"A couple of nights in Scotland turns into a hospital stay after nasty accident"

I headed upto Scotland for a couple of nights over & decided en-route to visit the Falkirk wheel for a walk I planned whilst at home.. anyhoo I got off the train at Falkirk high & walked along the union canal to the Falkirk wheel where I started my loop walk of the wheel & canal lagoon. I started down a path that had no signs to say the path was blocked or no entry but as I followed the path that at times ran parallel to the wheel's perimeter fence should have eventually reach the canal I found the path blocked by a new(ish) fence along what was the railway embankment.. so being sensible I turned around to retrace my steps back to where I came from and then my right foot step on something that made it slip away from me which made me drop & land badly on my left leg causing (what I later learned was torn quadricep tendons detached from my patella).. I phone 999 and the paramedics arrived & found me within 20mins of the accident.. but due to fence blocking the path it took them longer to reach me.

After recovery they took me to the Forth valley royal hospital for treatment.. and it was from there that my time in the hospital started.. from the excellent folk in A&E (where i was originally asked if i would like to go back down to Newcastle for surgery) i chose to stay here (best choice i have ever made), the X-ray technicians, the porters, the whole team of staff in the orthopedic ward including the catering & cleaning staff, the Ultrasound technicians, the theatre team who performed the operation & the lasses in the trauma clinic who fitted an adjustable knee brace to help with my recovery & the tremendous physios who gave me a crash course in how to use crutches.. walking & going up & down stairs..

All have looked after & cared for me during my time here and I couldn't have asked for better

The whole experience (which apart from 1 day day surgery in 2008 is my first spell in hospital for 53 years) was superb.. all the staff here to me are 2nd to none and deserve a lot of praise.

& when I finally leave I will miss them..

Even if one of the orthopedic ward staff members thought I'd lost my marbles when I hobble out into the corridor to inform someone a swallow had just flew through my partially open window.