This, to most of your delight, will be my final post.

Last February I was doing some lop-and-top in one of the dales. A colleague working alongside me cut through a small tree not realising that it was holding a holly branch back. This sprung back and caught me unaware across the face. I was wearing full protective gear so it wasn't a problem, however it did cut me below the eyepiece causing 4 small lacerations.

Three of these healed quickly, however, the fourth, on the chin, wouldn't heal. Despite repeated putting bandages on it it continued to bleed turning into a messy, bloody mass.

Eventually I went to the doctor who referred me straight to casualty. There is was diagnose as a pyrogenic granuloma (no I had never heard of it before).

He rang up the relevant department and they admitted me there and then and within the hour it was removed under local anaesthetic. As always the offending tissue was sent for a check as, although 99% of these are benign, the other 1% can be cancerous.

I was the 1%. I was readmitted for a further excision to remove the surrounding tissue.

There was a 4 week delay until I got results. Whilst it is easy to sympathise with people in this situation, unless you have experienced it I don't think that it is possible to really understand how folks feel. Janice, I really, really do understand your worries now and wish you the best from the bottom of my heart.

Last week I got the all clear. Totally healthy.

I went straight back into work and resigned. Being faced with the frailties of life and ones own mortality I still have too many hills to climb to spend time digging ditches (especially at 65)

I offered to carry on purely during school holidays and odd weekends for holiday cover just on TIC and vehicular patrols (this isn't really work) .... no more manual labour.

So, we are off for 4 weeks holiday next week.

I will still be around when not TIC based but basically just visiting honeypots and advising visitors in the open air. Keep an eye out for me on the C to C.

Enjoy your walking and hope to see you sometime on the hills.

TA

I wish you all the best SC.
Dave.

Blimey, Slowcoach

That's some post! Best wishes and good luck.

Slow coach,
Glad you got the all clear

No don't make it your final post, we still wan't to hear your words of wisdom
Have a long and happy retirement

Im with Tim, I've enjoyed SC's contribution since Ijoined this forum and would love to hear some retirement stories and more general sound advice. If your reading SC enjoy the retirement.
Les

Yeah, come on SC. You were catching me at an alarming rate, your not going to stop now surely with only 168 posts to go!?
I too am really pleased you got the all clear.
As for retirement, what's that?
Dave.

Can't add up, make that 368 posts to go. Wrong again, now it's 369.
Dave.

Don't give up that bronze medal for posting.

Glad to report that slowcoach is looking good and enjoying himself he came here a few nights ago while he was exploring the Cheviots.