I'm in the wars. Just had ambulance round

Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Look on the bright side, you can laze on the sofa watching all those Top gear re-runs.

 

While lazing on the sofa watching daytime TV, the voice-over man from channel 4 that comes on between programs did an excellent April Fool's joke.

Apparently they are going to merge Channel 4, Film 4, More 4 and E4 to make a brand new channel dedicated to off-road vehicles and pieces of timber. It will be called 4x4.

 

Hope you are on the mend quickly. Just watch you don't get a frozen shoulder if you aren't moving it. That is no joke at all.

 

I can move it today. I just have to remember not to actually work the affected muscles. I've just been out the back looking at my unfinished rockery project, and thought, I could probably do a bit. Then I thought how much trouble I'd be in with the wife if I got caught trying to lift rocks and move loads of earth. So I left it.

 

Ooh no @clueless1 that puts the nerf project on the back burner for a while!
Get well soon mate

 

It just means I'll have to restrict myself to easy light work for the next few days. I'm not quite sure what at this stage, as everything on my list for the next few weeks is actual work, but there's a section of fence that needs a coat of paint. I'll probably get away with that at least.

Anyway, although it's still tender, I'm in no way as much pain now as I was this time last night, so I'm starting to think maybe the muscle didn't actually rip at all. I'm no medical expert, but as there was a clunk/twang and it was behind my shoulder blade, I'm now wondering if maybe something twanged out of place as opposed to actually tearing.

 

Quite right.
Restrict your exercises to things like operating the remote control for the telly and lifting a pint of beer, the real important things.

 

Neighbour suffers now and again and I am afraid I just lightly annoy him. Sort of sympathy with a grin. Any chance of a lift .. he usually replies when the chance arises. Some friends have Arthritis no jokes there. A week and you should be fine. Trouble is this time of year we like to get fully into outdoor mode and a good back is helpful.

 

You're really lucky having such an understanding/relaxed employer, as many hard nosed employers would have said that being unable to drive to work doesn't count for signing in sick, and would only be acceptable if your injury prevents your from carrying out your normal work (unless that's driving) entitles you to sick leave/pay.

These days many employers are making their employees attend Occupational Health assessments after only 10 days (including weekends!) sickness. They also monitor their employee's Facebook/forum posts for information such as they're using their 'sick' leave to paint their garden fences, and then sack them for gross misconduct.

 

Such companies would never get the opportunity to sack me, because I would never work for them in the first place. An employer leases from an employee a particular skill, they do not buy the soul. In my case I couldn't have done my job effectively yesterday even if I had somehow magically teleported to work. I could potter a bit, but I couldn't concentrate because of the pain.

I've actually added my boss on Facebook as a friend, because she is, and because I respect her enough to not try to take advantage of her good nature, so I am always 100% honest with her. I work hard for her because she shows me respect and goes to great lengths to make the workplace somewhere where people are happy to be. As a result of that, she has a solid team (including me) that would, without hesitation, go 'beyond the call of duty' to help her and the business and to be honest, we all do it for less than the market rate for our particular skills, but we do that because of how she treats us.

Conversely, I've worked for companies that do all the things you say. Never started earlier, never stayed late, never step outside of my job description, and then promptly left as soon as I got bored of it.

 

And pain relieving medicines would also affect your concentration so there wasn't really a win-win to be had there.