Dear sweet Guildmembers! What kind words you send! Sorry to say, though, I have only just received them - Excellent Emma nipped off to the States shortly after her last post so I never did hear of the thoughtful offers of knot-based therapies. Her estimate of two-weeks further tarry in the hospital was, unfortunately, not in accord with the surgeon's wishes and I am only just out - with the most extraordinary contraption attached to my mangled leg, and a bumper pot of morphine. I still can't go home because I live at the top of four flights of stairs. Taken in by my generous papa, I am allowed to recline (at an alarming rake) in his sitting room. In hospital, they kindly fitted me with wheels, but not grapples, so I am usually confined downstairs - this rare trip up to the computer is thanks to a team of navvies.
Knotwise, Emma's assessment is fair: ropery of all sorts turned out to be useful on the ward, particularly given the shortage of dripstands (I had, at one point six tubes running in, and the entire ward had only four stands!). Bowlines and Highwayman's hitches for toe loops (exciting the ex-Marine physio!), Midshipman's hitches (aka Tautline hitches, unless I miss my guess) were handy throughout, and I whisked up a handsome Square Chain Sennit handle with which to winch my mostly-meccano limb at swabbing time. Tom's Bend even found a use in curtain repair! (oh, and surgeons really do use surgeons' bends - one can see a nice example if one x-rays my knee)
Look, knotters, I don't want to sound grabby, but I would be SO happy to receive any of the voiced knotty treats here in my recuperative den - it'll be long after Christmas before I can reach my library, let alone a chandlery! Despite the morphine, I still crave advancement in my tying skills - but I have no idea what PMail (PM?) is. I gather it is some sort of privacy mechanism, and it does seem a little foolish to put my poor father's address up for all to see, but if any of these kind knotty offers still stand, could someone explain how I go about PMing?
I already feel so snug in this nexus of nexuses - how glad I am to have found the Guild!