I can’t believe it’s almost time to go home! My original
return date was December 8th but I had to change that because more
treatment was needed and I was hoping to start work so I could do a bit of work
and continue treatment at the same time. I extended my stay here with 2 weeks
but unfortunately Occupational Health still hasn’t given me the OK to start
going back to work remotely. I have my laptop and access to the network so
that’s not the problem.
I’m still doing physio and training in the gym 5 days a
week, 2 to 3 hours a day. My physiotherapist is a long distance and trail
runner so he understands that I am very eager to continue with all my outdoor
activities and I want to start running again. He has given me some specific
exercises for that. I’m actually back on the treadmill since last week, now
that he thinks my neck is strong enough. I started with just 3 minutes but
adding a minute every day.
The weekends I usually spend with my Dad and his friends in
Albir. It’s too cold to swim now and unfortunately there hasn’t been much of an
opportunity to ho hiking or biking. Every weekend there has been one lame
excuse after another such as going to the market, wine tastings, Mediterranean
lunches (they take at least 5 hours) in the mountains and a weekend trip to
Brussels. One weekend we spent in front of the fireplace hidden under blankets,
drinking mulled wine because it was too cold and wet to do anything else.
The receptionist of the clinica where I go for my treatment
took me out for Belgian lunch (eel, it was delicious!) one day and told me she
has a young dog that she needs to find a new home for. I knew my Dad would love
to have a dog and he was already thinking of buying a big expensive pedigree of
some sort. But first he had to go on a four-week trip to the UK. Now that he is
a free man, he decided that he needs to go visit some old friends. I made sure
that Dad and dog got introduced to each other before he left for the UK and they
immediately decided they like each other. In January when he comes back he will
have a new dog so something to look forward too. Much better than a nasty
girlfriend!
After saying goodbye to my Dad I went off-roading with my
friend and her husband in their SUV. They do this almost every weekend and
invited me along. It was a 65-kilometer trip and a good test to see how my neck
would do. I discussed it with my physiotherapist and he was OK with it, as long
as I would bring a neck brace in case I got tired. I thought I would be OK
because I am training my neck every day in the gym and at home. After only 15 K
of bouncing up and down on the back seat I was starting to feel very tired so I
spent the rest of the day with a brace around my neck. More practice needed!
Other than that the trip was awesome and I might go again next weekend.
Colin decided that he would like to spend a few more days
here before I leave. It should be much more relaxed than his previous visit - no
more houses to clean and Dads who don’t know what to do with themselves when
not being bossed around by angry girlfriends. I will be spending much less time
doing therapy as it’s Christmas and also this week is officially my last week –
next week is just bonus. If the weather cooperates we’ll have quite a bit of
time for some good hikes. We’ll
certainly do one on Christmas day – best way to spend Christmas!
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| Probably my last swim of the year, mid November |
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| Rainy day in Benidorm. Makes the tapas taste extra good! |
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| Snow on the mountains after a cold and rainy weekend |
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| Off-road fun in the mountains |
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| Sunset / moonrise from the beach in Moraira. The extra dot in the sky on the left is Venus |
