Recovery mode

Well, here I sit with my leg up, as instructed, and with a bag of frozen peas on my knee, hoping to bring the swelling down. I've started taking Ibuprofen now as well, to help with the inflammation. I don't like taking unnecessary medicines, especially painkillers, unless I really need them. I haven't touched the Co-Drydamol that the hospital gave me on Monday, but needs must and I'll start with the Ibuprofen now, especially after having had a bad day yesterday.

On Tuesday, the day after the op, I took it easy but I seemed to be able to move around OK, and, on Wednesday, I walked along to the shops with little difficulty. On Thursday, I had my regular appointment at the local Cardio Clinic and so I again walked along there. It was on the way back, when I got to Corsee Road, that I suddenly encountered pretty sharp pain in my knee, and it was a struggle to hobble home from there.

My knee is still swollen and sore this morning but I was able to gingerly walk along to the shops again. I'll tread carefully from here, but I am getting a bit stir-crazy sitting around the house all the time - especially when the weather is so nice. It's another beautifully sunny day again today - I would definitely be out walking or on my bike, if I could.

Incidentally, the Cardio Nurse complimented me on losing 2 kgs since my last visit. "What?", I said - "I've just returned from 6 weeks with the lushes Down Under. Are you sure?" Apparently it's true - well that's 2kgs less I have to lose now.

At this time a week ago, Jo and I were sitting in the lounge at Hong Kong airport, on the long wait for our flight back to the UK - a mistake we hope never to repeat. We should have gone in to the city and kept on the move, rather than sitting around indoors for 11 hours.

I had a couple of beers last Saturday, but otherwise, it's been a week of abstention - some of it enforced of course. I broke the fast last night when Malcolm Grigor invited me for a beer. I agreed - but only if we had it at the Tor-na-Coille - that's as far as I could make it yesterday.

Jo went swimming with her pals on Wednesday and she's going back again today - getting back in to the groove. I don't have a groove yet - this retirement thing is still all new to me, and I've had the distractions of a long holiday and an operation, so I don't really have a routine yet.

We've been catching up on Corrie of course - another 10 episodes or so and we'll be up to date. It's very much wallpaper TV - it's on in the background whilst we're doing other things. You don't have to watch, as long as you hear most of the narrative - and you can generally figure out where the story lines are going. Why then do we still record it? Habit, I guess - and it's a bit like an old cardigan - warm and comforting to come home to.

I'll be heading down to the Douglas Arms again tonight to join our usual Friday night crowd - my first time this year. Tomorrow afternoon promises more beer as there's a CAMRA meeting in Aberdeen and I've missed a few when we've been away.

The days are noticeably getting longer - nice to see. Of course, it's March on Sunday and just 4 weeks until the clocks go forward to BST again. This would normally be about the time when I go to seek some golf in the sun, in preparation for the new season. Last year, we went to Dubai and stayed with Nigel and Andrea Meany, but we certainly won't be doing that this year - Nigel gave us the shock news that Andrea has a large brain tumour, and as I write this, she is undergoing surgery in London to remove it, with her family anxiously awaiting the outcome.

More bad news came to Banchory this week when we heard that Frances Davies, wife of John, died on Monday. She, too, had a brain tumour and it had been a question of time.

What a terrible way to finish this blog posting - but I can't really follow this.