So I managed to get my daughter to work on time and I managed to return home in one piece very grateful that this is not a task that must be performed every day. I stagger out of the car and into 'decision mode'. Do I fall back into bed or do I go for a walk around the river before the sun comes out and the temperature reaches the mid 30's making it impossible for me to walk.
I figure that I will just pop onto facebook for a minute or two while I am arguing with myself as to what to do. The argument goes something like this .... do it... no ... do it... can't be bothered... do it... I'm exhausted... do it...what is the point I will never lose this weight anyway... Dooooo Itttt..... Nooooooo I don't wannnna...DO IT... FINE but in a minute.... big sigh, I never win arguments with myself!
a dog and person and bike have been stuck here
I was very pleases with myself as I only stayed on facebook for, well it seemed like ten minutes, so it must have been half an hour, then I went for my walk. It has been interesting walking this last week around the river. Because of the flooding the river has been impassable for the most part, but that has not stopped some strange people trying to get through the water, around the water or over the water. I, myself have had to be creative in finding my path and I actually found a cool little laneway to add to my walk, and it has rabbits running wildly about every time I go there much to my dogs delight. I had no idea we had wild rabbits so close to home. I can add them to the list of snakes, possums and bats. All I need would be to see a fox to make the list complete.
Yesterday the council started the clean up and it continues today. Tractors are scraping up all the smelly gooey mud from the path so we can walk there. The mud is over ankle deep and very slimy and smells awful. I know it is over ankle deep as I have been watching people trying to walk through it, silly people, they lose their shoes and they fall over... giggle and yuck. I am sure it is much deeper in other places, but I am not going to investigate. I am content just to watch them try to investigate for me. I spoke to a very dirty man on a bike who was so proud of himself for making it 'all the way though'. My goodness he was covered from head to toe in putrid mud and so was his bike. He did tell me that 'this end of the river was nothing compared to the other end' as he points back over his shoulder. Then he was off to investigate what muddy fate awaited him ahead.
Usually the walkers, the joggers, the bike riders, the walking groups, the kids, the dog owners, the strollers, the rowers, the coaches on their bikes and the workers are all spread out and I only have to nod and smile, jump out of the way or say 'morning' or 'hello' or 'yes, it's a lovely day' once every 5 or 10 minutes. But today, it was a continual flow of people. My face started to ache from all that smiling... that walking group, for example, was very, very large and very, very friendly, almost too friendly. I mean, did they have any idea how early it was and how tired I was, and how hard it was to be polite at insane o'clock in the morning.... did they? I think not.
We passed, oh my husband 'G' was with me too which I failed to mention earlier. We passed a father with his little son and daughter, all riding bikes. Every time they came to a slight rise in the path, the little girl would stop peddling and the father would come up beside her still on his own bike, grab the handle bars of her bike and pedal off up the slight hill. The three of them passed us in the end and we watch them approach a huge steep section of the path ahead, a section that I need to take a puff of ventolin myself to climb up. I watch with intrigue at what happens next.
The little boy approaches the hill first and as soon as he hits the hill he is off his bike and walking it up the hill. The little girl reaches the hill together with her father. As soon as she hits the hill she stops pedalling and the father swoops down and grabs the handle bars and pedals off up the hill with daughter in tow. I am impressed as he is basically sideways on his own bike as he leans down to her level. It is quite a sight to witness. I am waiting for him to stop and start walking, because that hill has a very sharp incline about half way up it. But he doesn't get off and he doesn't stop pulling his little girl up the hill. WOW I am impressed but also immensely amused. As soon as the little girl stops pedalling and her father takes over, she starts looking around and singing to herself totally unaware of the strain being put on her father. As they approach the steepest part and her father slows a lot, she yells out to him, 'oh don't stop daddy', then she gets lost in song again and looking from side to side oblivious to her daddy's mammoth efforts. To our surprise, he makes it right to the top and off they all go!
I am now half way around the river the sun decides to rise and get hot instantly. The UV index soars, I can feel it trying to burn me through my clothes so I walk faster to get home. I have had 2 melanoma's in the past and don't intend to get any more. Towards the end of my walk I have to make a choice do I take the quick way home which entails walking up a massively steep hill or do I take the longer way home which zig zags up the hill giving me a few breathers. I don't have time to zig zag so I take the steep way home.
I stagger into the house gasping for air and collapse in a heap. Moments, no, seconds later my phone rings out the Banana Split theme song, telling me I have one hour to get to my physiotherapy appointment. Uggg, no time to collapse now, I must go straight to the shower as soon as I catch my breath.
So there I am taking a cold shower to cool down when I am suddenly overcome with overpowering exhaustion and desperately want to go to sleep. I wash my hair twice as I day dream about being asleep. I wonder if I can power nap whilst in the shower then think that it probably isn't all that practical so I decide against it. But not before actually day dreaming that I was asleep and maybe washing my hair a third time!
this guy thought he could ride around the flood but discovered he couldn't
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