A big thank you to you all for your good wishes - much appreciated. They cheered me up. I'm back home and doing ok, though still in quite a bit of pain, and with a very impressive 10-inch Frankenstein scar!! I've got quite proficient at hobbling around on crutches, and they come in very handy for giving the cat a quick poke when she jumps onto my chair and refuses to budge.
Thanks for your patience. I'm returning to work on a part time basis so library stuff will still be backed up until I can tackle things fully.
Off to apply a cryo ice pack and wrestle with my surgical stockings
flopsy xx