I have been meaning to write a blog post regarding the release of Somali Sunrise, but I kept putting it off, hoping to be able to give better news.
The end result of that is that I’m now writing this blog post from my hospital bed on my iPhone 6.
Yep, it sucks big time. But let me give a little background first. The photo you’re seeing is of the back of a factory where I feed feral cats. I’ve been taking care of the feral cats at that factory for eleven years. And for eleven years I’ve been climbing up on that wall to fill up the two auto feeders that are on top of that container but underneath the carport. It’s a great sheltered location and I can put up to a week’s supply of food in the auto feeders there, and know that it’s safe from rain, ants , rats and birds. Problem is it’s quite high up. There where you see the food container is where I normally stand. So yes, better not to look down.
So I’ve been doing this safely for 11 years but on the last Sunday of November my odds ran out. Not too badly though. I mean, it could’ve been worse. I fell off the ladder, not the wall. Didn’t really fall, but stumbled on the second last step, landed awkwardly on my right leg, at which point it gave way with a funny click and I hit the ground like a ton of bricks, but not before bouncing off that big blue garbage container.
But having been a competitive cyclist for many years, I’m used to hitting the deck so I got up and dusted myself off. My knee was hurting and my shoulder was bruised but I didn’t have time to be injured so I just carried on.
Big mistake. By the time I went to my orthopedic surgeon (two weeks later) and had an MRI done I was on crutches. And the MRI showed I had twisted my  knee and torn something which had now become wedged inside my knee joint. Yes that sounds as painful as it is.
Anyway so an operation was needed except that because it was by now the middle of December, my doc was going on leave until 7 January 2015. Bummer. But he’s been my knee doc for twenty years so I didn’t want to use another doc. And everyone else was going on leave too anyway.
Entirely my own fault that this happened. I had been so obsessed with finishing my manuscript that I refused to let life get in the way. Except that then life came and took a big bite out of my ass.
Approx three days after my doc went on leave my knee blew up and from there it was antibiotics and cortisone and anti inflammatories as my general practitioner tried to deal with something that wasn’t his speciality.
And through this haze of medication I was still trying to finish Somali Sunrise, but to be honest, I was losing the battle.
It’s really difficult to get into the ‘zone’ if a throbbing leg keeps pulling you back to reality.
Anyway, I prevailed and then finally was booked for my operation for 14 Jan 2015, which is this Wednesday. Except that on Saturday morning I woke up with my entire lower right leg swollen and very red.
Of course I rushed to hospital, mainly worried that I might have developed a blood clot in my leg from sitting with it elevated all the time.
Anyway, I was promptly booked into hospital and put on blood thinners and megadoses of antibiotics.
The blood thinners was until a DVT (blood clot) could be ruled out and the antibiotics was to treat the cellulitis that I had developed in my lower leg.
Tests revealed that I had picked up some kind of ‘bug’ in my bloodstream and of course it had gone for the weakest part of my body, mainly my wonky knee.
It’s now Monday and I’m pleased to report that I’ve just been for a sonar of my right leg and it showed zero blood clots. Phew! I am relieved.
But the cellulitis and leg swelling is still ongoing and being treated. So for the time being I’m still in hospital but hoping I might be discharged tomorrow.
Of course my knee op has been postponed yet again because I’ve been on blood thinners and doc won’t operate while I’m ‘septic’ which is wise, I agree. He only has my best interests at heart.
What does all this mean for Somali Sunrise?
Good news is that through all this I’ve actually finished the manuscript. The bad news is that because I couldn’t work at my normal pace, it hasn’t yet been edited.
So I’m asking for a little indulgence here, please. As soon as I’m discharged I’ll get cracking on the editing. For a manuscript this size (110000 words) I’ll need four to six weeks to edit and polish. And in between all this I still have to have my knee operation. Ja, before another bug gets hold of me.
It seems that with working with feral cats and getting scratched and occasionally bitten I’m a prime candidate for things like this. But I plan to be more careful in future. Promise.

This photo following is of the space above the container and shows one of the feral cats ‘posing’ for a photo.