In Celebration

 In celebration of being able to walk easily and for a long distance this year, I have promised myself that I will walk 300,000 steps this February and so far I am well on target. Last February I had an operation on my right heel to fix my Achilles tendon. This time last year, for three whole weeks, I was not allowed to put my foot on the ground, leave alone try walking. The pub, which is next to my home seemed a mile away when I wanted to hop there on crutches. It is so easy to forget how difficult doing normal things was for me just one year ago. My determination to do these steps is a real celebration of my overcoming last year's op.

Soggy Syd

This week I have had assistance getting my steps up. I am down in Cornwall and I have Syd to accompany me. Syd is a lively collie with no off switch. We go down to the beach, walk along the cliffs and play ball. Down on the beach he is still a naughty puppy and a bit of a tart. He likes to get anyone and everyone to pick up his ball and throw it for him. Embarrassing! I even tried to get Syd to swim in the sea. He wasn't having any of it. He likes his feet firmly on the ground.  

A February swim in the sea

I have also had Diane and Jeremy to keep me company for the week. Each time we left the house we got wet. Every single day it has rained the sort of rain that soaks through everything. Then on returning home the house turned into a Chinese laundry with clothes hanging everywhere to dry out. One day the sun was out when I was on the beach and I almost forgot that this was not normal. Before I got home, it started to rain again - the end of my brief joy. Getting wet inevitably makes for more work. This is where dogs have the advantage. One good shake and they are dry! 

A wee bit of sun between downpours

My Sunday walk without Syd took me to three beaches and through the town. Along the way and soaked through, I dived into the Windjammer, a bar with views of the bay, next to the museum. Not only did they not sniff at my sogginess or my fussiness, they recharged my phone and served the best food imaginable with a smile. Seeing what others were ordering, I would readily go back and try other dishes. Perhaps I should extend my stay.

We also have good reason to celebrate a Gold at the Winter Olympics. For the UK, Matt Weston going downhill head first faster than anyone else, got us the first medal ever in the Skeleton race. Well done Matt! I went skiing in Livigno rather a long time ago with a large group of friends. We are all in current agreement that the Bombardinos we drank should feature in the current Olympic events. Back then, we would race to the bottom and have bomdardinos as our standard apres ski. A bombardino is a mixture of brandy, advocaat, hot milk and cream! A welcome warm drink with lots of alcohol after a cold day on the slopes goes down easily. I feel bomardino-ing has traction to become a competitive event. We could even try doing multiple spins in the air on a snowboard after drinking them! Easy!