First Physio Class

I have just been for my first physio knee class at the hospital. My knee now aches so much I want to scream. I know that I have to do the exercises but they were so hard and most of the class had their knee ops weeks before mine. I didn't feel quite so much of a wimp though when I realised that a lot of people were still struggling with the knee bends that I find so hard when I would have thought that they would have been further advanced than I am. Apparently I have to concentrate on getting the muscles to work behind my knees when the swelling goes down. When I asked for ideas on how to move this swelling which is stopping me from bending my knee they didn't give me an answer. I asked my specialist after the op if it would go down and he said that he didn't know.Maybe it would , maybe it won't. No one seems to know the answer to this question. It is this swelling that is stopping me from bending my knee properly. I have tried ice packs as the hospital suggested and today the physio suggested to use heat so I am none the wiser.

Today I managed to finish the band on my long jacket. I have the sleeves and the tie belt ( if I decide to make one) still to make. I think that the jacket is a bit on the small side for me but then I am supposed to be losing weight and crochet always 'gives' a little in wear. Apart from it's snugness it looks quite nice even though it doesn't yet have it's sleeves.

Today I went to the hospital via the appointment ambulance. It means waiting around for it to call for me and then waiting around for it to pick me back up again but I just don't feel confident enough to face the lurching of the buses and trams until I can get rid of the crutches. I am now allowed to walk about the house without them but still need to take them out with me if I go for a walk. I didn't mention that I have a scooter as the range that it does would not take me to the hospital and back again . Walking up to Tesco and carrying shopping is something for the future anyway so I will continue to use the scooter when I need to shop and save the walking for around the block where the pavement is more on the level. As I have mentioned before I live on a hill and I don't feel up to walking up and down inclines just yet. I have been told never to carry heavy shopping bags after my spinal operation so when I can walk again it will be back to the trusty old shopping trolley.

The weather today is nice and sunny but quite cold. My neighbours cars all had a coating for frost on them when I woke up. Last night I had to bribe the neighbour's cat with chicken to leave the house. Every time he stuck his nose outside in the cold he dashed back in. He must have needed the loo as he had been in most of the day. He is sleeping on the spare bed as I type. He doesn't like the cold weather at all.

My knee has now stiffened up so perhaps I will try that heat and massage.. I feel muscle bound like someone who has been in the gym too long for the first time. I hope that this feeling passes soon as I didn't sleep last night and so I don't fancy another night of wakefulness.

Quite an eventful day

Today has been a busy one. Darren called to help me with my E bay account and started fiddling with my PC and trying to clear up a lot of the rubbish that has accumulated on it over the years. In the end he decided that I really needed a new tower as this one has badly damaged sectors due to a virus I got when I was a really rooky PC user years ago and didn't know anything about virus protection etc. Today he put a lot of my photos and patterns that I wanted to keep onto discs for me ready to be transferred (or kept on discs) when I get the new tower later in the week. It's all very exciting. Vicky - when this is done I will be able to view your blog without a five minute wait every time I want to view a photo! I should be moving with the speed of light by the end of the week ( fingers crossed).

I should be ready to try and put things on my E bay account properly once my PC is running faster. It will be like learning everything all over again. Being able to look at web sites without going to make a coffee whilst my PC decides to open the site! I just hope I don't get even more addicted to reading blogs. I have to work out how to save everything I have book marked in my favourites. Perhaps I can copy the http addresses to my Microsoft Word so at least I can find everything again. I would hate to lose the bits and pieces I have accumulated over the years. My favourite blogs and web pages.

I managed to get down to Lidl later this afternoon. My local store is very small and only gets small amounts of anything that is on offer. I had seen the advert that they were having some super chunky and had just the crochet pattern in mind for it. There wasn't a lot of colour choice (there was also cream and a palish blue) and I came away with 2 colours in fleck. Brown base and black base. I had to do a lot of rummaging to get 2 packs of each colour with the same dye lot. I have started the crochet but as the pattern only comes in one size (34"- 36") in the book (Fabulous Flirty Crochet by Katherine Lee) this one will have to be for my slim niece. Once I have made one I can hopefully adapt it by putting more repeats of the pattern to make it the width my other niece and myself would require. I am not making the collar as large though as I think it rather dominates the cardigan.

Today I received a letter from my grammar school best friend and bridesmaid. We lost touch for many years, as she moved away when she married, but have revived our friendship through letters and occasional phone calls. She and her husband have now retired to Anglesey. I haven't seen her for so many years. Last time she wrote she sent me a photo and she looks exactly as her mother did when we were growing up.

My back is a little better today but I still only risked one short dog walk. Buster isn't very happy with me but my back is glad of the rest and I think Buster's leg is responding to less walking over the last 2 days. His limp is far less noticeable today.

Some Dog Owners !!!

I took Buster out for his usual walk this morning and as we went into the park I was battling with the swing gate and had Buster on his lead ( I never let him off the lead until we actually get into the park due to the fact the entrance is on a blind bend) when this dog came at us and starting biting Buster.Totally unprovoked as Buster hadn't hardly set foot in the park. I was in the middle of undoing his lead clip so that he could at least run away from this dog and trying to fend the dog off when it started attacking my arm. Luckily I had a padded jacket on but it still hurt like mad even though, fortunately, the bite didn't break the skin. The owner had walked off whilst all this frenzy was going on making no attempt to call her dog. She called back to me from about 50yds away "Is your dog OK" I said "Yes it is but I'm bloody not your dog has bitten my arm" She carried on walking and shouted back over her shoulder in a totally insincere way "Oh Sorry"

I had witnesses who came over and asked was I OK and they agreed that neither Buster or I had done anything to provoke the dog. The dog just ran up to us with it's teeth bared. I admit Buster growled at the dog but wouldn't you growl if something ran up to you snarling and biting? I am going to look out for her in the park next time. That dog is dangerous. It could bite a child next time. My arm has two blue bruises on it and is quite sore.

My niece and I went to Ramsbottom to the craft shop and got some yarn for her crochet jacket out of "Stitch n Bitch" I don't think she was really all that keen on the colour she picked but maybe it will look better once it is crocheted. I am going to start it later tonight.