It’s Thursday evening already and I have no idea where this busy week has gone. Let’s roll back to last weekend when I went walking with my 2 bubble buddies, Gareth and Sue. The weather was very poor with strong horizontal winds and pelting rain, and there was even a bit of snow on the tops above the village. More than half way through our 9 mile walk I suddenly saw the stony muddy ground hurtling towards me. Things went into slow mo as they do when you fall. When I realised what had happened and became aware of the pain in my right elbow, I promptly burst into tears and swore prolifically. I swear that swearing helps ease the pain and dissipate any uncomfortable feelings. After wallowing in a muddy puddle of self pity and ascertaining that nothing was broken, I was back on my feet and on we walked. We got to a bench and I wanted to inspect my injuries but the rain started up again so we walked to the next village where we found a bus shelter to have a brew and a hot cross bun.

It was a good walk through some beautiful countryside but I was distracted and ready for home. Back at REH HQ I checked my elbow (grazed) and a bruise was developing nicely. I wasn’t in any pain though.

Back in the day when I had lots of rehearsals and performances, I was quite averse to walking. I didn’t see the point and I took the car even for the shortest trips. Falling was a concern - what if I fell and sprained an ankle or broke a wrist? I wouldn’t be able to play and basically I wouldn’t survive. Well, I disproved this self imposed myth on Sunday morning by doing 2 very productive fruitful hours’ work with little pain or discomfort. So walking and running are here to stay, at least until the pools open again. Why deny myself the pleasure of being in the great outdoors at one with nature?

There’s definitely been a change in the weather and we’ve had more springlike days which always boosts the spirits. The feeling of warm sun is like a balm to the skin and seeing buds burst into blossom holds such hope and optimism. I’m counting the sleeps before celebrating losing an hour in bed next Saturday night. We desperately need a great Summer and while I’m sure it will be like no other Summer we’ve experienced, there are already indications that we will have more freedom than we’ve had during the past few months.

I finally had my bedroom painted in February. That’s been a long drawn out project. Pinning down the painter took some doing. Tradespeople have really benefited from our desire to make our home environments more pleasant places in which to spend the additional time we have at our disposal. Could I become a DIY person? No chance! I can do quite a lot if I set my mind to it but in the long run, it definitely costs me less to pay someone experienced to do a job that would take me months and would cause me so much angst and stress! I can play the harp. I’m fluent in music and I’m good with languages. I can cook and clean. Practicality, however, isn’t my strong suit and that’s why I’m prepared to pay an experienced and knowledgeable professional to do a brilliant job.

Anyway, my bedroom looks great but I’m still sleeping in the spare room as I need to sort out the flooring. I got a quote for carpet and it prompted me to pursue the route I really want to take - having the old characterful floorboards sanded and varnished. I’m getting a quote this weekend. Everything seems to take twice the time I’d factored in. I’m looking forward to sleeping in my bedroom again and waking up to this spectacular view:

Up early before my shift yesterday, I had a strong urge to get out so off I went, my feet clad in trail shoes and I walk-ran 4 miles. It was so invigorating to be outdoors bright and early. Despite tripping over a thorny tangled tendril of undergrowth and finding myself on the floor AGAIN (I was grateful for a soft peaty landing this time), this outing gave me so much energy for the entire day even after I’d worked the late shift the previous night. I was chirpy, cheerful and chatty at work. I go on about exercise because I know how it now plays a fundamentally important part my life. I haven’t been out today - I’m grounded as I have a lot to do here and I need to save my energy for a longer walk on Saturday, and I have some practice to do tomorrow of course. And I don’t want to be grounded again!

What’s all this ^^? There’s always something new to learn on social media!