The Perfect Partners

This is the amazing pillow speaker


The three essentials for whiling away time in the small hours

And who would know what lies beneath the pillow?

An Unexpected Bonus

Waking in the middle of the night or in the early hours is par for the course with a troublesome hip, so it is very important to develop strategies for passing the waking time. There is of course a limit to the number of cups of tea which can be made and consumed quietly and also the frequency of the requisite trips to the bathroom which follow....

I used to turn on my Roberts radio at low volume to while away the time but this wasn't always ideal. Hearing it was rather hit and miss depending on the programme and which ear I had near the radio. BUT now I have found a wonderful solution thanks to daughter number 1. She recommended I bought a pillow speaker and having tried hers for a night I was soon online to Amazon! This amazing device can be used with a radio or MP3 player and it means you can really hear a discussion, news bulletins, music, podcasts or whatever takes your fancy without disturbing the person who is sleeping peacefully next to you.

What a bonus! I now know so much about the Great Bustard which has been reintroduced to Britain after a gap of 177 years....

Alternative Therapy

Having plenty to do and think about is excellent for diverting the mind away from the troublesome hip. During the last month all our three adult offspring, their other halves and all our four grandchildren have spent time with us in our French house, so there has been endless activity and laughter as well as loads of cooking, washing, ironing and cleaning! It is particularly wonderful though to see how agile and energetic the grandchildren are; running rather than walking, jumping and leaping in preference to stepping, whilst chasing seems far more exciting than walking side by side. Meanwhile the accompanying adults step steadily behind, including the one with the stick.....

'Watch me, Granny. I can do this!' can be heard at regular intervals.

'Fantastic' I reply. ' Do it again!'

No problem with climbing into the hammock for them. Hmm....there must be a way.

And so that is why I have developed a new technique for my hammock manoeuvres:-

• bottom in first, at right angles to the hammock


• swing the flexible left leg in next


• lastly assist the troublesome right leg in


• lean back and enjoy!

'Fantastic,' they shout 'Let's swing you!'

I have to admit it is very gratifying to see their admiring looks and to feel like a child again.

What's in a name?

When I was a child I was given Rose Hip syrup for its vitamin C content. When I became a mother I gave it to my children too. It went down well.
A few months ago I began to see and read articles about a new potential benefit of Rose Hips. Scientists have discovered what the indigenous people of the Americas discovered centuries ago, that the extract from a wild variety of Rose Hip called Rosa canina, offers effective pain relief. More effective apparently than paracetemol in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
Worth a try I thought, as I hurried round to my local branch of Holland and Barrett. As I took the plastic container to the checkout I glanced again at the label. I read 'ROSE HIP' in pink script. But why 'HIP'? Those indigenous Americans must have known a thing or two!

Joint Awareness

Our joints are hidden hinges and include ball and socket joints. When they work efficiently it's easy not to think about them. We can check up visually on other working bits of our body but our bones fortunately remain concealed. A worn out bone can only communicate through pain and loss of flexibility and I suppose that is how it gradually dawned on me that I was developing an arthritic hip.


It all began six years ago....but how was it possible when I was only 54? Surely I was far too young to have arthritis. Not so, according to my doctor and the inevitable Xray. I immediately began to try to pinpoint a cause. Could it have been the

• ballet lessons I had as a child?
• much loved horse riding?
• jumping from high walls, when dared by my older brother?
• carrying of three babies perched on my right hip?
• bending and squatting when teaching small children?
• digging my veggie plots?
• walking?

But the list was pointless. It was no good thinking 'if only I hadn't done'........

This was something I needed to accept. I could exercise and maintain my general fitness but ultimately I would need help to resolve this frustrating problem.