Break a leg

“Simon was playing football today,” Shaun told me in hushed tones. “He’s broken his leg in three places and is in the Royal Surrey.” The was a moment’s pause. If I’m honest, I was waiting for a punchline – The Hunter brothers are notoriously hilarious, and this could well have been another in a long line of pranks.
But, unfortunately, it wasn’t. Simon was holed up in the Ewhurst Ward of the Royal Surrey County Hospital, his legs in bits after a swingeing tackle against his Police colleagues. Broken in three places, for crying out loud – he never does anything by halves.
And, as it turned out, the timing leaves something to be desired. In a month’s time, his wife Lucy is due to produce a second child – leaving her with an enormous tummy, one awesomely active child and a one-legged husband. And Simon is due to graduate to full policeman duties – which will now have to be delayed for months.
I’m told Simon produced several top-class jokes while he lay on the football field, dosed up on laughing gas. “I’ve broken my leg in three places”, he told Shaun over the phone. “I’m not going back to those three places again.” He asked his colleagues if he would get sacked from the Police as he “hadn’t got a leg to stand on.” Now he’s at home, feeling a bit down and in need of phone calls and visits. As he mentioned on the phone tonight, “whenever you come, I’m likely to be here.” So, send him emails using this form and phone messages of support if you can. Brighten the little fella’s day.