What a day!

When I first started this blog I hoped that others, who might have to undergo hip replacement, would glean some useful information and encouragement from my experiences. Today has been such a good day, :-), full of firsts and so much better than yesterday.

I had been warned about 'good days' and 'bad days' and yesterday certainly belonged to the latter. I won't dwell too much on why or how I felt...suffice to say I had my 23 wound staples removed at 9a.m. by the practice nurse and on Sunday morning I had decided to stop taking the powerful pain killers I was given during my hospital stay (and for as long as I needed them when back at home). Having spent some time on the web this afternoon I now realise yesterday's 'roughness' was caused by the classic withdrawal symptoms from an opioid. What a relief!

So back to today. :-)

I woke up feeling refreshed, (always a good sign). I no longer needed prunes for breakfast (apologies to those who feel 'too much information!'), my daily exercises were less arduous and WPH suggested that as the sun was shining we would have another outing. This called for a change of clothing. I discarded my 'nursing home' baggy trousers and put on my slimline Gerry Weber jeans (a first). What a great feeling!

Having decided to visit the newly extended and refurbished Ashmolean Museum we made an early start. As we came out of the house the winter jasmine looked stunning in the morning sunshine. We drove into Oxford promptly and managed to get a parking slot right outside the entrance.

WPH was in charge of my wonderful cushion (essential to ensure any chairs are the right height for me when sitting down...) Have cushion, will travel.

We meandered slowly through some of the galleries in the Ashmolean, including those with beautiful Renaissance Art and musical instruments. I used the new lift and amazed myself by being on my feet for just under an hour, before we sat and enjoyed a coffee in the basement cafe.

We exited via the excellent shop and were home in time to phone our friends, Alan and Pat, for an update on la vie Francaise. The latest news is....wait for it.... all fosse septiques in France (septic tanks to les Anglais) are being inspected to see if they conform to new EU regulations. 'Oh joy' we said to each other and burst out laughing!!!

For Francophiles I can recommend, as essential reading,the following book (kindly sent to me last week by a good friend) Talk to the Snail - Ten Commandments for understanding the French by Stephen Clarke.

Lunch was an excellent mackerel pate made by chef WPH. Delicious..mmm.

After the mandatory daily rest on the bed, I then decided to take a second walk of the day, (another first) having counted my visit to the Ashmolean as walk number 1. I decided to walk solo, (yet another first) without my minder WPH, as he needed to do some shopping. Walking solo was rather reminiscent of driving solo for the first time.

Q Which route would I take?

A The one I took yesterday.

Q Would I do anything daring along the way? You know me!

A Yes, I decided to extend my walk and take in an extra 100 metres.

Q Would I get home in one piece?

A Yes - the feel of returning independence was fantastic!

Today has been a really good day.