Thought For Today...

I've been feeling more than a bit sorry for myself lately.... barely able to hobble, let alone negotiate stairs (other than on my backside!), I'm trapped in my home office all day. Darling husband has been looking after me so well.... doing all the house chores, cooking, leaving me with flasks of coffee and healthy snacks to sustain me while he is out at work.

What is really getting to me, is the sudden forced immobility.... no boxercise, no yoga, no Aikido, no power walking, no hiking. I've realised that just about all of my hobbies are active ones. My weekends are usually planned around long walks and sporting activities. I'm stuck indoors all day on a computer for work, so I ache to get out and get active in my free time....

I've had to give myself a stern talking-to! I could wallow in self-pity for the next 6 weeks... or I can change the way I do things and make the best of a change in gear....

#1 This is a TEMPORARY situation. For some people, this is their way of life - due to whatever circumstances, they will never walk, let alone run again.

#2 I'll have a lot of time to reacquaint myself with the Blogging World... I think I've become so caught up with everything else in my life, this blog has just fallen by the wayside. Warning: You may be bombarded with random nonsense, forgotten tales and old photographs over the coming weeks!

#3 I can take up swimming again very soon. It's the only exercise that has my Dr's stamp of approval. And my yoga instructor has outlined a routine that avoids using the damaged calf... so I will be keeping myself limber on some fronts.

#4 All those books I have been meaning to read, those films I never had the time to watch, the TV series everyone has been raving about.... guess what? I now have the time to catch up!

#5 If I behave myself and allow my leg to recover properly, none of my travel plans for later this year will be affected. A trip to the Lake District next weekend to hike to the top of Scafell Pike has turned into a day relaxing in a lovely lakeside Spa.

When life gives you lemons... grab tequilla and salt!

Things I've Learnt This Week....

The gastrocnemius is really quite an important muscle in your leg. And it has absolutely nothing to do with your bowels, despite that gutsy little name.

That gastrowhatsit might just give up the ghost if you push it too far.

You're definitely in trouble when the doctor (who looks far too young to have qualified - which means you are getting old, which is a whole different worry) starts the conversation with  "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but...."

Six to eight weeks is a long time. A VERY loooooooooong time to be sitting on one's backside.

Six to eight weeks of sitting on one's backside sounds like a sure-fire way to double the dimensions of that already sizeable backside. On the other foot being limited to hopping/hobbling painfully does restrict the number of trips to the kitchen to get snacks. Every cloud....

The Northern Drakensberg

Our South African holiday kicked off with a 4-night stay in the Northern Drakensberg mountains. Situated approximately half-way between Johannesburg and  Durban, this beautiful part of the country offers superb hiking opportunities

We stayed at Montusi Mountain Lodge - what a treat! Guests are accommodated in comfy thatched cottages, all overlooking the famous Amphitheatre escarpment....

Our cottage

There is so much to do! Hiking, mountain biking, swimming, fly fishing, golf, quad biking, paint balling, horse riding are all on offer... it was hard finding the time to just relax and enjoy the views.

Here are a few photos from our hikes around the Montusi estate...

Still Here...

Well hello there!

Yes, it's been a while....

February turned into March, then April and May... and suddenly we're almost into June and still not a peep from Nat.

I've been working... and travelling....and working some more... then planning some more travelling... but mostly just working.

The working stuff is (of course!) just boring, but I do have lots to show and tell you about my recent trip to South Africa, and my planned travels later this year.

Watch this space!

Greek Flora

We had the fauna in the last post, so here's the flora, with love from Greece...

Pomegranate

Oleander

Not sure of this one!

Cockscomb

Amorgos

Wild strawberry

Lupin

Orchid

Bougainvillea

All Greek Creatures Great And Small

Some of my favourites snapped on Evia....

Friendly horse

Noble steads

There were cats everywhere!

Haughty feline

Cute kitten

This pup loved the beach!

Tortoise spotted in the Styra Valley 

Curious sheep

Basking lizard

Beautiful butterfly - I was so thrilled I caught her (on camera)

Greek To Me....

Back to warmer climes for a while, with a bit more about my holiday in Greece last Autumn.

The island of Evia is a walkers’ paradise, little known outside of Greece. Old stone paths connect quaint villages tucked away on the slopes of the mountains.  There are ancient ruins, old Roman marble quarries, tiny little hill top churches and beautiful, deserted beaches to be explored. After a hard day of hiking, it was back to our hotel in Karystos, where traditional tavernas along the harbour front vied for our custom, serving up delicious salads, fresh fish and moussaka.

We hiked below the peaks of Mount Ochi to Castello Rosso, a Fort of the 4th Crusade....

Castello Rosso seen from the aqueduct

View on the way up

Castello Rosso - read more about it here

View from Castello Rosso 

Little church

We climbed Mt Kliosi, to the ruins of the ancient Acropolis of Styra...

The evergreen valley of Styra

The ancient gate of Armenians' Castle - read more about it here

Top of the hill of St Nicolas

St Nicolas Church

View on the descent

We hiked higher up on the slopes of Mt Ochi, one of the sacred mountains in Greek mythology, where Olympic Zeus supposedly wedded goddess Hera.

View of the Mediterranean from Mount Ochi

Marble columns - abandoned at the end of the Roman Empire

Karystos harbour at sunset

Karystos harbour - twinkling lights of tavernas at twilight (say that three times fast!)