This was after the nurses had shaved my knee - using a really funky razor that could be used dry (why aren't these available in the shops?), given me a natty anti-embelism pair of tights, the delightful paper pants and the open at the back dressing gown. So feeling slightly like an experimental animal and very drowsy I was wheeled off to theatre.

At this point, there was much to worry about; I'd set myself on the path of the op and the unknowns such as the level of pain were experiences waiting to happen. I'd done as much as I could to make sure I wasn't going to be bored not working, or being able to move and although there are always risks with surgery I knew that God was with me throughout the whole thing.

My main prayer was that they wouldn't operate on the wrong leg!

Steves Knee Recovery Blog

2006-02-27T14:20:00.000Z

I've said I'd do it, and finally I've got onto Blogger and set up an account.

I've wanted to have a general Blog for a while as I think it's a good way of letting many people know what's going on with me. Especially for those peeps I don't see very often.

However, the impetus for the Blog has been the Anterior Cruciate Reconstruction surgery that I had on my right knee on 15th Feb 2006.

Due to not being able to travel to work for a few weeks I've got the time to write to this Blog and let everyone know all the grizzly details of the op and the recovery process.

Hopefully I'll add some photos of the knee in various stages and then stuff about other things that are going on in my life. It might be interesting to some!
Although as a point of principle, I've decided not to write about work, in order to keep my professional life seperate from my personal life. Of course there are a lot of things at work that affect what I do, and changes there can cause big upheavels elsewhere, but the details will only ever be general.

I'm still mulling over talking about specific people. But I think for now it is probably best if I keep it about me.

Enjoy!