Country Ways and Cottage Days: Just Another Manic Monday

Saturday, 2 May 2026

Just Another Manic Monday

Hello Friends!

Well, not really a Manic Monday, more of a Frantic Friday! For the first day of the Walk 100 Miles For Parkinson's challenge, it could not have been busier in distracting and pulling me in way too many directions for someone who is doing their best to be coping with the limitations of this condition.

So, I have to start with yesterday, Friday, and the first day of the challenge. And what a challenge it is turning out to be! My morning care call is for 8:00 a.m. so I can't go before that {time was when I would have already done a couple of miles before breakfast, especially during the lighter mornings of summer} They are usually gone by about 8:45, but then I'm in my "eating hour" as I call the times before and after my Madopar tablets, which must be taken on an empty stomach, and these are five times a day, so it's a case of watching the clock and being diligent, otherwise the medicine doesn't absorb into the blood stream.

I had my breakfast in good time and off I went, completing my first lap in good time, although by the time I reached the post box, I was already asking myself, "Who's bright idea was this?"

At this point, I kept telling myself, just 20 more steps and it's all on the flat and downhill from here . . .

Not doing so good on the photo stakes though! I did take a couple, but nothing exciting.

So, not too bad a start, and I was feeling pretty good, but that was all about to go south. The day before I had a builder in to finish off a job started by another builder, and I came home to find the work already falling down!! He's going off on holiday for three weeks! So, he had to come back asap to sort it out, leaving me with a fine mess to clean up again.

It was then discovered that the County Council hadn't emptied my Garden Waste Bin on Thursday. I phoned, and these days you can only leave a message for the department, they won't put you straight through. Anyway, there was a message on my account to say it hadn't been emptied as it was too heavy to move, stuffed to overflowing, and full of stuff that wasn't allowed, such as rubble, earth and stone! It is actually about 2/3 full and is only grass clippings and a few weeds.

Eventually, after three calls with three hours on hold {yes, that's how long it takes to be answered} I was told it was the grass cuttings had compacted down and wouldn't come out of the bin. Whatever! By this time I am too shattered to talk. I just had to accept it as I was all out of fight!

Friday night was definitely the kind of night I longed for a bath to soak in for an hour. Oh, to have a nice, deep tub of hot, lavender scented bubbly water . . .

Moving swiftly onwards to this morning. I was dragging! Yesterday, I'd missed my naps, and this morning I was paying. Still, I managed to haul myself out of the door, and taking a different route, set off, one foot after the other, one step at a time. This time I chose one of the local Bridle Paths. A few years ago, these paths were all levelled out and tarmacked to make them safer for walkers and wheelchair users alike. It made things so much easier . . . until I was back on the road!

Coming off the Bridle Path on to the footpath alongside the community hut, I nearly went head over heels with that nasty drop at the far end. It's a lot nastier than it looks from here. It really needs a ramp.

This is the pavement I had to take home. It lists at a jaunty angle, and kept pulling my walker to the right. I felt very off balance and ended up walking on the road.