Every year we plan to take a summer holiday like we used to “in the old days” and every year something crops up. This year our holiday plans fell through because I am just too busy – I’ll tell you why in my next blog…
Anyway, knowing that we couldn’t take a holiday we decided that we would take a day off and introduce our friends, Dale and Jeffrey Fleishmann from New Orleans, to Xochimilco for the day and visit the Dolores Olmedo Museum at the same time. We packed up a beautiful picnic to eat on the boat and we were about to leave the apartment and pick up our friends when it happened! I slipped! But I didn’t just slip, I fractured my wrist and sprained my fingers and my hand. I knew the moment I fell that something bad had happened because I heard it crack…
Not sure what to do or where to go, Michael called our friend Alex Lora who parents are both doctors and after consulting them, Alex told me that he would drive us to the emergency department of the Instituto Nacional de Recuperación in Tlalpan. I was admitted immediately and after Michael had filled out a pile of forms I was taken up to my room on the seventh floor. It is a really terrific hospital of an international level with great staff and this is where we spent the next six days: four days waiting, one day for the operation and one day for recuperation. Our first summer holiday in years!
I was very lucky to have to special room mates, Teresa and Luisa Reyna, who were very supportive – especially when a Night Matron told Michael that he couldn’t sleep on the floor by my bed! They liked having him around, too! It’s very special that not only may one have a family member with one in hospital – it is essential! Normally, of course, they would have expected a female family member to be with me but since Michael is the only family member I have in Mexico City, it had to be him!
One curious fact about being in hospital in Mexico is that one has to find two blood donors before they will operate. I called my dear friend Mtra Julieta Cedillo who found two students Carlos and Fernando, who were prepared to turn up at 6.30 in the morning and to give a pint of blood each. My heroes! In fact we have many heroes and I want to thank all those here in Mexico and further afield who have been so supportive to Michael and me during this period. Truly, we didn’t know we had so many friends who cared so much, the love and kindness we have received has been very humbling.
I have now spent a further two weeks at home – very frustrated since I am unable even to hold my flute. However, next week I see the doctor to have the stitches taken out and hopefully to begin the rehabilitation process. I have had to cancel several concerts but I am hoping that I will be able to play my concerts in September especially the PEDRO MI AMOR concert at Cineteca Nacional on Sunday, 10 September at 6pm when I will be playing with Edgar Ibarra. The program features fifteen of Pedro’s most popular songs together with clips from his iconic movies.
Whilst I have been suffering the enforced break from the flute, I have spent the time continuing to study scores, plan flute programs and tune into the the internet, especially to check out what is happening in flute courses and at flute conventions. I have also been researching new flutes and checking what is coming on the market. It is amazing to see who is playing what and to see what innovations are being made in the manufacture of flutes. In fact, I have been doing a lot of research over the past months and soon I will have another announcement…!
I have had one outing and that was to attend a truly wonderful recital by Sir Andras Schiff in the Palacio de Bellas Artes when he played a program of Bach Preludes and Fugues. The icing on the cake was when he presented me with his bouquet when I went to see him back stage – a small consolation prize for having missed his first recital and also a trip to the Pyramids with Andras and his wife, Yuuko. A very special couple!
