Lucky move

I woke up early, posted today's Morning Prayer video link to WhatsApp at seven and then dozed listening to the news, before coaxing my creaky joints into action. I stripped the bed and bundled all the linen into the washing machine before breakfast, to make the most of the early sun. The front patio is in full sun until midday, then the washing line moves into shadow. It's so strange to have one half of a giant duvet cover bone dry, and the other half still damp because its in cool shade, but by that time the fitted base sheet and pillow slips were dry and the duvet cover could be draped over the drying rack on the sunlit back patio. Late afternoon the sun emerges from behind the house, and the front patio is sunlit for long enough to run another load of washing if needs be.

We had a Zoom bible study again at midday with five of us present and there was one other that couldn't get the laptop to deliver zoom. Sitting for an hour in the kitchen in a position where the laptop's keyboard embedded camera could show my face properly was a bit of an exercise, and I was quite stiff by the time I started cooking lunch, and afterwards I felt quite tired. 

I lay on the sofa, found a comfortable position with one leg propped up, and fell asleep. I must have relaxed completely in this position. When I woke up about an hour later, I found I could move freely. It felt like the mis-aligned joint found its way back to the way it's meant to fit, or at least, sufficiently to make a perceptible difference. Stiffness in the back muscles will be with me for a while longer, but if I can retain this small strategic gain, it could mean I'm over the worst, more by luck than judgement.

Then I prepared next week's Morning Prayer video slide show to accompany the audio I recorded last night, and uploaded it to YouTube, in between re-making the bed with fresh clean and dry sheets without much difficulty. It's quite a physical challenge handling a two metre square winter weight duvet on my own, but the change in back condition made it easier for me. There may be another lighter duvet tucked away somewhere. When Clare comes we can search for one in places where spare stuff is stored.

It was gone six again by the time I went out for a walk over the hill, down the Arroyo Real and up the other side, where I found a way out into the side street where the Lidl store is located. From there I made my way back up and over the hill, and got back in time for the Archers. Before I set out I found out that once again I could bend down without pain and reach my toes, so I put on a pair of socks for the first time in a week, and felt a distinct sense of achievement on the way back to normality.

After supper, Clare and chatted briefly on the phone, and then I relaxed in front of the telly for an hour or so, before remembering that I needed to empty the bins ready for the cleaners who arrive tomorrow morning to spruce the place up and make up all the beds ready for guests as a welcome to Clare. Such a nice gesture! It felt quite mild when I walked down to the basura depot near the bus stop before turning in for the night. Twenty one degrees according to my phone, maybe even warmer over the weekend.