Lazy day on the river 3

Along the Kennet and Avon Canal they also have horse drawn barges, left over from bygone days.  We passed many of these and were glad to see something from a bygone era.  Although picturesque this mode of transport can be fraught with dangers for passengers of other passing barges.  At the time I was at the back of the boat talking to the crew when they yelled 'duck'.  Duly crouching down quickly I was then somewhat surprised to get a hearty thwack across the backside as the mooring rope from the horse drawn barge was thrown over our boat and it caught me stern side, meaning I spent the next hour or so trying to drying our my nether regions

much to the delight of the other passengers on board.

Lazy Day on the River 2

These pictures show us in one of the locks, where the water levels are being changed as we were going uphill on this journey.

We were in danger of not being able to make the trip as at the first lock workmen were trying to fix the gate where it had dropped off of its hinges.  For the participants of the trip it was a good time to relax, enjoy their morning coffee and chat.

 

Lazy Day on the River

One of the great things about my job is that I get to laze on the river from time to time.  We have not had much of a summer, but Wednesday 5th September was a morning of promise that did not fail to let us down for the whole day.

I run various clubs for people with disabilities and spend quite a lot of time with these particular club members. As well us having problems in common with mobility, they are a fun group and each year organise a trip for us all on the Kennet and Avon Canal.  This year I also took my other half, using the rational that he was recurperating from his op, so met the trips criteria.  The truth was that I just did not want to leave him all day, and this trip is so lovely that I did not want him to miss out.

So 16 of us set out at 10.00 am in the morning, and my first job of the day (after all the shopping) was to make sure everyone was settled with morning tea/coffee and a good supply of biscuits.  This trip is never very diabetic friendly, although all those who are diabetic assure me that they will be good the next day.  The boat that we us is hired by the local Lions club for a week and is fully adapted for people with disabilities.  The take one charitable group per day out, with the crew members giving up time from work take the boat through the locks.

The highlight for most people is travelling through the locks, some of which you can see from the photos and I will put the rest on a bit later - for some reason I could only put 8 on at a time?

As you can see the day was gorgeous - not too hot, but plenty of sunshine.  What I love is the reflections into the water.  I am not sure how I got this photo effect and I am impressed by the fact it looks as though the river is moving, like a movie, rather than still photos.

 

More to come

My knee

Well, I saw my GP about my knee and the Xrays show severe wear and tear, with a couple of bits of broken off ligament floating around, but as I am so young (57) he feels that it needs to be left for a while before they do anything.

Obviously I was not happy with this, so I am seeing the specialist in a couple of weeks and they are going to see if they can remove the couple of bits of broken off ligament in the back of my knee, which is probably the reason I am in so much pain.

A love story

 The Love Story of Ralph and Edna.
>
> Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to,doesn't

> mean they don't love you with all they have.
>
> Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while
> they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Ralph suddenly
jumped
> into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there.
>
> Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled

> him out.
>
> When the Head Nurse Director became aware of Edna's heroic act she
> immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now

> considered her to be mentally stable.
>
> When she went to tell Edna the news she said, "Edna, I have good news
> and bad news. The good news is you're being discharged, since you were

> able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the
life
> of the person you love. I have concluded that your act displays sound
> mindedness.
>
> The bad news is, Ralph, hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe

> belt right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he's dead."
>
> Edna replied, "He didn't hang himself, I put him there to dry.
>
> How soon can I go home?"

 

 

Nordic Walking Poles

Nordic walking poles are a bit like ski poles.  Usually used in pairs, they are used for walking.  There was a certain amount of hype about them a while back as they are reputed to give you quite a good work out when walking as they also exercise the upper body.

I have to confess that I wanted them more to avoid using a walking stick or my crutches, as I needed something that helped me keep my balance whilst walking as my knee is prone to give out and send me tumbling over - not a pretty sight as I end up looking like a beached whale.

I have not taken them for a test drive yet, so will report back when I do.

For those who want to know what they look like, follow the link to the website I found.  If you want to try them out you can get them from Argos for £14.99 or the deluxe ones for £19.99 - and then if they work I may invest in more expensive ones.

http://www.sheactive.co.uk/brand.html?supplier=00000066&type=brand&gclid=CMrNnuLmuo4CFQSlEAodrAMnyg

 

 

Latest update

Bob is doing well, and just beginning to get a bit aggitated at not being able to do all the things he would like to do.  Patience is what I tell him, he has to be careful until he goes back to work in November, so we are only half way there on his road to recovery.

Today we are going out for lunch as it is my birthday, and he is taking me to a sports shop to investigage some Nordic walking sticks.  The problems with my leg needs an operation on the knee, so it is difficult to walk at present, and as I am supposed to be ensuring that he walks for half hour everyday we have to find a way of doing that without me suffering too much, and by all accounts these sticks could be the answer.

Later we will be seeing all the grandchildren - we have 9 of them still living at home with their parents, so they will all call sometime today