Seven months with no walking to speak of. It's been ghastly but at last my foot problem seems to be sorted. As there's now very little pain, I've taken to strolling about my local patch again; If it should flare up it's not too far to hobble back to the safety of my comfy chair.
The first picture was a few weeks ago on a bone cold day in the late afternoon. I walked home under a black moonless sky.
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| 30TH DECEMBER 2016 |
The weather yesterday was fabulous: Watery blue skies, slanting winter sunshine and a crust of frozen earth with cracked ice pools skinning the heath floor.
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| 18TH JANUARY 2017 |
Using my phone's camera all these pictures were taken within a few yards of each other. You'll have noticed the same forked tree, a favourite of mine.
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| 18TH JANUARY 2017 |
This time I was home in the twilight, having mooched about, waiting for the sun to slide sideways to magically transform the ice into crumpled silver.
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| 18TH JANUARY 2017 |
Plans are now in an advanced state for the PreWalkDaunder. This year it's being professionally prepared by that VeryVeryNiceMan Mr Williams, and will take place on his own home patch in the English Lake District.
And now, some happy stuff:
And this, so I won't lose it again.
Great photos and I've bought the Koi boys album - thanks.
ReplyDeleteOoh - Risky gamble there, Conrad! I liked this particular video because of the lovely surprise. It wasn't what I expected at all.
DeleteThank you, Sir.
Hope your foot is fine now. Geoff is currently at an acupuncture appointment because of ankle and foot trouble. He's had scans done and they can't see anything so needles are the next option...
ReplyDeleteOooh. Needles. Oooh. I would have to be in an enormous amount of pain to risk those!
DeleteGive my best wishes to the fine gentleman!
Didn't know you have had a bad foot Al. An old war wound I guess. Any way glad to see you up and about the blogging scene has been a bit limp of late. Pun intended.
ReplyDeleteThe foot was a bit of a bugger as it is a new war wound, Al. A few years back Andy Walker dragged me up small cliff faces in a ghastly gorge with a torrent beneath, with sharp pointy rocks. I banged my left knee on the rock and ever since suffered horribly from a damaged medial meniscus (is that how it's spelt?)
DeleteHowever, the good news was this year's Challenge sorted out the knee - something must have been nudged out of the way. However it meant that I was now striding out again, but with a shortened achilles from sub consciously taking smaller strides to protect the knee. This stretched the achilles, which dragged on the tendon the other side of my heel bone under my foot. This is *incredibly* painful - its plantar fasciitis. And it's taken bloody ages to sort out!
Yes - I had noticed a general decrease in blogging effort, apart from some wonderful exceptions like the Pieman, yourself, Conrad, James Boulter (incredible stuff) and Gayle & Mick. So - note to self - Pull your socks up and get back out there again. Ooh, and Beating the Bounds, a Wordpress blog that refuses to take my comments :-(
I've restarted my 3 miles a day regime and am already feeling the benefits.
These things take an age to sort out. I too have been suffering off and on for 2 years with a sore knee and that caused a sore Achilles. I think it's either a lack of Holts bitter which I intend to prove one way or another once January has cleared off. Your injury sounds much worse than mine and I'm pleased for you that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
DeleteI've been having a look at some top end boots that are not yet available in U.K. except by post. They are called Alfa. The more the word gets out about them the quicker they will be in the shops. See what you think.
Those boots look pretty good, Al.
DeleteAny idea of their volume? I'm actually looking for new boots right now, but I need medium/low volume.
Worth email them direct rather than me guessing Al. They are rather good aren't they.
DeleteOh no, no, no! I was relying on your gammy foot and David's wobbly leg to allow me to have a slow, leisurely amble across Scotland, not a full on hike!
ReplyDeleteNow it seems you're both as fit as fleas, and actually training for the event. Anyway, good to see you out & about. Hope the foot continues to behave.
Cheers
Lord E.
P.S. thinking of disabilities, wasn't that Van Gogh fella in the clip somewhat over-endowed in the ear department?
Possibly my most wonderful Challenge for strolling along was the year you damaged your leg on the Disabled Persons ramp at the entrance to Sainsburys in Glasgow. You also had the flu. Wonderful times! Good ol' schadenfreude.
DeleteYes - he did have twice as many lug'oles than the required complement, didn't he? Obviously not prepared to suffer for his art.
Ah. The Glasgow Sainsburys incident. The saving grace was that, despite the fall and the agony, I didn't drop the beer bottles.
DeleteUp to five miles, eh? Well done, Sir. Miss W has taken note, and I fear her plan for the week-end may involve what can only be described as "mileage". My future gratitude has already been invoked.
You two, you make me chuckle.
DeleteThank you 😊
The comments are the best bit of this blog; they're written by everyone else.
DeleteGood to hear that you're out and about again as well as posting again Alan. Lovely photographs too and quite a lot of patience needed to get some of them.
ReplyDeleteYou obviously didn't have to scurry back to your chair which is great news with the Challenge not far off.
You're very sweet, Gibson. In fact, I suffered a very cold and muddy knee, kneeling down to get the bottom picture (ie, the last picture, not a picture of bottoms - though I expect you would have to kneel to achieve that as well)
DeleteSo far, the foot is up to five miles with no noticeable problems. Slowly slowly catchee monkey.
You must be my stunt double!
ReplyDeletePlantar Fasciitis - I've had that for the past couple of years but it seems to have sorted itself out. Took to wearing a splint on my foot at night and after I tightened it, the pain went although I can still sense its there waiting to re-occur. Also have a knee problem which I think is my medial meniscus. MRI scan done waiting to get the results in a couple of week
Good to see you back out again :)
Stunt double, eh, Andy? It'll be gout for you next then!
Delete:-)
Your Tightened splint solution sounds a tad medieval, but then again, the pain at its peak was torture.
Good luck with the knee - another dose of pain we could well do without.