Monday 18th June

I wasn’t feeling particularly pleased with myself in any way, I wasn’t self-satisfied or feeling proud at all.  It was a beautiful morning, the sky a bright blue with a few scudding clouds overhead.  The wind of yesterday had almost completely died down and it looked set to be a nice day.  I took the dogs for a walk along the beach, all the time aware that the tide was coming in quickly.  I made it easily to the first set of stairs, and mounting them saw that the next short stretch of beach was disappearing fast.  I foolishly decided to go back down for about a hundred yards of thinning beach.  But half way along the sea was covering the sand and lapping at the low concrete steps.  I took one step onto the concrete and then slipped, there must have been some seaweed there or something.  I came down with a wallop on my side, my feet in the sea up to my knees.  My elbow was grazed and I felt absolutely winded.  I was in shock and just made it back to the steps, not that it would have mattered as my feet were soaking wet.  I just sat there in shock.  You are never expecting to fall, and it always shocks you, but as you get older it seems to affect you worse and worse.  You cannot believe your stupidity, you are stunned and cannot think straight at all.  My side was in agony and my elbow bleeding.  No real damage done, I hope.  My whole side hurts but I can walk and move my arm and shoulder quite freely, just painful getting from a sitting to a standing position or lifting anything.   I expect I will have a massive bruise come tomorrow morning and I will probably be stiff getting moving again.  As you get older the injuries you would have shrugged off a few years ago seem to drag you down.  Never mind.