A cautionary tale!

Oh Greatnan I understand your immediate reaction but it does sound as though she will be well looked after.

Food for thought though. I often walk my dog alone and don't always remember my phone far less anything else.

Awww greatnan I can imagine your impulse to get on the next flight. But she has a good family around her.
Reminds me of the time the dog broke my finger in NZ. Walking him on the lead in the 'bush' because he had a sore knee. He is a big and usually well-behaved mastiff. Until a baby rabbit suddenly leaps onto the path before our feet. Cue a kind of Tom and jerry scene with rabbit running between our feet while dog tries to grab it. What I hope I learned is dont twirl a dog lead round your fingers .
Removed wedding ring fortunately as anticipated finger never regained original size.
I try to take my mobile with me when i go out for a walk around here. I tell myself its in case someone else needs help! Although the darn things don't work everywhere. I was trying to link up with my husband in Ashridge (chilterns) in the spring. No luck. Fortunately we spotted him just as we were heading home - shivering on his cycle and definitely needing rescuing.

It's a good thing that she got a signal on her phone. I know that that there are lots of places in NZ where you simply can't get one. I don't have a mobile so perhaps if I go walking in NZ I'll have to make sure that I take a dog with me in case I fall over. I hope she makes a speedy recovery.

Yes I have walked alone and enjoyed it but in the Peak District there are many places where you cant get a mobile signal.

The advice I was given years ago is to take a good quality loud whistle and keep it about your person, not in your rucksac. Your rucksack could roll over a ledge with your dinner and your maps. (I should follow that advice as well)

see below!

windermerelodge.co.uk/wp/2010/02/the-international-distress-signal/

"The International Distress Signal
Did you know that the international distress signal is 6 blasts of a whistle followed by a pause of 1 minute and then a repetition of the 6 blasts?

If your signals are heard there should be an answering whistle of 3 blasts followed by a pause of 1 minute, repeated several times.

You should continue to signal until you are located.

Unless you do require assistance you should never do anything which could be mistaken for a distress signal! "

There is also all the stuff about being properly equipped with a survival bag (space blanket) anyway. A twisted ankle from anyone in a group is not a major injury, but shock and hypothermia is a big danger in Britain where even in our realtively low mountains bad weather can present a danger of this even in summer. Its a damage and risk limitaion excercise really.

I carry a loud whistle and I do know the distress signal, but I tried for about 20 minutes when I got lost in the Pyrenees recently and nobody responded. Fortunately, I can get a signal on all my walks in the Alps.

My daughter told me this morning that she was lucky to find a spot with a signal, but mainly it was the noise the dogs made that attracted attention. She did pass out for a few seconds, and the dogs woke her by licking her face. They did not try to run away, but stayed close to her. So, they caused the accident but they also got her rescued!

I think she is rather embarrassed because she has lectured me so much about keeping safe on my walks! I do carry all the recommended survival gear in my backpack and make sure that my mobile is always fully charged. My most useful pieces of equipment are my walking poles, with their sharp tips that dig in to loose leaves, scree, mud, snow or ice.

Oh dear - all my sympathy - and empathy with her as I sit here in my below-knee plaster!
It sounds as though she has lots of help and will be well supported - it must be hard to be so far away.
She needs to get some rest - I found that the shock of the whole thing made me a bit flopsy-bunny for a few weeks.
I do hope that she makes a speedy recovery.

Thank you, Mishap. Yes, she has not only her loving and useful family around her, but many good friends. She won't have to do a thing....which will be the worst thing for her, as she is incredibly active.
She doesn't normally tell me if she has a health problem until it is over - she says there is no point in worrying me.....but that means I just worry in case she is not telling me something! Mothers!

Walking poles are brilliant. As greatnan says they grip on anything.

Even ice and slippery mud. Walking across streams as a balancing point. I use mine on short walks in any terrain now as they take the weight of my back joints and save a few paracetamols.

What a rotten thing to happen and how fortunate that she had both the phone and the dogs. It must be so frustrating for her being so inactive and confined; and frustrating for you, being so far away. I suspect you will be spending quite a bit of time on Skype. She does have a lovely supportive family.

Thank goodness she's ok. As ok as she can feel with a broken ankle, anyway, Greatnan! And it will settle you to know she has a supportive network around her. The dogs did their own good job in alerting help, too.

I don't speak to her on Skype as I don't have a webcam, but we both get free phone calls via our internet, so we speak several times a week and she posts on Facebook most days.
I have just looked at her page and it is full of good wishes and offers of help. She has always had the knack of making friends and when she was in England for her son's wedding she managed to spend some time with a group of women she first met when the groom was two years old! I need not have worried when she emigrated - NZ must be one of the friendliest places in the world.

Glad to hear she has got home safely Greatnan. Well done the dogs for raising the alarm.

Yes - being inactive is a challenge! She needs perhaps to set herself a task to complete. I have been writing something that I hope to get onto Kindle Direct Publishing one day and it gives a focus to each day.

I wonder if they have K9s where she is? - a sort of knee trolley which makes you much more mobile and leaves your hands free to do stuff in the kitchen for instance. You kneel in the trolley with your plastered leg and scoot yourself about - slowly!

I'll mention that gadget to her. Fortunately, all of her children are good cooks and so is her husband, who is home every other week. She had inherited my love of reading and got a kindle last Christmas, and somebody has given them something with about 500 films on it -I am not sure of the technology.
It will be hard for her to be inactive - even as a toddler she was always on the go, doing head-stands and running about. Her sister is the exact opposite and never makes an unnecessary move!
At least she will be recovered by the time I go out in mid-February, so we can take the dogs long walks.

greatnan what a relief all is taken care of and your daughter is safe,like any mum you are itching to get there... for you..and for your daughter to wish her well xxxxxxxlove nellie

Thank you, lovely nellie!

greatnan I am so pleased that your DD is ok and recovering she must be climbing the walls with boredom if she is anything like my DD always busy doing something,let her know that thoughts are winging their way to her from all us GNers and special doggy biscuits for the hero's of the hour are deserved.

Thank you, Glam - I am not sure she is very grateful to the dogs, as they caused the accident in the first place, but I will pass on everyone's good wishes.

Best wishes to your daughter, Greatnan. I'm sure that the dogs did all that they could to be of assistance. Our Rory would have strolled off and found himself a new "minder". Thank goodness for a happy outcome.

That could have been even worse. Thank goodness help arrived when it did.

My cheeky eldest grandson has just said on Facebook that he thought they would have a few more years before they started having to worry about their mum falling and breaking bones! He suggested she get an alarm button to wear round her neck- but I don't think it would work out on her walks. Incidentally, all my grandchildren think I am 'Upminster' ( a bit further on than Barking) because of my lifestyle - I have told them I will settle for 'mildly eccentric'.

greatnan grew up in Barking ...never did get to upminster

We lived in Upminster , what an excellent place to bring up a family .

Specially with Coopers Coburn [really good school] only five minute walk away .

Happy days , although my days here are just as happy

O dear Greatnan what a shock. So pleased your daughter is in good hands and 'paws'. Well done to the dogs and everyone in NZ lending a helping hand.
for all of you.