Not as good as pedalling, but I got behind the steering wheel this morning. I am a bit slow and cumbersome getting in and out of the car, but driving feels OK. So that’s one target achieved.

It feels like I’ve been on my feet all day, but I only managed one walk, up and down Dr Thomas’ lane. I saw a couple of squirrels scampering about the trees, too quick for this mobile phone camera user to get a shot, so no change there. The story of my photographic career.

Though it is still very hot and humid here, I still enjoyed stretching my legs, even if this left one is complaining with an ache down the back of it. The surgeon told me that I could use exercises, hot water bottles, ice packs (frozen peas) and have massages to gain the bend in my knee. Where do I get a massage? When I spoke to the hospital physio, he said, you won’t get one here! I really think a good deep massage of my left thigh muscles would benefit me a lot more than the torture of physio.

This left knee of mine has been a bone (sorry) of contention for me, ever since I first twisted it playing football when I was 16, a full 54 years ago. At that time I had begun training with Barry Town, I wanted to be a professional footballer. The physio in Barry sent me to the physio at Cardiff City, where I ended up in the same physio room as the great John Toshack who was playing for Cardiff, at the time, before his move to Liverpool. Sadly, I could only watch as he and the other players trained, because of my knee.

I had strained the capsular ligament, I had heat treatments of various kinds, with heat lamps focussed on the joint while it was completely daubed in some sort of black goo. I continued to play some football, but only for my school. The following year we got into the semi finals of the Welsh Schoolboys Cup, we lost and I strained my knee again jumping to head a ball in defense. My position was right full back, I tried to model my play on the great George Cohen of 1966 World Cup fame.

Might seem dumb now, but after that set back, I went back to playing rugby for my school, playing in the centre I generally missed any hard knocks. Until another fateful day when I received a hospital pass, and yes, I was limping all over again.

I continued in this vein until I got married and then rarely got involved until we moved to Ireland. Because I was Welsh the lads I worked with thought, ” he must be good at rugby”. I’d already proved I could sing after late nights/early mornings in the country pubs around the county of Cork, when the drink flowed and everyone had to get up and give a song. So I turned up for training with Sundays Well. Managed to play a couple of games, until yes the knee went.

The next time I had a problem, I snapped a tendon in my left leg while football training with my three sons. Being off work with such injuries was a no, no. But yes I did it again, this time playing cricket for the brewery I was working for. Fancied myself as a bit of a Freddie Titmus, I ran up to deliver, as I turned to release the ball, I collapsed in a heap at the crease. Limped off again.

This is a litany of the numerous times my left knee let me down. Even without sport, my actions always found the weakness in my left knee. I had to limp away, after falling off a ladder, same again when I foolishly jumped down a height of three feet from a wall in the back garden, and slipped on the kitchen floor.

Below is the aftermath of my fall in the kitchen, back in 2018.

Not a pretty sight!

I recovered well, and I’ve not doubt that was because I had been cycling since 2004.

This brings us almost up to date. I twisted the knee when I slid on some moss in the High Street back in February this year and I’ve been off work ever since, I had the call for a TKR just as I was almost fit for work, and had the op three weeks later 11th June 2021. So I am now into my seventh week of recovery.

Looking better, but still not enough bend. Tried to get some physio for this week, but no answer to my calls as yet. Where can I get a proper sports massage?

Cheers.