I disturbed a wasp's nest a few years ago. . . . they were down my top in no time. . . if the garden wasn't overlooked from the road I could have stripped off the top but they continued to sting until I got into the house.......PAINFUL++++
I was bitten by something, think it was on the allotment a few months ago, and my ankle became infected very quickly. it swelled up and I was admitted to hospital with cellulitis.
Then I grazed my elbow on the allotment a couple of weeks later and had cellulitis again. Fortunately it wasn't as sever the second time and my GP was able to treat it. My arm started to blister quite badly though whilst waiting to see the GP.
Simple scratches from removing brambles resulted in blood poisoning. 3 doctors, 3 courses of antibiotics (2 of each quite useless) over 9 weeks to get under control. Lower legs and feet badly swollen unable to wear shoes, face like a Dali melted clock with a matching impact on general health. It is a jungle out there, be careful!
Going back a few years, was trying to get a big lump of concrete out where the washing line pole had been. Because we got a rotary line.It was too heavy to move in one piece,so I used the hammer and chisel. I was bent over all day doing it. Came the next day i couldn't move my back was so stiff.
I was out in the garden in slip on shoes doing something trivial when I decided to get the spade to dig something out. It was tough going so I gave it a bit of welly. Foot slipped off top of spade. It hurt but I carried on. Only stopped when I realised my shoe was filling up with blood! Took my sock off and big cut down the inside of my foot. Phone call to friend and trip to A&E....... Since then I have always made sure I had proper shoes on before picking up spade.
'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
As a youngster I often stayed with my Gran at weekends. Got myself in to all sorts of trouble in typical kid-like fashion. If told not to touch something then of course I would. Classic example of being told not to touch the mustard pot (ornate silver affair back in those days) on the kitchen table. As soon as Gran left the room I took a big mouth full. Oh dear.
Anyway, back to gardening, I was out in her garden one day and picked up a garden fork. After being told how to use it in the correct manner I somehow completely ignored the instructions and proceeded to drive it straight through my foot. Fortunately, only have small feet, only one prong pierced me and that went between the bones. So off we went to the local doctors with fork still in-situ. One tetanus later I was never to make the same mistake again! Scar is still there today.
Gardening is quite perilous when you think about it. Thorns, brambles, sharp branches, slips, trips, knocks, bumps, insect bites, cat poo, sharp tools, blunt tools, ladders, steps, heavy lifting, back-bending and sun-burn.
I find most of the injuries could have been avoided with gloves, boots or taking care... we had fun though!
Well, Ladybird, we may be "hardy perennials" but there are enough tales of slips, trips and close calls to make your blood run cold!
I recall that a keen gardener bled to death because when she fell, the secateurs in her pocket severed the femoral artery, and she was alone, with no-one close at hand. Now that is a cautionary tale if ever I heard one. I've been extra careful with secateurs ever since.
I have to smile when I think of some of silly and downright dangerous things I did as a child, not least of which was playing on waste land and cutting my foot open on rusty corrugated iron. Limped home. Shoe full of blood. Father washed it, bandaged it and that was it. No medical attention. No stitches (and I still have the scar!). I survived, but just think how the tale could have ended.
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But Violet - we are all hardy perennials!
I disturbed a wasp's nest a few years ago. . . . they were down my top in no time. . . if the garden wasn't overlooked from the road I could have stripped off the top but they continued to sting until I got into the house.......PAINFUL++++
I was bitten by something, think it was on the allotment a few months ago, and my ankle became infected very quickly. it swelled up and I was admitted to hospital with cellulitis.
Then I grazed my elbow on the allotment a couple of weeks later and had cellulitis again. Fortunately it wasn't as sever the second time and my GP was able to treat it. My arm started to blister quite badly though whilst waiting to see the GP.
Simple scratches from removing brambles resulted in blood poisoning. 3 doctors, 3 courses of antibiotics (2 of each quite useless) over 9 weeks to get under control. Lower legs and feet badly swollen unable to wear shoes, face like a Dali melted clock with a matching impact on general health. It is a jungle out there, be careful!
Going back a few years, was trying to get a big lump of concrete out where the washing line pole had been. Because we got a rotary line.It was too heavy to move in one piece,so I used the hammer and chisel. I was bent over all day doing it. Came the next day i couldn't move my back was so stiff.
I would have been convulsed laughing if I'd done similar!
I was out in the garden in slip on shoes doing something trivial when I decided to get the spade to dig something out. It was tough going so I gave it a bit of welly. Foot slipped off top of spade. It hurt but I carried on. Only stopped when I realised my shoe was filling up with blood! Took my sock off and big cut down the inside of my foot. Phone call to friend and trip to A&E....... Since then I have always made sure I had proper shoes on before picking up spade.
As a youngster I often stayed with my Gran at weekends. Got myself in to all sorts of trouble in typical kid-like fashion. If told not to touch something then of course I would. Classic example of being told not to touch the mustard pot (ornate silver affair back in those days) on the kitchen table. As soon as Gran left the room I took a big mouth full. Oh dear.
Anyway, back to gardening, I was out in her garden one day and picked up a garden fork. After being told how to use it in the correct manner I somehow completely ignored the instructions and proceeded to drive it straight through my foot. Fortunately, only have small feet, only one prong pierced me and that went between the bones. So off we went to the local doctors with fork still in-situ. One tetanus later I was never to make the same mistake again! Scar is still there today.
Gardening is quite perilous when you think about it. Thorns, brambles, sharp branches, slips, trips, knocks, bumps, insect bites, cat poo, sharp tools, blunt tools, ladders, steps, heavy lifting, back-bending and sun-burn.
I find most of the injuries could have been avoided with gloves, boots or taking care... we had fun though!
Last edited: 29 October 2016 15:29:57
Well, Ladybird, we may be "hardy perennials" but there are enough tales of slips, trips and close calls to make your blood run cold!
I recall that a keen gardener bled to death because when she fell, the secateurs in her pocket severed the femoral artery, and she was alone, with no-one close at hand. Now that is a cautionary tale if ever I heard one. I've been extra careful with secateurs ever since.
I have to smile when I think of some of silly and downright dangerous things I did as a child, not least of which was playing on waste land and cutting my foot open on rusty corrugated iron. Limped home. Shoe full of blood. Father washed it, bandaged it and that was it. No medical attention. No stitches (and I still have the scar!). I survived, but just think how the tale could have ended.