We started this week with celebration: Monday was the the Swiss national day, and I was invited to the home of my friends, Wilrens and Franziska (he's Dutch and she's Swiss) to enjoy an evening meal of Swiss cheese fondue. Anja, a German friend who's staying with them at the moment, knew that we all like the cheese dish and so she had the idea of celebrating the Swiss day in that way. We even sang the Swiss national anthem!
Yesterday I experienced Wilrens and Franziska's friendship (amistad) in a different way when they came to my rescue in town. I've been struggling a lot with arthritis pain in my feet and thumbs, as well as in a whiplash injury in my neck, so I was driving to our local health centre (ambulatorio) to make an appointment with the doctor. As I drove along the main road, a car suddenly reversed out of a parking spot in front of me; I had to break sharply and swerve to avoid him. After the driver had gone on his way, I discovered that I couldn't steer my car any more, and it was shuddering all over the road. I pulled to the side of the road, and discovered that I had a completely flat tyre.
With a sinking feeling, I wondered whether I'd actually be able to change the tyre myself or whether the arthritis in my thumbs and neck would make it impossible. So many normal, everyday activities become more of a challenge when joints and muscles don't work properly. Sure enough, I wasn't able to do it, but I knew that Wilrens and Franziska were shopping nearby and so I could text them for help. They came shortly after that and were able to change the tyre for me.
As it was a new tyre (just bought a couple of months ago) I went back to my garage to see if it was still under guarantee.... and, strangely enough, there seemed to be nothing wrong with it. There was no puncture, and it's rather a mystery why it went flat. Possibly the air pressure was very high in this hot weather and something gave way under the impact of the sudden braking. So my mechanic simply inflated it again for me, and we'll see if it holds the air this time. If not, he'll replace the tyre for free.
Today, I'm heading back to the ambulatorio, though, to see what the doctor has to say about the neck injury and the foot pain; we're wondering whether I might need to have special shoes made, as it's getting hard to find shoes (especially sandals in summer) that don't make walking rather painful. At least my car is on the road again, so I won't need to walk to the health centre!!
