DOG BITE STORY SEPT 3 BLOG #2
A friend in LA complained to me that they have no life, it’s all work, work, work. I know what that's like. I did it for 20 years and part of why we moved back was I really wanted a change of pace, and different priorities. It's all fine when you are young and have no family. Then all sorts of things come in and tug at your priorities, and it gets very stressful.
The story of the dog bite I suffered in France a couple of weeks ago: I went down, from the terrace, into the garden of the house we stayed in with our friends (near Cahors) to shoo off 3 dogs who had wandered in and were trotting around, peeing against bushes and generally putting their noses into everything. We had left the doors open to the bedrooms in the converted barns, AND we had young children staying ,so I didn't want dogs pooing on the grass or getting in the rooms. I had had a glass of local rose, so maybe would have thought twice if I hadn't, but I had not noticed, from up on the terrace, that they were pit bull mixes.
As I waved at them (from about 20 feet away) and shooed them, one of them turned around and started barking and snarling and advanced towards me, head lowered, followed by the really big dog. I knew I couldn't turn and run, but I also knew this wasn't good! I tried to stay calm and not look them in the eyes, but they circled me and the smaller one lunged at my leg, grabbed it, made me lose my balance, and I fell down. I screamed out, and A. had started down the steps at a full run, yelling at them. Luckily for me, they turned and ran out of the property and he chased them all the way to the street. He knew that if HE stopped they would do the same thing to him. I had by this time limped to the house with blood pouring down my leg, knowing it was bad. But I was SO lucky. Between A, the guardian angel looking over me, and the fact I was wearing baggy floaty linen pants. So the dog couldn't see my leg, and when he lunged, he got a mouthful of pants and slashed about 4 inches of my calf with his teeth, but didn’t get his jaws around the whole leg.
Anyway, ambulance, emergency room at the hospital in Cahors, stitches, tetanus and then police report the next day, followed by the mayor of the village visiting to apologise. It was "The Incident of the Dog"! The whole place was abuzz, and it turns out that those dogs have been aggressive with several people before, just not bitten them, so they want the owner to fence them in or get rid of them - or move. I'll be Ok, with an ugly, ragged scar, and I can't walk properly, or very far yet, as it's in an awkward place to heal easily, and I cannot put much pressure on it .
Oh well. Much excitement! Of course A. just says it was completely my fault for going down when there were 3 dogs (i.e. a pack). Always so sympathetic, my husband!
That's my news!!!!
Other than that I am setting meetings and networking like mad for possible work...
It's unfortunately not all leisure, as the house needs much finishing-off work (no shelves, closets etc, so we have to find carpenters, painters, electricians, plumbers) and we cannot unpack everything until we have somewhere to put it all. The result is that the rooms and garage are STILL piled with cardboard boxes. We have been doing some work ourselves, which is very time-consuming and hard!
In between I have been on the computer and phone and setting up meetings and have gone into London a dozen times and met with some great people. Doing the rounds...
