Friday, November 20, 2009

Dancing On The Ceiling



Today I had my first decent walk of the week. I seem to have spent lots of time this week in hospitals, x-ray centres and doctor's offices. I also started off the week with the heavy cold which could have been 'flu but fortunately was not.

Yesterday we had to go to Carcassonne and today is Friday so I have done the 24 kms hike back home from Lavelanet.

Another problem I have had recently has been the knee problem which has been troubling me for two or three weeks. Monday morning it was x-rayed, which showed there is no structural damage or, surprisingly, visible wear and tear or arthritis.

So the knee is still not perfect but I have been doing some exercises and things have improved a bit. The exercises were given to me by the surgeon who looks after the knees and other bits for the Italian soccer team. This was some time ago when I was having similar trouble with my knee. I had arranged to see him through Nicola's contacts in the bone-mending business. I expected him to say I needed an operation but, while I was on the inspection table, he grabbed the tendon under my knee-cap. When I came down through the hole I made in the ceiling, he said "You need to stretch that tendon and this is how you do it". The cartoon above is wonderfully appropriate.

So because of the foregoing, my kilometrage will not be enormous this week. We should get a decent climb down into and up from Quillan tomorrow morning. Sunday is looking a bit doubtful for walking because we are having another visit from Septimus so we have to pick him up at Carcassonne airport.

So the week promises to be one of the shortest I have had for some time but I am happy because the plan is to tick over into the beginning of next year, then have another burst of high-kilometrage weeks in New Zealand, then taper off again until VBW starts on May 15.

Dancing on the Ceiling? Lionel Ritchie?

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