Nothing, in my experience goes to plan. Five weeks after my TKR I am still limping, though I’m told, not as noticeably, but still not pedalling anywhere. Or nowhere for that matter, I can only use the bike to nowhere to flex the thigh muscles in my “repaired” left leg. It remains very painful when I try to get near to 90 degrees of bend. Got into my old Yaris this morning to test the possibility of driving again, but it is not too hopeful, because getting my left foot on and off the clutch pedal is difficult.

So I am a little down in the dumps. I want to be back at work by middle of next month, and actually driving by next week. I walk the confines of our street and a back lane now three of four times a day, My right shoulder and left hip actually hurt more than my left knee, obviously, because of the way I contort my body to protect my new knee.

The old hopeless technophobe that I am, has meant I just upgraded my WordPress.com blog to the cheapest I could pay on an annual basis, it has always been free from the day I started it . It is now called Welshcyclist’s Weblog, and can be found via Welshcyclist.com. However, I don’t know how to post correctly yet, i.e., insert photos etc.. So bear with me.

Well I inserted a photograph.

During my walking exercise of both yesterday and today, I did my usual trip, down and back up the street, as well as the back lane. Today, I did an extra walk, down to Pontwalby bridge. It’s down hill to get there but uphill on the way back. I do not like walking downhill currently, perhaps it’s all in the mind, but I have a great fear of my left leg sliding from under me. Here are the views downstream and then upstream from the bridge over our river Nedd (Neath).

The river level is very low, not surprising as currently we are experiencing a real heatwave of up to 30 plus degrees celsius for at least the last three days, and no rain for several weeks.

It was great to walk the back lane, it is so marvelous that the trees cool everything down, not just by the shade they provide either. It seems to me more magical than that. No doubt planting millions of trees and nurturing them can help us set back this curse of climate change.

Just a few steps into this dappled sunlight and it is a different and much more comfortable world, being able to get out of this heatwave. I could do with a few tall trees around our house, though I have to admit our outside/inside space the gazebo is quite good at giving us relief. The problem with the heat is that it is very humid, dry heat would not be so uncomfortable. The best cure for the heat is to be pedalling through dappled lanes of sunlight, but sadly, I have to wait for that chance.

The grasses and wild flowers are all blooming everywhere, yet few butterflies and bees etc., are to be seen.

Sorry to end on such a depressing note, but I’ve already spent too much time trying out this new blog posting tool. All I have to do is make sure I post regularly now, because I have to pay a monthly fee, and also try to remember how I did this tomorrow.

Cheers.