On Knees, Windows & Other Things

Well, my dears, after another long stretch without a post, it occurs to me that maybe, just maybe, I owe you all one ... or two.  So, here’s one ....

Shortly after our whirlwind tour of the war memorials, we began a new fitness regime at our gym.  It took us a while to find one we really like, by the way – and they aren’t called ‘gyms’ here; they’re called ‘leisure centres’.  And they serve alcohol at the centre’s cafe.  That was quite the brain twist. 

Anyway, I think the programme is called ‘Lose Weight & Shape Up’.  I call it, ‘Lose Weight & Kill Me’.  The first few weeks were deadly.  Shattered us.  Me more than my sweetie, I think.  One thing it has really pointed out to me is how bad my knees actually are.  I’ve been working with a podiatrist and have now been referred to an orthopod.  

“You need to strengthen your quads,” said my GP.  I just looked at him. 

“I’ve been strengthening my quads for thirty years,” I said.  I have, at the request of every physio-therapist I’ve ever attended at since the first one told me to strengthen my quads when I was 18.  It hasn’t helped much.  Ever.  We’ll see what this expert says, but if quads come into it, I might have to take issue.  One of the trainers at the gym mentioned the cruciate ligament.  I thought I was being cursed by a Harry Potter villain for a moment. 

Back to the programme, which is full of squats.  I can’t do squats without sharp pain through my knees, so it’s been a tad frustrating.  Slowly, I’ve trained the four trainers who work with us to adapt to my current limitations, and they’ve had a bit of an education in living with inflammatory arthritis.  Particularly the issues we have to be aware of on a daily basis, most especially when it comes to exercise.  As a result, they’ve also been adapting to my sweetie’s arthritis-related limitations.  

It’s getting a lot easier now, six weeks in.  I wear sports braces on my knees to give them more stability, which helps.  I still don’t do squats, because they hurt, but the cardio is easier on them and I can do small lunges.  My sweetie has had wonderful break-throughs since starting the programme and last night, did the better part of half an hour on the treadmill for the first time.  His feet give him problems and walking long distances is often difficult for him, so usually he doesn’t do the treadmill. 

So, anyway, ‘round about the time we started our new programme, we decide to install Plexiglas double glazing on our very thin, 250 year old windows.  Now, some of these windows are six feet tall, and between my sweetie’s bad shoulder and my bad knees we had some interesting times putting them in.  Put them in we did, however.  After over a week of crawling around on the floor putting on magnetic tape, measuring and applying the metal strip to the window frame, then fitting and clipping the Plexiglas on, we have beautifully clear double glazing.

 

The first two windows were quite the learning curve, however.  We put the first one up the very day the windows arrived.  We measured and applied magnetic tape and metal strips, then removed the white protective plastic from the window, cleaned it and put it up.  “It isn’t as clear as it was at the store,” my sweetie said in a rather disappointed tone.  “It isn’t, is it,” I said as I looked through the decidedly blurry living room window.  “Well, at least the draft isn’t there anymore,” we said to each other.

The next day, we did the corresponding window in the kitchen.  We did everything as we had the previous evening, except I noticed a sticker on the clear side of the window (the other side had the white protective plastic on).  “Who the hell would put a sticker right on the Plexiglas,” I said disgustedly.  “Oh, for god sake.”  I reached down to peel it off, and that’s when I realised.  “Good grief,” I cried.  There was a clear plastic protective coating on one side of the window, and white plastic protection on the other.  I looked at my sweetie; he looked at me; and we both looked at the window we’d installed the previous day.

“That would explain why it isn’t as clear as it was in the store,” he said.  And we started to laugh uproariously at our stupidity.  My sweetie poured us each a small drink.  “Here’s to the two biggest dummies ever,” he toasted.  “Here, here,” I responded, laughing.  We finished installing the kitchen double glazing, then went back to the lounge, removed the panel from that window, peeled off the magnetic tape and then removed the clear plastic protective covering.  That’s when my sweetie went back to the kitchen window to get the small pencil he’d been using to mark off measurements.  He’d left it on top of the window sash in the kitchen.  Unfortunately, the double glazing on that window got in the way and that pencil will remain on the kitchen window sash until spring!  

The pencil in the window.

 All the double glazing has now been installed and we’ve managed thus far with only turning the heat on for a couple of hours a day.  We’re hoping this will continue through the long, dark, winter months.  

And speaking of dark, do you have any idea how dark it gets on a narrow country lane, with no streetlights after dark? Pretty damned dark, I must say.  My sweetie and I had a spat last week and I stormed out of the house to take a walk, get some distance and calm down.  Once I was beyond our house and the Coach House next door, I hit a dark spot in which the only way I knew I was still on the road was the feel of asphalt beneath my feet.  The next stretch has houses that spilled light out onto the road, but after that ... nothing.  Dark doesn’t come close to what that was and I made it about 20 feet before I had to turn around and come home.  It’s hard to storm out of the house for a walk when you can’t see your finger in front of your nose!!  Suffice to say, next time I storm out of the house at night, I’m taking a torch!

And so, Hallowe’en approaches.  It’s not as big a deal for adults here as it is in North America.  We’d love to dress up, but we’ve nowhere to go.  Guy Fawkes Day, however, is soon and there’ll be lots of fireworks and bonfires.  It’s a holiday of thanksgiving for King James surviving the plot to blow up the Parliament Buildings in 1605.  There are those who postulate that Hallowe’en will soon over-power Guy Fawkes Day in terms of importance and observance.  Frankly, if the adults don’t start getting up in fancy dress and partying all night on Hallowe’en soon, it ain’t gonna happen.  Not in our lifetime.  Regardless, we’ve bought a couple of pumpkins and will be carving them to have on our gate posts on Hallowe’en Night.  Who’d ever have thought that the Colonials could teach those in England anything about anything, but about this ... we could.  

Now, the long awaited photos of our house. I kept waiting for it to be done - pictures up, looking perfect, all those wonderful things. I don't think that's ever going to happen - OK, it will, but you know what I mean. So, here you are. A couple of collages on our house:

From top right: Entrance, Kitchen views, then passageway to lounge and, at centre, the lounge.

And from top left: Our bedroom, the bath, the office/spare room, the toilet area, and at centre, the spare room part of the office.

I've started relearning my glass painting skills. These are two very simple designs I did to learn to use a different brand of paint and such.

And this, of course, is the cutest puppy ever!!!

So, that’s life over the pond at the moment.  We were on the Salisbury Plain this weekend, checking out venues for our wedding. More later.