Bad is good and good becomes bad.

Well, here I am again just over a year since my last post. The good news is that the new hip continues to perform well and causes no problems whatsoever. It is so good that I now describe my right leg as my 'GOOD' leg.

However the bad news is that the left hip has now decided it also needs attention. I suppose I expected this to happen, but definitely not so soon. What was my GOOD leg is now known as my BAD leg.

A difficult few weeks have led me to the doctor's surgery too many times. Distant memories of aches, stiffness and graunching have flooded back, finally culminating with a session of physiotherapy this morning. Having been told that I might have to wait 2/3 months for an appointment I feel very fortunate to have been scooped up by the NHS so quickly. The assessment was carried out by Sam....yes you've guessed it....young, handsome and so professional! I now have exercises to do to try to strengthen the already weakened muscles as well as do's and don'ts about sitting, standing and walking. Another appointment beckons in two weeks, so until then I have some hard work to do if I am going to impress Sam!

What more can I say except watch this space.

One year on....

I can't believe that a whole year has passed since I became bionic, but I do know that the troublesome hip is now a thing of the past. It was a similar sort of day a year ago, sunny and bright, and I was extremely nervous and very apprehensive. All the awful waiting was over and I knew that the Nuffield Orthopaedic Hospital was a centre of excellence. But I had probably read too much about possible post op complications......and spent too much time thinking about them. Signing the consent form was a definite leap of faith. How thankful I am that I took that leap!
So how best to celebrate my new hip's first birthday? A quick Rosemary Conley workout followed by a lunchtime swim at our local pool. In between lengths as I caught my breath, I chatted to a friend who asked after my new hip.
'Does it click?' she asked.
'Not at all', I replied.
'What make is your hip?' she then queried.
'Goodness, I didn't know there were different makes', I said.
'Oh yes', she continued, 'my son makes them. Some of the replacement hips click so loudly you can hear the person coming!'

I have heard of 'the Birmingham hip' but suddenly I found myself thinking of potential designer labels, such as

zip hip and yippee hippee

and possible strap lines for those marketing replacement hips.

'Clip into this hip - get back on your feet'

'Strain and pain? No more gyp with our new hip.'

I know that my high impact polyethylene and cobalt chrome stainless steel hip has transformed my life.... or should I write My trusty bounce has transformed my life?

A bientot France

Having returned from France just over a week ago, my photos are now sorted. Le Batut is 725 miles away, closed and secure for the Winter after the excitement, noise and fun of the Summer. The mighty oak will be dropping its leaves to carpet the drive whilst the geraniums sit inside, safe from the chills and frosts. The log pile, food for the woodburner, is ready and waiting for February, thanks to some good friends, WPH and my brother.

Our final night in France was spent at a logis close to Hardelot with its spectacular beach.

The following morning the pretty beach huts were empty and there were few people around. Those taking advantage of the warm October sunshine were out for fitness and exercise, as were WPH and I.

The outgoing tide had made wonderful patterns in the sand and the gulls were taking advantage of the many watery dips.

We stood and stared as a sand yacht sped along the waterline and after completing our brisk walk I took advantage of a quick sit down on a buoy.

What an amazing finish to our French summer! The new hip is now so reliable that I hardly give it a thought. Perhaps all the wine and good food of la belle France has something to do with that?

Which reminds me....I have a French quince crop to sort out. Maybe some quince jelly and quince cheese beckons.

Three months without a blog.

Where have the weeks gone? A long busy French summer and a wonderful time with the family.

What were the highlights? Seeing two of my grandchildren learn to swim.

What surprised me this summer? The glut of fruit.

What was the highest temperature? 40C whilst we were looking after our three youngest grandchildren.

What was the favourite game of the summer? Uno extreme, closely followed by Happy Families.

Did I have time to knit? Yes




Did I bake anything new? Yes, inspired by my son in law's peach tart, I made one too...yum

Who had a birthday? William and me.

How is the hip? Fantastic!

Seek and ye shall find.

During the past week WPH and I have enjoyed four eye opening walks. Massive caves, supersoft lichen and fast flowing streams have all contributed to the sensory stimuli, as well as a friendly hound, two startled stampeding deer, a friendly grass snake and a stupendous black woodpecker. Nature has a way of being noticed here.

Yesterday's walk though, turned out to be longer than expected. Our friends A and P and their dog Tessa often join us and suggested a moderately challenging petite rondonee; challenging because it involved a steep climb down a valley to a river bed by a ruined mill and it also meant leaving one car at the start of the walk and a second at the finish. We were well prepared with sticks, following our confrontation with the stampeding deer earlier in the week, and went down the valley in single file. The path was narrowed by recent deluges and in some places deep gulleys had formed where stones had been washed away but the hip coped admirably. Safely down we crossed a river via wobbly stepping stones, passed uprooted fallen trees and saw wonderful ferns normally found in garden centres. Over the next hour there were frequent mini streams to stride over and muddy boggy patches to negotiate. Finally emerging back into sunlight, with a further mile to A's waiting car, I glanced down at my wrist to check the time on my watch. It was one of those stomach churning moments as I realised my watch was no longer where it should have been. What were we to do? Even Tessa was tired so you can imagine how the humans felt! We all decided food was essential and I tried to be philosophical about my loss as we eventually went our separate ways.


Over lunch WPH and I discussed the options. We could try to forget the watch.... after all the odds of finding it were incredibly slim, or we could retrace our steps, without A and P and the use of their car and do the walk twice more. Parking our car at the finish we would walk to the start and then from the start to the finish again! Mmm, a difficult choice, on a warm sunny afternoon. But never ones to shirk a challenge you can guess which option we chose!

At 4.30pm our second walk began. We had to walk quite slowly with eyes down to stand the best chance of finding the watch. Our optimism waxed and waned as stones glinted in front of us. We recalled conversations of the morning as we passed various landmarks and of course the further we walked we reminded each other how the odds were lengthening. Never mind we thought, at least we had tried. Having finally reached the ruined mill we paused before the steep climb to the top of the valley. Imagine our surprise as an untidy looking black bird with a red crown to its head rose up in front of us, before flying to a nearby tree landing in the characteristic woodpecker pose. How I wished I hadn't left my camera behind. This is the best I can offer

Perhaps this was an omen? No, probably not we thought . Up the steep and gulley ridden path we climbed. Hot and tired we reached the start but still with no watch found. It was now 6.20pm. We had to brace ourselves for the descent, summoning up all our energy reserves. Halfway down WPH called out behind me 'hey, look at that!' I turned expectantly, to see him pointing to a motionless grass snake. We stood and watched as it gracefully slid quietly away. The ruined mill was approaching and the path, now seeming more familiar, was particularly tricky as we balanced on a grassy mound to avoid a deep rut. I glanced down to my left and there it was, glinting slightly.... MY WATCH. We were almost at the black woodpecker tree and after a congratulatory hug we decided that yes, the black woodpecker had undoubtedly been a lucky omen. We almost scampered home from that moment. With the watch safely in my pocket we knew the light in the wooded area was fading quickly. Reaching home at 8pm we relived the adventures of the lost and found watch and the highs and lows of our amazing day. The celebrations were pretty good too!

A celebration for WPH!

Strictly speaking Father's Day is still three days away but we decided to celebrate today. WPH has been extremely busy here over the past few weeks.... tree felling, grass cutting, painting and repairing have all featured on his 'to do' lists. Time then to take a much needed break.

Le Carre des Gourmets, newly opened in St Antonin, was our choice for a special lunch. Choosing a new restaurant may sound a bit risky but not when you already know the reputation of the owners and their chef.

Frederic and Veronique Raffi moved their business to this vacated riverside hotel during the winter. Builders and decorators have transformed the old 'pink hotel' into a stylish and attractive restaurant. Once the scaffolding disappeared it was placed on our must visit list. Today was not really warm enough for eating on the terrace but the views from it were still amazing.

WPH and I chose the menu decouverte, a set menu offered at weekday lunchtimes. For any foodie readers the actual menu can be seen on their website http://www.carredesgourmets.fr/mets.fr/

I had of course taken my camera but forgot to take a photo of the mise en bouche until I had nearly finished it....my apologies. However the crevette ile flottant was as tasty as its name suggests.

Other courses followed and believe me they were all delicious.

as were the liquid additions.

Happy Father's Day WPH!

Oh my goodness!

Yes, I really ran for my camera when I saw this amazing sight yesterday.

These are two western whip snakes (non venomous!) in an amorous clinch.