27 January 2016

I've always been a coward, And I don't know what's good for me

There was an article on the Beeb this week. It made me think.

There's this woman I know, Daisy. She's about sixty now. She likes her fashion, always dresses nicely, does her hair with clips. She's from the North, originally, around Liverpool, but she's lived in London since she was in her mid-twenties. When she was five or six she broke her leg, but got it all sorted. She's got kids, but I've never met them.

And there's Roger. He was in the Navy for years, before he came to London. He's nearly 80. He got tattoos, when he travelled the globe with the Navy. He was born in India, spent some of his childhood there, before moving to the UK. Then he was in the WestCountry - Bristol area - until he joined the Navy. Maybe that's why he joined, seeing the people working in the docks there. I don't know anything about his family.

Neither of them have ever met me. I don't know what either of them looked like. They're two of 'my' unidentified corpses.

Daisy had a hairclip with a daisy on it in her hair when we found her. Roger has a jolly roger tattoo. I don't know their real names, and I don't know where their families are. I don't know if someone is missing them, wondering about them.

I do know we'll never stop looking for their killers.


On a happier note, I've done my 2 day refresher, which was horrible as ever, but still, all done now, signed off for another year. It's so stressful doing it all when it's not real but in a way I think it would be easier when something was actually going on, because there are more people and more things going on.


And on a much much happier note, Mycroft has indeed been successful in his university application, but I've been forbidden on saying anything more. And he's also gone for this perfect summer job, which I really hope he'll get - his housemaster has written him a glowing recommendation.

And Sherlock has some VERY exciting news too - his school are taking part in a live talk to Major Tim on the space station! They have to think of some questions to ask him about Space, and then they get to talk to him on the radio.


I shall miss the team I've been working with on Child Protection - they're fantastic. You have to have the right sort of personality to work in that kind of environment. We had a lot of laughs, whilst doing a lot of very harrowing work. I'm glad I did it, but I'm also very glad to be back with the MITs.

And on a final note...humans think they're so great, don't they, with their thumbs and gadgets and jobs and motorbikes...yet Maf gets fed, watered, cuddled, stroked and still fits in a long sleep... I might cut my thumbs off...

203 comments:

1 – 200 of 203   Newer›   Newest»
John H. D. Watson said...

Keep your thumbs, please. I'll be happy to feed and cuddle you regardless.

Anonymous said...

Please do listen to your husband! I'm sure you would miss your thumbs.

Congratulations to Mycroft & I'm mightily impressed with Sherlock's news. If he is particularly struck by any of the questions/answers, I hope he'll share.

-fA

REReader said...

Thank you, L, for thinking of your unidentified cases as people.

Mazel tov, Mycroft! I'm sure the university of your choice will be well pleased with their decision--and I hope they live up to your expectations!

The difference between dogs and cats... ;)

Sherlock, that is extremely exciting! And how challenging, to work with your classmates to come up with good questions. Please let us know how the conversation goes!

Kestrel337 said...

There was a television advertisement years ago, that pointed out one thing you need thumbs for: eating nachos. It seems a reasonable trade.

What a fun thing, getting to talk to the space station!

And congrats to Mycroft.

Anonymous said...

And that, RR, is why I will always be a dog person! (Though I have known some wonderful cats.) If I go to the work of taking care of a pet properly, I'm selfish enough to prefer that they act like I personally hung the moon when I come home.

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

I'll keep my thumbs if I get to be top of the list for getting a tail when they work out how to fix one on to humans.

Small Hobbit said...

And I thought you'd already have had plenty of experience in chasing your tail ;)

Greg Lestrade said...

My tail, other tails...

I want a useful tail, like a lemur.

John H. D. Watson said...

A tail that can hold a coffee cup at all times, leaving your hands free?

Greg Lestrade said...

I hadn't thought of that, but yes, that would be amazing. Imagine it... I like to think my tail would be grey and black stripes. With a mug of coffee at the end in a non spill cup...

REReader said...

It wouldn't improve the line of your suits, though.

REReader said...

(Heh, fA--don't you appreciate your pet believing she hung the moon? ;) )

Joolz said...

Glad you got your refresher out of the way & are back with your team - has Sally kept them shipshape in your absence?

Well done, Mycroft, that's great news.

What fast exciting news, Sherlock, I'm sure you'll think of some excellent questions.

You mean it isn't already like that, Greg? ;)

Greg Lestrade said...

I'd get a good tailor to sort me out a tail- hatch in my suits, RR. It would be worth it.

REReader said...

Well, let's get those gene guys working on it, then!

Sally said...

John, I don't want to alarm you, but I have just found your husband singing along to One Direction. Sorry.

John H. D. Watson said...

I wish I could say I'd never heard that before...

Greg Lestrade said...

It's a catchy song.

REReader said...

I have no idea what One Direction is .

(They aren't bad, really.)

Greg Lestrade said...

I come back to the bosom of my team and they pick on my singing and give me germs. My chest feels like it used to after going on stakeout and smoking 60 fags in a shift.

Anonymous said...

Sally, we have missed you.

Greg, I'm not sure you ever admitted it as a possibility, but I'll bet everyone around you is thrilled to be far less concerned than they were in those old days that you'll collapse at your desk when you're ill. But just in case: get your rest, take care of yourself.

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

I would have taken care to collapse silently and slide under my desk, undetected ;)

Anonymous said...

No doubt.

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

Sal brought me what she claimed was a latte...but it was green. She said it would be good for me.

Black coffee is good for me. A hot toddy would be good for me.

REReader said...

The grand master of my dojo favors green tea for illnesses. (And since he can kill us pretty much by looking at us, we all drink green tea.)

Anonymous said...

Hope you got a good night's sleep - that's indisputably good for you.

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

Maf very much objects to people coughing in the middle of the night.

Greg Lestrade said...

And sorry, AnonyBob..(not really.)

Anonymous said...

Since Maf can sneak off during the day and sleep for hours, my sympathy for her is nil.

-fA

Small Hobbit said...

For anyone else who's confused as to why L is not apologising to AnonyBob - it's the football.

pandabob said...

I've just watched the highlights Greg, looked pretty good on both sides :-). I can only say I hope you win it now :-)

How goes the evening? Less coughing?

Joolz said...

Shocked to see we've lost someone else, January just seems to have been non-stop, now it's Sir Terry Wogan. He was one of my mum's favourites and we always had him on when we were having our breakfast. Let's hope February is a bit more cheery.

How are you feeling this morning, Greg, has your Doc been keeping you well dosed with those hot toddies you were hoping for?

Greg Lestrade said...

He alternates between showering me with love, hot toddies and various other 'cures' and casting me worried looks.

All I can say is - don't take up smoking, kids. It really is a terrible idea. And to think just the other week I was really craving a cigarette, too!

Small Hobbit said...

Sir Terry was one of those people who was always going to be there - a real shock.

Greg Lestrade said...

It sure is. I used to laugh until my face hurt at his Janet and John stories in the morning. It has been a terrible month.

REReader said...

I hope your cough is easing up, L. (Don't want to keep annoying Maf, after all. ;) )

Sherlock, when is your school's space talk happening? Have you all decided on what to ask about?

Greg Lestrade said...

I'm feeling a lot better i've also somehow pulled a muscle in my chest...and one in my head... I didn't even know i had a muscular head.

I'm sure i'll feel better once i've coughed this lung up ;)

REReader said...

Yikes! If that's better, how did you even walk and talk through the worse?!

Greg Lestrade said...

Just don't tell John. He wields his stethoscope like a weapon. It's as if I put cold things on him all the time and he's getting revenge...

REReader said...

:D ...He won't hear about it from meeee...

Anonymous said...

Poor John. All he's doing is taking good care of you and see how you talk about him! Hope you get better rest tonight.

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

He's amazing. I don't know where I'd be without him.

But he does also have a special refrigerated compartment in his bag for that stethoscope.

REReader said...

Every job is entitled to a few perks...

Sherlock said...

I want to make butter.

Anon Without A Name said...

Sounds like fun, Sherlock, although I seem to remember having to do a lot of shaking when we did it when I was at school (mind you, that was forever ago). Any particular reason why?

Greg Lestrade said...

I think Sherlock only ever has one reason 'why'...because he can.

My husband has implied it's my job to 'help' make butter. And accompanied this with a suggestion that I would be 'good at it' whilst making shaking motions which some could perceive to be slightly obscene.

John H. D. Watson said...

Sounds like a nice, calming, non-explosive activity. I thoroughly approve.

Greg Lestrade said...

You can help shake it then.

REReader said...

But L, you have so much more experience with cows...

Kestrel337 said...

Does it have to be shaken, or can you do it in a stand mixer? Either way, I think I'd be tempted to stop before it got to 'butter', and have dessert.

Joolz said...

I don't know whether I'd stand for those kind of solitary aspersions being thrown around, Greg - when he's showing his own butter shaking skills by his very demonstration. ;)

Hope you're coughing a little less today or at least that the retaliatory stethoscope usage is warmed slightly. ;)

Have a great day everyone.

Sally said...

Sherlock, Mycroft, I'm not normally one to be against anyone's way of life.

But seriously, same sex couples just aren't right for bringing up children. You kids must have to put up with twice the amount of dad dancing and dad jokes, and that's not fair on you.

This thought was brought to you by the Boss dancing to Haddaway at my desk while I was looking for a file for him.

Seriously, you ever need a safe house, you can come to me.

REReader said...

(*Small correction: Nanny-and-DI dancing and jokes. ;) )

Small Hobbit said...

RR, being on the wrong side of the Pond you are probably unaware of the phenomenon of Dad Dancing, of which the definition is "awkward or unfashionable dancing to pop music, as characteristically performed by middle-aged or older men. for optimum embarrassment of offspring, dad dancing is best performed to REM's Shiny Happy People"

REReader said...

Accurate, SH. :)

Greg Lestrade said...

Sal, no house which contains Sherlock is ever 'safe'.

Anonymous said...

If Mycroft has survived with his affection for his dads/guardians intact, I doubt there's any way they're going to traumatize Sherlock.

(& I can only call to mind one Haddaway song, but don't know what else one could do but bop a bit when ambushed by it - & by using the word "bop" we all know I'm indicting myself as more uncool than Lestrade could ever be.)

-fA

Anonymous said...

P.s. But I thank you from the bottom of my heart, D.S. Sally Donovan, for that mental image.
-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

SH - if Happy shiny people is ever played, I'll get my dad dancing skills or again for Sal, and she can judge if it's worse than haddaway. (my phone insists I mean gaddafi...)

pandabob said...

I hope the radio brings as many opportunities for dad dancing as possible today Greg :-D

Do you have anything planned for half term? It seems to be speeding towards us even though we've only just gone back to school!!

Greg Lestrade said...

No dancing today

I coughed so hard I hurt my neck. Sal is laughing at me. Im glaring at her.

REReader said...

An eventful day, then. :)

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you have a doctor at home to keep an eye on you. That cough sounds vicious.

In Very Sad News, my earbuds have died (this happens if you run the cord over with your chair's wheels enough times) and I'm having to endure this afternoon without musical accompaniment. It's ruining the workplace experience for me, no lie.

-fA

REReader said...

Ouch, fA, no music is horrid! (Mine earbuds died last week. Maybe it's catching!)

Becca said...

How are you feeling today, Greg?

We got 5 inches of snow this morning, don't tell Sherlock. The mess it made of the morning was not fun.

Greg Lestrade said...

I'm feeling loads better, just stuck with this annoying cough. Fine until I almost launch a lung across the office ;) John's frown is getting more severe. But I've only got myself to blame.

Sherlock is very jealous of your snow!

AnonyBob - half term is far too scary to think about!!

REReader said...

I feel sure John has the anti-cough measures covered, so I'll refrain from offering unneeded advice. ;)

We had a coating of snow yesterday, too, but nothing like 5 inches--it was mostly gone an hour after it stopped coming down and was just icy patches this morning.

Greg Lestrade said...

there aren't really any anti-cough measures though, are there? As annoying as it is, coughing is slowly cleaning my lungs up ready for use again. Shame you can't just whip 'em out and scrub them down, but until they invent that...

REReader said...

There are plenty of anti-cough measures, and everyone swears by their own, as I discover every time I mention having a cough on the interwebs. The only thing is that they don't usually work very well, aside from giving you something to do. ;)

Hope your cough subsides soon, and that it's not keeping you awake too much.

Greg Lestrade said...

A great little film made in Polari.

https://youtu.be/Y8yEH8TZUsk

It takes me back! Even though it wasn't used in the same way by the time I was part of the scene, people - especially the older ones - still used a lot of the words. Still do now, a bit. Hence it being one of my tags.

Unknown said...

Congrats to both Sherlock and Mycroft! Talking to the space station sounds awesome, looking forward to a report on that. :)
my favorite cough remedy is ginger/lemon/honey tea, which I am about to go make for myself. :(
S

Piplover said...

When I visited London in October I came down with bronchitis. My immune system is suppressed, so it wasn't really a surprise, though not fun. My sister had some 151 available, so I took a shot of that and it helped clear me up! For a bit at least. Steam is actually the thing that helps me the most. A nice long, hot shower is the best for when you have a cough. Hope you feel better soon!

REReader said...

Steam, yep! I hover over a humidifier when I have a cough, and drink lots of tea-with-honey. (Most of my friends recommend a shot of something or other in the tea, but that just makes me sick, so I stick with honey. But of course alcohol does kill germs! ;D)

And we have snow coming down now--it's supposed to snow on and off for most of the week, but we'll see how that goes.

REReader said...

The weather forecast this morning: OMG IT'S GOING TO SNOW AND SNOW!

Translation: There was some snow falling this morning, but there is not so much as one flake on the ground or even on the cars left at this point, and it doesn't look like that's going to change.

Nothing to be jealous of here!

Anonymous said...

Everyone else having as inexplicably busy a week as I'm having? I completely forgot yesterday was Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday/Pancake Day/insert your nomenclature here, till I spotted the surprise King Cake at work.

I'm sure plenty of pancakes were had by Sherlock, hope everyone else who had treats enjoyed 'em.

Onwards.

-fA

REReader said...

Seriously, fA, where did all the crazy busy come from?!? :)

Anonymous said...

RR-I have friends I could ask - they'd give me the astrological explanation! But I generally don't go there. ;-)

-fA

REReader said...

Heh, I didn't even think of that, it's not on my radar at all...but you know, yesterday and today (Tues. and Wed.) were Rosh Chodesh, which is marked by a new moon, so maybe... ;)

Joolz said...

We had lots of lovely pancakes & the eldest is home for half term on Friday so we're going to do it all again next week for her - delish ;)

Have you got Mycroft back this next week too, it'll be great for you all to be together again if so. :)

Hope your cough is a bit better, Greg, and everyone has a great day. :)

REReader said...

If Mycroft hasn't yet explained to you the news about how gravitational waves have been detected, there's a very good video at The New York Times. It's truly awesome to listen to a sound that records the gravitational ripples created by two colliding black holes a billion years ago! (Not that I'm excited or anything. :) )

Anonymous said...

I'm a moron, apparently. I heard the recording on the radio with the NPR announcer narrating but I didn't hear/recognize the sound he described. But it's pretty cool to have such a foundational theory demonstrated!

In other news, saw Los Lobos with Ballet Folklorico de Mexico (or something close to that) tonight. The program was about 50-50 dance and music, plus Los Lobos played for about 20% of the dance numbers.

It was fabulous. There's nothing like good musicians who've been playing together forever - roughly 40 years, and they still seem to enjoy themselves on stage. And SO MANY INSTRUMENTS, guitar, bass guitar, guitarron, mandolin, banjo, accordion, saxophone in three ranges, a bunch of percussion instruments, fiddle, trumpet - and I'm leaving out several. Most of the string instruments appeared in both an electric & acoustic-with-pickup versions. It was a tour de force, but such a relaxed one - after playing together for so long I guess that makes sense but it was amazing to see and hear.

An unusually good day, here, then.

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

Yes, very busy, yes, Mycroft's back tonight and Sherlock has eaten more pancakes than can possibly fit into him.

pandabob said...

We're off on holiday tomorrow with my parents,making the most of the half term holiday, and the kids have demanded pancakes and ice cream for tea because granny makes them far better than me and she lets them have ALL the sauces ;-)

I hope you enjoy being back home got a bit Mycroft and that you enjoy your time off school Sherlock :-)

Good luck John ;-)

REReader said...

Sherlock: The human Tardis. ;)

REReader said...

Happy Valentine's Day, all! I look forward to hearing about how everyone is celebrating. ;)

(And anyone in the northeast US, stay warm. It's -1F right now here-- that's -18C. Brrrrrr!)

Greg Lestrade said...

Saint Valentine was also the patron Saint of the bubonic plague and bee keeping, as well as happy marriages and 'affianced' people.... so you can guess that the youngest member of our family is celebrating for different reasons than some of the rest of us....

REReader said...

...I hope it's victims of the plague rather than the plague itself... ;)

But I like the idea of celebrating beekeeping. We need bees!

Kestrel337 said...

I often wonder how saints get assigned patronage. "The bee-keepers need a saint; who's up next?"

*throws dart*

"Saint Valentine, you get the bee keepers. Try to keep them separate from the plague please. And no double blessing affianced bee keepers."

Greg Lestrade said...

I'm not sure anyone knows. I mean, St Val has about six skulls, scattered around the world, so maybe each of his heads got a different thing to be saintly about?

Here's a little traditional Valentine's poem...

Arsenal play in red,
Leicester in Blue,
Danny Welbeck,
I love you.

(sorry, did you expect it to be about Danger??)

pandabob said...

He's a good lad that Danny ;-)

I never knew st Valentine had to do with bee keeping! It's nice to learn new things :-)

Greg Lestrade said...

Our kitchen smells amazing. Just cooking up a caramelised lemon sauce.

REReader said...

I hope everyone enjoyed celebrating whatever they were celebrating!

Greg Lestrade said...

If ym journey to work this morning was an indication of anythinig it's that the cold made drivers' brains malfunction. Bunch of morons.

But now it's lovely and I'm jealous of John and thand boys. Although John will be the jealous one on thursday.

pandabob said...

Does that mean you're off Thursday while the doc works his other job? I wonder what trouble you and the boys could get into ;-)

Greg Lestrade said...

It does indeed!

As for trouble...well, terrifyingly the S word has been mentioned in weather reports.... so either we'll get some, and my life will be chaos, or we won't, and my life will be grumpy chaos...

REReader said...

I hope you get a suitable amount. (Which is enough to have fun with, but not so much that it makes problems for getting around.)

Greg Lestrade said...

I think it'll be rain, and more rain. We might go to a museum.

REReader said...

Rainy days and museums go very well together.

Anonymous said...

London is not a bad place for museums, not bad at all!

And then some hours of research so that Sherlock will know more about what he's seen than any paltry museum exhibit could convey!

-fA

Joolz said...

Well it's certainly rain up here disappointingly, we could do with a nice bit of the white stuff.

Hope work is ok, John, as in busy enough to go quickly but not too gruesome or chaotic.

Hope a fun day is had by the rest of you, however you decide to spend it. :)

Small Hobbit said...

It's beautifully sunny here, although it looks cold. Not yet ventured outside!

Greg Lestrade said...

It is actually nice here! Although right now we're having far too much fun laughing at a news report about Hairy Panic.

Sally said...

Well you picked a good day to be off. Everyone here is in a hairy panic about the new JE ruling. I'll be building you a wall of files to look through tomorrow.

Enjoy the sunshine while you can.

REReader said...

Hey, Sally! (What's JE and what was the ruling?)

Small Hobbit said...

Joint Enterprise - complicated legal definitions have been misapplied.

Greg Lestrade said...

Yeah, what SH said. We will have cases to review because those convicted will ask for an appeal and we'll have to see what our response would be if their convictions are set aside.

But, in happier news, we had a great day today at the RI, learning how we could survive in space or other inhospitable environments.

REReader said...

Sounds like a fun trip! Sherlock, did you pick up any ideas for your q&a with the space station or did that happen already?

At least you had a good day out before hitting that wall of files, L.

Anonymous said...

Made progress on the fortress of files, L?

The life of a public servant!

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

A bit. It's all second guessing at the moment.

It's hard not to find it very very frustrating, but it's just a technical thing, it's nothing to do with our original investigations, but it still feels personal, and I know a lot of relatives will worry that people who have been convicted might somehow now go free.

Anonymous said...

Heard a bit of a radio interview recently with someone whose job includes making the phone calls to relatives of victims/or victims themselves of murders or serious violent crimes pre-1981 in the state of Maryland - because of some irregularities in jury instruction, a number are being paroled. It didn't sound like a fun task.

They have discovered that paroling life-sentence inmates who are 60+ (with reportedly good social services support) gives you a recidivism rate of zero (over two+ years, number of parolees wasn't mentioned.) Which isn't much comfort to the families, apparently.

I wonder what it would be like if every parolee got good social services support . . .

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

Yeah, well, happily no one will be automatically set free or anything, but there will be retrials and the potential for those to lead to the release of certain people.

It's very uncertain, which isn't ideal.

Sherlock said...

I'm going to climb a mountain and earn money for poor children to help them

Lancs. Anon said...

Getting sponsored, Sherlock? Which mountain?

Greg Lestrade said...

I fear you assume a far greater level of planning than actually exists, Lancs.

I also fear this is how I will meet my maker... Being volunteered for something by an enthusiastic boy...

REReader said...

It is, however, the best reason I've heard to date for climbing a mountain!

Lancs. Anon said...

Every thing has to start as an idea I guess! Having googled, you really are a long way away from the nearest mountain, which seems really odd coming from up here! The top floors of some schools round here count as a 'high level walk' and really should require a mountain leaders certificate!

Also, it's nice to have someone enthusiastic about the place!

Greg Lestrade said...

Yes...we have however bargained down from Everest to somewhere more like...Snowdon...

REReader said...

Managing goals, very important.

Lancs. Anon said...

Snowdon is great, plus tiny railway! Some of you could walk it and some of you could get the train

Greg Lestrade said...

I fear I saw Sherlock looking up campsites, too...

Anonymous said...

Well done to keep the expedition in the U.K! It sounds like this could be fun, if it's not too ambitious!

Is this more of a family trip, or a Sherlock climbing/hiking trek, attended by happy dogs and the loyal sherpas who carry supplies?

Either way, I hope your campsites provide access to warm showers and cold beer. At least mostly.

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

I think it's mainly a trip which requires him to do a lot more planning.

He saw people doing sponsored things on TV and has so far only got the germ of an idea. But we will happily support him and take him places if he can decide what he wants to do and how he will extort money from adults to give to those not as lucky as we are ;) .

REReader said...

Sounds like something that he might want to get his school in on. It's a very good germ!

Anonymous said...

What interesting & unlooked for things our families bring us to!

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

RR - kids do a lot of sponsored things here, I think this one's probably best for us to do as a family and his teachers to sponsor him...otherwise we'll be dragging 30 ten year olds up a mountain...

fA - this morning my breakfast was had over CT scans of bumblebee brains. Your comment applied perfectly.

REReader said...

That does seem to be a lot of kids to shepherd up a mountain... (I'm not sure you have the dragging in the right direction, though. ;) )

Anonymous said...

Who knew anyone had CT-scanned bumblebee brains? Not me!

& yeah, I feel like there should be at least a one-adult-for-every-four-ten-year-olds ratio on a mountain hike. Unless it's a very gradual, safe, mountain on which it is impossible to do worse than roll down gently.

-fA

Small Hobbit said...

Plus one adult will need to restrain the other from pushing the particularly obnoxious child (there's always one) over the edge.

Greg Lestrade said...

fA: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/science-news/2016/february/miniature-brain-scans-hold-key-to-understanding-bee-behaviour.html?utm_source=tw-20160224&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=general

and I think you made a typo...four adults to every one ten year old is the ideal ratio...one to sit on them, the other three to go to the pub ;)

SH - you mean one to provide the alibi when the obnoxious child goes missing???

Anonymous said...

SH, thanks for the laugh!

-fA

REReader said...

Those CT scans are completely amazing. I didn't even know they could scan anything that small so accurately!

Anonymous said...

You volunteering to skip the pub to be the sitter-upon, L.? Or do the adults draw straws?

Those scans are amazing. Of course, now I want to know: Do they have to kill the bees to scan their brains? If they do, how many are they going to have to sacrifice to get enough data for it to be significant? If not, how do you paralyze & position a bee without harming it so they can do the scan? Do they scan the same bee over time? How do they decide which bees?

But I don't care enough to spend the time to do the research to find out. (That's why grownups are so dull. I abandon my shallow curiosity so quickly in favor of work and friends and housekeeping!)

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

I've no idea if bees gave their lives for the scans, fA.

And I'm hoping no sitting-on will be required! If it's just us, and we camp out and climb a quick mountain we can take beer for the evening. Although climbing aforementioned mountain will probably mean we're asleep before the boys are...

Sally said...

Hi to all you who read this,
the Boss has had a bit of an accident, and he thought you lot would probably want to know. He says he's fine, and John and Sherlock are on their way down here to the A&E just as soon as John's fetched Sherlock from school, and he figured before you got any cryptic messages from either of them (and because he's bored and has run out of things to order people around to do) he'd let you know. Or make me let you know. Because I'm not letting him have his phone in case he starts trying to call the office or something.

I'm sure once John's up to speed with everything you'll get a bit more of the story.

And now he's checking I've told you all he's fine.

REReader said...

Thank you Sally, both for letting us know and for looking out for him!

REReader said...

(I hope you heal up fast, L.) (*still a bit worried...*)

Sally said...

he's swearing a lot, if that reassures you.

REReader said...

Heh. (Thanks!)

John H. D. Watson said...

I always his swearing reassuring.

Sally said...

I thinkt all the doctors here do too John. Obviously part of medical training.

pandabob said...

That doesn't sound great but thanks for letting us know he's ok Sally.

Hope you're feeling better soon Greg :-)

Greg Lestrade said...

I'm just waiting for a scan. I am fine, no danger (except the one i married, who is here and frowning), patched up for now. John is trying to keep Sherlock from setting off every monitor attached to me.

John H. D. Watson said...

With unfortunately little success... May need to apologise to the entire hospital staff later.

Greg Lestrade said...

he does love making adults run about for him

Sherlock said...

Lestrade's leg is really cut open and you can see the skin and fat and muscle and I took a photo so he could see it too and so I can show Mycroft. And I didn't mean to make the doctors come I just wanted to know how the alarms went off.

REReader said...

I have a niece who was always interested how cuts and things look on the inside, too, Sherlock--she's now in medical school. :)

And now you know.


That does not sound like a small injury, to be honest...

Greg Lestrade said...

They're muttering about taking me to surgery. Cleaning and stitching bits back together and whatnot.

I've got a horrible feeling I'll spend the night with a drip and a bedpan instead of my favourite doctor...

John H. D. Watson said...

Possibly, but I would quite like to have all your bits cleaned and stitched together.

Anon Without A Name said...

Argh. I hope you heal fast, Lestrade, and let the Doc - and all the docs - take proper care of you.

Greg Lestrade said...

i quite like some of my bits as they are... but yeah.

And later you can tell me what they did. Because it's all greek to me. or Latin. All fibris this or flexor that.

Sherlock said...

it was an ACTUAL trap with spikes and knives and everything and he fell in and it's not very nice and John says the people who did it should be hung drawn and quartered and Lestrade said John wasn't allowed to actually do that but it would be good if we could

it is quite boring here because we're just waiting now and Lestrade's gone to have a scan of inside him and I wasn't allowed to go and watch.

REReader said...

... I agree with John there.

(I'm sorry, but I have to...Hanged. Pictures are hung, people are hanged. I have a lifetime of listening to my aunt make that correction, it's automatic at this point!)

Small Hobbit said...

If the perpetrator was suspended by a hook to await justice I think he would be hung. I imagine this was what John had in mind.

Sherlock said...

We have to leave Lestrade here. we're getting fish and chips on the way home though

REReader said...

It does seem like a night for comfort food.

Greg Lestrade said...

they're waiting to see me into my lovely new home for the night. if I stay awake that long.

Joolz said...

Sorry to hear about your injury, Greg, hope it's not going to keep you out of action for too long. It doesn't sound like broken bones on top of everything else so I suppose that's one good thing at least.

An actual trap - what kind of sick idiot would do that! I hope you get them locked up pretty quick, even if John doesn't get to enact his well deserved revenge.

Hope you feel better soon, and maybe when you're fully fit Sherlock could even practise his excellent stitch removal skills on some of the smaller wounds after he's recorded your healing process for science, of course.

Greg Lestrade said...

sadly booby traps becoming more common, but no, nothing broken! and lots of painkillers. and might get to surgery tonight, specialist gets to decide.

REReader said...

I hope they are effective painkillers!

Greg Lestrade said...

had lecture from surgeon that tendons are harder to heal than bones so... way to deflate a bloke.

Still, got a spot on a ward and a date with a surgeon first thing tomorrow morning. til then it's an exciting cocktail via drip and some sleep.

Anon Without A Name said...

Booby traps! Bloody hell. Well, I know hospitals aren't the most restful places to be, but I hope you manage to get some decent sleep tonight, and that the surgery goes well tomorrow.

Sherlock - I hope fish and chips were good, and that you get Lestrade back very soon - and that if he's not back tomorrow, you have fun visiting him without setting off too many monitors :-)

John - how you doing?

pandabob said...

I guess it's good to know the plan even if it's one you'd have preferred not to need Greg ;-)

Fish and chips sound fab Sherlock and you're a good lad checking that all the alarms worked before you left the hospital ;-)

John H. D. Watson said...

Nameless - all right, I suppose. Better than L, at any rate. Surprisingly angry.

REReader said...

John, it seems to me that "angry" is an entirely appropriate reaction.

Becca said...

Greg, most sorry and angry to hear about this! Tendons indeed take longer to heal than bones (I've had surgery on both, so I got to compare!) so don't be too discouraged if it's a slow recovery. Take the painkillers, too.

John, angry is eminently appropriate. Hang in there.

Anonymous said...

Tendon injury (among other damage) to the leg? Because of a boobytrap? Oooohhhh angry is very appropriate.

Sherlock, it sounds like you showed a very scientific interest in the proceedings. I hope your photos are appreciated.

Keep up with your painkillers, L. I greatly fear the recovery process is going to drive you mad.

But it sounds like one leg, not both? So you won't be entirely immobile, eventually. LISTEN TO YOUR DOCTOR. And also the specialists from the hospital if they say anything useful. ;-)

My best to you, John, Sherlock & Mycroft, as well as the rest of the friends & family. You're a tough lot but sudden injury with malice against someone you care for is always hard.

-fA

Kestrel337 said...

Angry is understandable, and absolutely called for, although I understand the frustration of having so much of it and little direction for it.

Hope the surgery goes quickly and well, and L gets home soon. And that the people who caused this get what's coming to them.

REReader said...

I hope you're managing to get some sleep, L, and that the surgery in the morning goes well.

And I hope you're managing to get some sleep too, John. Hang in there.

Anonymous said...

If your inpatient surgeries are scheduled like ours, they've probably waked you up by now so they can poke at you a bit & then put you under for early surgery. Hope by the time I'm up on my Friday morning you're out of surgery and recovery and back in your bed.

Onwards John. May you & the boys have your D.I. home and complaining about the enforced inactivity in a day or two.

-fA

Sally said...

We haven't yet caught the ones who set the tap, but the raid went well in other ways so it wasn't for nothing.

pandabob said...

I hope everyone got some sleep last night.

Good luck with school Sherlock, I hope you're doing something interesting :-)

I hope operation goes ok Greg and that the surgeon is happy I'd work.

Good luck with your day John :-)

Small Hobbit said...

Hope you did get some sleep Greg and best wishes for the op.

John, I wish for you lots of patience for the next few days/weeks.

Greg Lestrade said...

I'm all rebuilt. In at 7am, stitched and stapled and now back in bed with my leg in the air. John's coming in soon

pandabob said...

I'm glad everything's back where it should be Greg :-) that is a very early start though!!

Greg Lestrade said...

it was early, but they only woke me up to put me back to sleep ;)

Apparently I can only be released into the care of a responsible adult...anyone know one?

REReader said...

Can Mycroft come get you? ;)

Glad to hear the stitching went well! I hope the healing goes even better.

Piplover said...

Glad to hear you're doing all right. That sounds like a horrible experience, but at least you'll have a story to tell a few years from now?

I hope you're able to go home soon and get some rest.

John, I hope you and the boys are doing OK.

Sherlock said...

Lestrade's at home and John didn't even tell me and when I got home from school he was here and on the sofa and Mrs Hudson had made a cake with loads of chocolate and we don't have to go to the hospital for a visit at all like he said we would

REReader said...

Well, that's a nice surprise for you then! You can visit with chocolate cake, and without wasting time going to and from the hospital.

Greg Lestrade said...

I've gone from being a DI to a glorified heated cat bed in a day. And glorified is really making it sound better than it is.

REReader said...

It's just Maf playing doctor: Check out #7 on the linked infographic. :) And also this article in Scientific American!

pandabob said...

A change is as good as a holiday Greg ;-)

I'm glad you're home and enjoying cake.

Greg Lestrade said...

to be honest, I'm enjoying Sherlock enjoying cake...anaesthetic never leaves me with much appetite. Although I'm sure that'll be back tomorrow! (by which time there will be no cake)

Small Hobbit said...

Did this mean Mrs Hudson was the responsible adult?

Martha Hudson (Mrs) said...

I shall be the one giving John an alibi if he ever does get to hang drawn and quarter whoever did this to Greg, my dear! In my day at least there was a bit of respect. If there was still a Kray about I'd send them to kneecap the little so-and-so responsible.

Greg Lestrade said...

Sometimes, Mrs H, you scare me almost as much as the other Mrs H.

Anonymous said...

People sometimes forget that ladies of a certain age have gotten through a lot of stuff in order to get there!

I'm sure everyone is thrilled to have you home, L. Take it easy, do as the doctor 'suggests.'

Very glad that the medical stuff seems to have been straightforward.

-fA

Anon Without A Name said...

Glad you on;y had the one night in hospital, Lestrade. You feeling better today, got your appetite back? And was there any chocolate cake left for you?

Greg Lestrade said...

There was no cake. Bit I am told another is on the way ;)

Feeling better generally, although I won't pretend it's not a bit sore.

I have the gentlest of exercises to do... And even those feel like hard work!

Anon Without A Name said...

I'm guessing that having made personal contact with a booby trap made of knives and spikes, "a bit sore" is probably as good as two days later is going to get :-/ Glad to hear you're feeling better though. How's the rest of the household doing?

And did you all enjoy the rugby today?

Greg Lestrade said...

to be fair, it was only made of knives. One of which tried to lop my calf muscle off my leg. I've got painkillers, and enough antibiotics to lay waste to a continent, I think, plus a new tetanus booster...no expense spared. I think if I was a horse they'd've shot me and fed me to the dogs.

Rugby was a nice distraction. I'm getting a bit bored of the sofa. Maf appreciates my presence though.

Becca said...

I think cats enjoy it when we're ill/laid up, because we just end up being a heating cushion for them.

Anonymous said...

Oh. My. God.
John, I offer you my sincerest sympathies.

Greg, you haven't been home two days yet. If you're already bored . . . is there a new instrument you can learn with your leg elevated?


-fA

REReader said...

"to be fair, it was only made of knives."

...I don't think the word "only" really applies...

Anonymous said...

RR, I think that's that manly, British, stiff-upper-lip-never-complain thing. "Let us not be over-dramatic, 'twas only knives. Spikes, now - spikes might have been a bit unfortunate."

(I can't quite defend that "'twas," stylistically. But it just appeared there, what could I do?)

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

Well...it could've been worse.

At least there's footie on now. And I got to help Sherlock do his homework. Well, couldn't escape it, anyway...

Small Hobbit said...

Not sure the footie will have made you feel much better ...

Trust you're continuing to be a suitable bed for Maf.

Joolz said...

Sorry there wasn't anything to raise the spirits in that result, Greg. I hope Sherlock's homework was at least more invigorating.

How is the soft exercising going today, slow and steady steps I'm sure. Have the doctors or your Doc given you any kind of timescale for your tenure as glorified cat bed?

Hope the day has gone as well as possible for you all, hopefully with added cake to sweeten the deal. :)

REReader said...

(All the comments on John's blog are being "held for approval"...)

Greg Lestrade said...

Are they

??

Where is it saying that? And Danger, what secrets are you spilling? Or are you trying to keep tomorrow secret???

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