h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

...but we all know how relative time is.


I was just nipping into the shop for a teeny, tiny errand. It was dark, cold and a bit wet.

I exited the car and took the first step , that went quite well, nothing of great note.

Then I sort of relaxed into it and took the second step. It was also a good step, without incident.

It was the third step that went horribly wrong.

The third step resulted in me prostrate on the hard wet ground.

Quite how or why hasn't been resolved yet even with the post-fall inquest but lying on the ground was definitely the result of the third step.

Because the ground was cold and wet I didn't stay there for too long and bounced back up just as a customer was emerging from the pool of light that is the local Mace.

'Are you alright, love?' he said

*jumps up* 'I'm grand, thanks' says I

'Are you sure nothing's broken'? he continues

*walks away* 'No, I'm sure, I'm fine, fine, thanks'.

I went into the store and made my purchase while trying to sneak a look at my left hand for signs of blood/broken bones but it looked pretty normal.

I left and sat in the car for a while.

Now when we're young our skin is springy and it sort of scrapes, when we're really old our skin's like paper and tears. Good fortune has me right in the middle with the skin of an elephant or possibly because there wasn't a mark on my skin.

Having said that my left wrist, elbow, knee and ankle are sore and I'm not entirely sure I should be throwing myself on the ground like that at my age.

Note to self: keep a closer eye on the third step of any future journey.

Perhaps you could avoid the third step by hopping instead?

*shakes her snowglobe to look for any further slip up, or downs in case of the *

Which one of your relatives tripped you and hit you with a mace?

Was it that damn woman from the funeral ?

Or did you mean you fell over a herb garden ?

This really is quite confusing - please post me any bits which may need a

Thank you Lil, advance warning would be appreciated.

And McKay now you mention it I do have rather a pain in the *** perhaps you'd like to kiss that better


I think when I get the tree in place I'll have a nice anti-inflammatory and a painkiller for supper.

Im on my way !

If you'd replied 30 minutes ago I've just seen 2 guys off from work on a flight to Dublin and I could have come with them.

That'd have been handy, having you 100 miles down the road would have cheered me up no end.

Really, ....

You're not supposed to do this sort of thing...ever.
Remember...I had an "oopsy" moment courtesy of the inept janitorial crew at the library...and it played with me for months afterward!!!!



Though I'm not quite intimate enough to do as you've suggested I will wish you a quick recovery...but be ready to see the soon...I think you'll need to.

Mine is the work of a minute...and then several years

Every seizure seizes (unsurprisingly) my back, and sometimes my neck

My one a week and a day ago was particurarly bad, and was made worse by rugby on Saturday - I'm a prop, and my opposing number was incompetent and would always engage early - crushing my neck, this mixed with a bad ref leads to lots of pain

Lingering injuries are awful, and anyone with one has my empathy

Sorry to hear that...

Rugby...wonderful sport to watch, but so hard on the players.

Doesn't help that you sometimes have incompetent officiating.

3rd step and down

but at least it wasn't the 10th step and counted outdidn't know you could box

Ooh, ouch, I did the same thing Friday morning on the way to work, on some ice at the top of the stairs exiting the train station. I'm relieved to hear you didn't hurt yourself (much).

Thanks everybody for the good wishes. It wasn't that bad because I fell on my left side and that's the side that's sorest for most of the time so it's just a bit worse than normal.


Isn't the lovely?


Who's going to it?

You have my sympathy too, . I've done similar today, only mine was while riding a bike. Grazed my elbow, and my handlebar seems slightly bent, but fortunately that's all. And winter's only just started...

I can get on random falling down episodes, Fizzy, I'm glad it wasn't that bad.

I was in my local Coop the other day, it has one of those bank things attached to it, and I had just used the cash machine. I turned around and landed on me bum, cracking my right heel on the floor. A little old man came to help me up (not one the bank staff, of course) I then walked round the store hobbling like an idiot. I wouldn't mind, but I was stone cold sober*, but that's probably why it hurt so much

*I was also wearing rather impractical wedge heeled sandals, but that had nothing to do with it

Oh well, it's nice to see that I'm part of the in crowd - it must be the new craze to replace planking.

I take it we all get a by now until next year?


We can sit back now and wait for the others to do their falls.

I've done mine, tripped over the kerb in the dark about two weeks ago - heel of my hand still hurts now. It was dark and I didn't see the kerb as I was squeezing between two parked cars.

Well I'm sure you're glad you've got yours out of the way then.

It's nice to see we're all remarkably bouncy.

I add my congrats to all who've done a from the dreaded slip and fall.

...more sympathies on the fall. Gutta percha soles help on wet and slippery surfaces, the more granular kind of rubber from India, taken as distinct from the more smoothly textured Central American or Brazilian kind...

I'm not part of the in-crowd.

Then again, I'm glad I haven't fallen. If I did, it would most likely be while cycling round the bends at high speed a second before the traffic lights go green for the other directions.