Tanya Accident.

"Oh my God!" I shouted as I yanked the handbrake on, jumped into the drivers seat, started Sadie up, crammed her into reverse gear and flung her backwards.

The frantic and alarming yelping from underneath Sadie meant only one thing and I instantly knew what that one thing was. Tanya was lying under the rear wheel as I released the handbrake to let Sadie roll forward and off the levelling ramps.

I rushed round to where she was expecting the worse. It was not good. She had managed to move from under the wheel once I had reversed but her rear end was obviously seriously injured and there was blood around her mouth.

For the next hour all was a blur but at the end of it Tanya had been tranquillized on a veterinary table in 'Eymet' and the vet was doing a full examination. I was still in shock and still expecting the worse.

I waited anxiously as Tanya, now asleep was taken down stairs to the vets operating room. About 10 minutes later I was informed it looked, at that early stage, as though she had dislocated her hip but all x-rays and scans were showing no other damage. There was nothing more I could do till later in the afternoon when I was to come back to collect her.

The vets surgery was in the small but pretty main square of 'Eymet' and I informed them I would remain in the square if they needed me. I headed for a cafe in a sort of a daze and spoke to a lady, whom I thought was to do with the cafe. Turned out she was not but she was on the Plum Village retreat at the women's centre. It was a 'retreat day off' and there were quite few of them in town. She invited me to have coffee with her and unload my stress. Phew! What relief and for a time tears flowed. She was with 2 others who soon joined us and I got the support and 'mothering' I needed to release the trauma of the morning.

They stayed with me until I went back to the vets where thankfully the mornings diagnoses was confirmed and a very sorry looking Tanya was drowsily pleased to see me. Her hip had been re-located and she was tightly bandaged.

All 5 of us then boarded Sadie and Tanya was carefully laid on her soft bed on the floor. I then drove Roberta, Alexis and Aurolla back to the womens centre where they insisted I wait while they checked out the feasability of me staying overnight in the car park. I felt uncomfortable about this so was pleased when the answer was negative. To be quite honest I needed to get away from Plum Village.

I'm still local to 'Eymet' as Tanya needs to go back to the vet but I'm where I feel at home. Wild camped by a lake with no one else around and where I can give my full attention to Tanya.

Phew! What a traumatic day. I am just so thankful. It could have been a lot worse.