My bike tried to kill me!!!

Last Sunday we arranged to meet Gav for a ride around Houndkirk and Totley Moor. It was quite a novelty, riding the moors in dry conditions and we were all riding well - Gav commented a few times on how much more confident and in control J seemed since we last rode XC with him, which is quite cool. I was living up to my 'solar powered' suspicion and was also riding well.
Unfortunately, on the last rocky, hard climb before we headed downhill, fast, back to the car, my gears started skipping. Only a couple of times and I made a mental note to check it out when I got home.
And then the chain snapped.
This has never happened to me before and I didn't like it. :-( To my left, a grassy slope with hidden rocks, to my right, the rocky trail dipped away. I fell to the right and managed to unclip my feet, but not quick enough. I clattered down on my right knee and (somehow) my left hand, the thumb taking much of the force of the fall.
I picked myself up quickly and cursed the bike - had I not lavished enough love and attention and shiny bits on her? What had I done to deserve that kind of treatment? :-( My knee was bleeding, my thumb was throbbing and my pride was in tatters. And even worse, there were no witnesses - no one to come rushing up and pat me on the back and say 'there, there'. I was alone in my pain. (on the plus side, there was no one to see me fall off...)
I gathered up the broken chain, noting it had snapped just before the power link - odd, I thought - and pushed the evil machine up the hill to where Gav had been sitting for some time, having a drink and waiting for me and J.
[I worked out later it had snapped where I split it to reroute after I somehow managed to route it OVER a guide on the rear derailleur, insted of under it. Muppet. I had used a new pin to rejoin it but obviously I'd done something wrong and it had warped and pulled undone under strain. Still, it was a (painful) lesson learned - I won't do that again. And the paint on the bike is still in tact, so she is still beautiful.]
By now, my knee was bloody but not too bad, but the thumb was definitely not right. :-(
I coasted down to the pub and had a pint of medicine (cider) then went home, thoroughly peeved with myself - I was so close to cleaning that climb too, sooo close.  Ah well, next time.
Unfortunately, I had to drive down to Reading at 5am the next day and when I got up my thumb resembled a sausage, not a thumb. Uh, oh...
I spent Monday evening at The Royal Berkshire A&E dept wher I was examined and x-rayed and declared to be not broken. I was however sent away with a real heavyweight neoprene and steel splint to wear at all times for the next week. Great - sunshine and outdoorseyness with a big old sticky and stinky splint on = stripy arm...
On the plus side though, not being able to ride my bike meant I had to find an alternative way to spend my evenings at the hotel.
Monday was a write off due to the hospital visit so on Tuesday I got my shorts on and set off for a tentative jog around the lovely route I mentioned last time. Miraculously, my knees held up fine - I think my jeans had been squishing the sore bits and making them feel worse than they really were.
Not only did I cut 2 minutes of my last effort but the woods had been transformed into a wonderland of sring loveliness - bluebells, new leaves, young deer, bunny wabbits, new lambs in the field and best of all, warm sunshine. It was lovely. I felt surprisingly fit and fresh.
So much so that I did the same the next day - and chopped a further 2 minutes off, getting my 'lap time' below 40 minutes. Well pleased with myself. Maybe I am not so bad at running afterall, I just need the practise.

Bad news - my thumb is still very sore and swollen and I am beginning to think maybe it IS broken afterall. If it's still as bad on Tuesday I might take myself back to the docs. Boooo for injury.

Fat thumb, skinny thumb. Ouch.

Mind you, I feel lucky to have got to 38 with no major cycling mishaps, so it had to happen some time and having spoken to various other cycling friends I got off lightly anyway - they told me horror stories of not only broken thumbs, but broken wrists, elbows, compound arm fractures and testicles so badly battered by the handlebar stem that there was still no sign of them three weeks later. At least I avoid that delight. :-)

My veg garden is taking shape. My planting now includes red onions and carrots. I have 3 very robust looking buttenut squash plantlets, 5 cauliflowers that need to go in the garden, my spuds are sprouting nicely and my aubergines and tomatoes need potting on.
We've also managed to get some of the garden waste burnt - probably a couple more burnings and it'll be clear. I don't want to burn too much at a time and piss the neighbours off, but it is proving difficult to find a time to do it when people are not enjoying barbecues or have washing out.
We're getting there though.