pup and shoes

Not-So-Handy

pup and shoes

Hey, remember that powder-room project I’ve been banging on about for weeks now? It’s taken a bit of a backseat to the kitchen this week, but over the last couple of days, things have ground to a halt in the kitchen (That doesn’t mean it’s finished, unfortunately, just that we’re waiting for stuff to be delivered for it, and there’s not much we can do in the meantime…), which gave Terry the opportunity to get back into the bathroom. Er, that sounded bad, didn’t it? I mean in the renovation sense, obviously. Actually, any time I mention Terry being “in the bathroom” over the next couple of weeks, just assume that’s what I mean, OK?

Anyway! Cut to late afternoon, yesterday. I was working at my desk, and Terry was downstairs in the bathroom, when he called up to ask if I could come and give him a hand.

(OK, that sounded even WORSE, didn’t it? Remember the disclaimer above, kids!)

Assuming he just needed me to test the height of a toilet, or perform some other dull, bathroom-renovation-related task, I took my sweet time getting there. First, I finished the sentence I was in the middle of typing, then, reaching the office door, I doubled back to grab my coffee mug, thinking I may as well switch the kettle on while I was downstairs. Finally, I meandered down to the kitchen…

… where I found Terry surrounded by the contents of the First Aid box, and frantically trying to stem the blood flow from a huge gash on his hand – which, I discovered later, he’d done with a Stanley knife.

(Oh yeah.. .you might want to skip this post if you’re at all squeamish. I should probably have said that first, huh?)

“OMG!” I said, taking in the scene before me. “Do you need me to drive you to the doctor? Is that going to need stitches?”

“Nope,” said Terry, bravely. “Just a scratch! Nothing really! Just give me a hand with this, will you?”

He gestured to the pile of bandages and other wound-related stuff piled on the worktop, and I set about helping him clean out the cut with antiseptic, then bandage it up.

“OK, I REALLY think we should go to the doctor now,” I said. “Just to be on the safe side.”

“No,” insisted Terry, through gritted teeth. “It’s absolutely fine! I think I’m possibly going to faint, though!”

I walked him through to the living room, and sat him down on the couch, then headed back to the kitchen to make him a mug of hot, sweet tea. Which, as we all know from TV soap operas, is what you do for someone who’s had a shock.

Carrying the tea back through to the living room, I discovered Terry lying on the floor, with his feet propped up on the couch.

“Dude,” I said. “Doctor. Now.”

But he point-blank refused to go, Seriously: MEN. WHAT IS IT WITH THEM?

Luckily the light-headedness passed quickly, and this morning the wound looks clean, and is starting to heal nicely, so it looks like disaster has been averted. I STILL think he should have gone to the doctor, though.

Needless to say, all house-related projects are on hold for the forseeable…

P.S. As I was about to publish this post, Terry said to me, “Do you want a photo of the cut for your blog?” I’ve turned him down on that one, so you get this cute photo of Rubin, plus a rare shot of me in sneakers, instead. (Don’t worry: those are my “I am doing work around the house” shoes – I haven’t forsaken my heels!) No need to thank me.

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books by Amber Eve
COMMENTS
  • My grandad works as a joiner / kitchen fitter, and he’s 100% of the ‘I’m too manly to go to the doctors school of thought’, so when he called us up a while ago and told us he was going to A&E for what he described as ‘a little cut’ we knew it must be bad haha. Turns out he’d almost cut off his pinky finger with a circular saw, and needed about 20 stitches and an x-ray. So at least there is a limit, somewhere! Also Rubin looks adorable 🙂 x

    November 7, 2014
  • Stacy

    REPLY

    These types of gashes are the reason I try not to do DIY. My brother fitted out bathroom for us, and I gave him a hand where I could. Once of the things I did was tidy up the tiles once he had removed them from the wall and floor, and in doing so managed to find the one, single shard that was still glued to the floor. Unfortunately I found it with the fleshy bit of my thumb as it split open on the sharp, splintered edge.

    After that I left him alone 🙂

    November 7, 2014
  • Oh gosh, I hope he heals soon.

    November 7, 2014
  • I’m doing something wrong here as I’m pretty sure if my boyfriend so much as looked at a stanley knife he’d claim he’d lost an arm… Clearly not cut from the same cloth as Terry!!

    November 7, 2014
  • Myra

    REPLY

    Let’s hope it heals quickly x

    November 7, 2014
  • EagleVision1999

    REPLY

    On a more positive note, I’m really enjoying all the recent posts on here. Not that I want you to have trouble with your house mind, but I really like how you write about them 🙂
    Hopefully Terry’s cut heals soon.

    November 7, 2014
  • I’m with Terry on this one! I have to be almost dying, not have time to wait for something to go away by itself, or be out of first aid supplies to go see a doctor about a flesh wound. It really annoys my boyfriend sometimes.

    November 7, 2014
  • I gave myself a paper cut (ok really it was a cardboard cut) in the office today and nearly had to go home sick.

    Men!

    November 7, 2014
  • My son accidentally gashed his wrist open a few weeks ago, and I was absolutely shocked when the doctor asked, after cleaning it up, if we wanted a photo cause this was the time to take it. I couldn’t believe my ears, but then took a pic anyway. It was for my boy cause he asked, but I shiver every time it shows up while I’m scrolling through my phone. Blegh! What was I thinking, I must get that thing off of my camera feed… I do hope Terry’s hand is doing better.

    November 11, 2014
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