Not much action!

Life is pretty routine and verging on the dull side since I am quite immobile not being able to put any pressure on my right foot!

Classes are in my flat in the dining-room area. I have 13 chairs and space for 3 more students on the bench under the window. I seat myself on the table and make full use of the OverHead Projector! I do have a WhiteBoard for students to use. I do find it rather awkward to hop off and on the table. I can use WhiteBoard markers on the acetates which allows for multiple use as water soluble pens do not seem to be available.

I also have a CD/tape player. So, I am well equipped!

Correcting notebooks is a challenge as it is rather painful to actually sit at the table for any length of time with my foot down. The students are receiving many handouts and photocopied material for Prep. I am able to correct these assignments on the day-bed with my foot up.

Probably the highlight of the week has been having my picture taken with Mr. Domenic the Food Services Head. H e had an accident during the Christmas break and had challenged me to a 100 m dash with our walkers! He has since had his cast removed and so has an unfair advantage!!!

Last Saturday evening I was over at Selborne as one of the judges for the Standard 10 Masterchef competition. The 5 teams of girls really did a great job in responding to the challenge of toppings for jacket potatoes! There were 3 who stood out and declaring a winner was a difficult task. The meal following the competition was in the form of a Potatoe-Bar with jacket potatoes and lots of the various toppings! Mmmmm.....delicious!!!

Dessert, for those who could manage, was provided by the Dorm Parents in the form of homemade Brownies and vanilla ice cream! Again excellent!!! I am ready to act as a judge!!! (hint, hint, hint!)

Back at Hebron

On Thursday April 4, I was released from Ortho - One in Coimbatore and started the latest chapter in my life. The 3 hour trip up to school in Ooty was quite an ordeal. While I was disappointed in missing the Variety Show on the Wednesday, I could now agree with the doctor's decision! It was quite a struggle with a queasy stomach for the last half hour.

With my foot in a cast I was unable to do the 15 stairs to my flat and so spent my first night in Hoz. Dennis took me to the Thanksgiving Service in a wheelchair down the driveway. Talk about a white knuckle ride!!  On Friday I had to pack up and relocate to the Admin flat which is at ground level.

Stephanie arrived on April 5 for a visit. Yasmine, one of the staff, agreed to go with Stef to Mysore for the weekend. They returned on the Monday. On Tuesday Dennis took Stef  up to the Toda village and to the Government Botanical Gardens. Suzanne took Stef to the Ooty Market in the afternoon. Wednesday was a quiet father-daughter day while Stef caught up on some of her photos and just enjoyed a relaxing day. On Thursday Stef and Dennis went motor biking to Dodabetta, the Tea Factory, and Selborne in the morning. They made a stop at the "trench" or the "grave" into which I had slipped on Easter Sunday!

Lunch was Cheese Paper Dosa at Nahar's and then Stef spent some time wandering to the market before making her way back to school. The day was capped off with a wonderful home-cooked meal at the Payne's.

Our visit came to an end Friday morning, April 12,  when I dropped Stef at the Coimbatore airport before my hospital appointment at 9:00. The doctor removed the 15 staples from my leg and within 40 minutes of arrival at Ortho-One, Dennis and I were on our way back to school.

 I insisted we take the Kotagiri Road which is smoother than the Coonoor Road. Nevertheless we still had to stop to calm a very queasy stomach.  Seven hours and fifteen minutes after having left Hebron, we returned in time for lunch! It was quite a trip!!!

On Sunday, April 14, Dennis and I went to King's Cliff for a wonderful lamb dinner. It was my way of saying "Thank you" for his support during the last two weeks and for his availability to show Stef some of Ooty. Here we are back outside my flat at Hebron.

My next trip to Coimbatore is on May 1st. Until then the cast stays on and my foot is to be elevated! This is proving to be a challenge as I have started teaching. I have classes in my flat with their books on their knees as I sit on the Dining Room table with my foot up and a cushion under my knee.

There will not be many sights and sounds of Ooty for the next little while.

Photos later.

Easter Part 2 - The Fall!

With the alarm buzzing at 6:00 a.m. I jumped out of bed on Easter Sunday morning.  Departure time was 6:20 a.m. in front of Reception. We made our way by car up to the Tea Factory and then a little further. The Selborne group had already arrived and we made our way up a slight incline overlooking Ooty.

Sam and Josh arrived on a motor scooter and our group was complete.

Dennis had compiled a song sheet, Sam had his guitar and we were ready to proclaim "Christ is Risen!"
While we were singing we were joined by a group from the Tamil Baptist church. The sun was struggling to make it through the clouds.

After several songs, scripture readings, prayers, and a thought from  Dennis, our service ended and we made our way back down the slight incline.
The Tamil group stayed up and sang some more Easter songs in Tamil.
Just beside the road someone had dug a trench which had been successfully navigated around on the way up! Unfortunately my left foot slipped on some loose gravel and I started to fall into the trench. This sudden loss of balance caused my body to swing around and a terrible "pop" was heard as I fell backward to the ground with a dislocated ankle and a broken right leg.
Immediately I was surrounded.  Mark jumped into the trench and supported my right leg. Helene took my pulse and someone else started calling school to send a large vehicle in which I could lie down across the back seat.  As no one was answering their phone at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, Dennis hopped on his motorbike and returned to school to raise  the alarm.

While this was going on, the Tamil group started on their way down. They could see us all sitting on the ground and thought we were having breakfast. When they got near they saw there was someone prone on the ground and realized there had been an accident.  Two members of their group were policemen and had their police vehicle parked nearby. I felt myself being carried and gently placed in the vehicle with bags and coats to support my leg. With siren blaring we made our way down the
Selborne side and through the Do Not Enter side of Garden Road to school. Helene asked the driver to keep the siren on as we made our way up the driveway to Hoz. As Helene  collected my passport, a change of clothes and some pain killers, I was transferred to a school vehicle for the 3 hour trip to Coimbatore. Sitting up sideways in the back seat of a vehicle going down the mountain w th a throbbing ankle is not the ideal way to travel!!! The driver was sympathetic and didn't hit too many bumps or pot holes along the way. Straight to Ortho-One we went.
Once there I was whisked straight into the examination room while Dennis looked after the paper work. X-rays revealed a Bimalleolar fracture and a dislocation of the right ankle. The  doctor on duty quickly, and with some pain, re-set the ankle and then splinted the area. Once this was done there was a dramatic reduction in pain.  The surgeon, Dr. Vinodh arrived later and mapped out a plan of action - surgery at 8:30 a.m.

 Monday morning, April 1. This was no April Fool's joke!!! I am now the proud owner of a plate and seven screws on the right side of my right leg and one screw and one wire hook on the left side. Otho-One is an Orthopedic Centre.
Dennis stayed with me and gave excellent support until he was called back to school on the Wednesday. He was replaced by Alan.
Throughout my hospital stay I received friendly and efficient care with lots of smiles from the early morning sponge bath man, the cleaning ladies who spoke no English, Nirmal in Emergency, the day and night nurses, the physiotherapist, and the doctors. While not the kind of Easter I had planned, I am extremely thankful for the wonderful support from so many and especially Dennis.

Easter Part 1

The week after Empire Night was as normal a teaching week as could be. There is a great flurry of activity as we come to the end of term and Parent's Week. This was the last week of "clubs" and the excitement level was very high, to say the least.
Due to Good Friday classes were cancelled and a special Good Friday service was held for the whole school. Mr. Ralph Buckingham was the speaker and spoke about the cost of repairs. In India, if something is broken it is repaired, not thrown out. There is a cost for the repair. He linked this to the cost  which Jesus paid to redeem us.
Following the assembly, there was the Dress Rehearsal for the Variety Show during Parent's Week. This took the better part of the day. In the evening the Standard 10 boys watched the video of Flywheel in the chapel. Mrs. Weber prepared a Dutch type of home-made donut as snack. The donuts were delicious!!!
On Saturday morning it was off to the Ooty market for my weekly kilo of oranges at 60 rupees per kilo.
After a lazy day the entire Standard 10's met in the Sports Hall for an evening of impromptu drama. Wendy Ballis, the former Head of Music was there much to the delight of the students. One of the activities was to improvise as many uses for an object as possible. For example, a toilet seat became a picture frame, an over the shoulder bag, a necklace, a life buoy, and a collar. A different activity was to devise a way to knock paper cups off the stage using only a balloon. The evening was capped off with some great snacks served outside the Cypress Court  dorm.
Thus ended the second to last week of term!