Saturday 19 February 2011

Hobbling Along

It is amazing how I can walk past the most dull and horrible places in our city and yet suddenly see something that lifts my heart. This time it was a mass of snowdrops.

Photo Copyright: Maggie May


Harry and I were invited to my sister in law and my brother Eddie Bluelights home for lunch the other day.
It had been a while since we had seen each other in the flesh, though we are in contact via email, blogs and sometimes phone, but we still always have a lot to catch up on. Our son, Sam was also invited and we piled into his car and set off as soon as the children had been dropped off at school.
We knew that we had to leave early enough to collect them again in the afternoon.

I suppose it is about a 45 minutes journey by car, as they live on one side of the city and we live on the other side. So we arrived bright and breezy because we hadn't come across as much traffic as we had anticipated. Sometimes we are gridlocked for ages.
I think they had overslept as they seemed surprised to see us so early.

We chatted away and I suppose that as we were in comfy chairs and we hadn't moved about for ages, when we did all get up together to go through to the back room we were all very stiff and our painful joints caused us all to hobble across the room terribly slowly and with great difficulty. Once we got launched we were not too bad and quickly improved, but we must have looked a sorry sight as we struggled across the floor. It was a bit like a day out for the disabled and we all fell about laughing.
This ageing process and the cold wet weather affects our arthritic limbs.
Although Sam is obviously still young compared to us, he has met some terrible health problems lately which you can catch up on his latest post. Here. So as it turned out, he hobbled as badly as we did. Mrs Bluelights was the only one who walked normally. I think she thought we were having a laugh.
Next time we go, I will arrange for a set of zimmer frames to be on the ready.
In case people from overseas don't know what that means, it is what you might refer to as Walkers for the disabled.




30 comments:

secret agent woman said...

To bad you don't have video of this to post!

Love the snowdrops.

Happy Frog and I said...

Wow, that does sound like quite an adventure! Glad you all got to meet up though, it's so lovely when that happens. x

Celia said...

Keep getting up Maggie, love your pictures and the story. I too seize up if I sit for too long.

Dimple said...

A sense of humor is certainly helpful when things just won't do what they're supposed to! Lovely snowdrops, I'm looking forward to seeing mine...

Lisa said...

So funny Maggie, I wish I was there;)

The flowers were awesome, no wonder they are called snowdrops.

Brian Miller said...

you had quite the adventure...love the snowdrops...

Eddie Bluelights said...

Snowdrops are lovely, Maggie.
Yes we had a great time and it was funny about the geriatrics struggling to their feet LOL.
Next time you come I will have two walking sticks ready - I still have them from the hip operation days LOL
Eddie @
Clouds and Silvery Linings
and Platos’s Procrastinations

Bernie said...

Sounds like a wonderful lunch and funny too! Love the picture of the snowdrops....way to early here and still much snow down to see anything green....only a few more weeks before Spring...yeah!...Hugs

Hilary said...

Sounds like you had a lovely day despite the hobbles. Love the snowdrops.

Ayak said...

Well this climate is generally good for my arthritis,but we have had rain for a few days and my joints are stiff and painful..but I did laugh a little at you all rising from your chairs and hobbling, because that's me at the moment!

Irene said...

I had to laugh about that as you described all of you hobbling around the room so perfectly. You made it sound like a slapstick scene. Sometimes it's terrible how our joints won't co-operate and we get stiff and sore. I find that exercise is the best thing for it. I always feel better after a good walk. Even if I hurt.

XOX

Gail Is This Mutton? said...

Laughter is the best medicine, as the Reader's Digest used to say. Having done a rather challenging yoga class yesterday, I am a bit "crocked" as my mum would say!

CiCi said...

Maggie, thank you for explaining what zimmer frames are. I enjoy reading your blog so much. Boy, do I know what you are talking about, a couple hours sitting at the computer and I have to walk slowly and get my body reacquainted with movement. You are a delight too in that you find lovely things to see wherever you go. The flowers are beautiful.

Jinksy said...

Must be that time of year... I noticed the same creaky-knee hobble the other aftrenoon, when my friend come round for a visit!
Love your snowdrops, though. I've never managed to get any to grow for me...

Jeni said...

I had to chuckle a bit at your description of you, your husband, brother and even your son, hobbling about. But that was because that's pretty much how I am too when I try to get up and move about! And this morning, my back and legs are already aching like crazy which signals a big weather change coming this evening -even if the weather forecasters hadn't already told us about this, my body said it was coming!

Akelamalu said...

Ah snowdrops - a sure sign Spring is almost here!

I was visualising you all hobbling along and laughing, only because I know how it feels! LOL

Clare Dunn said...

Excellent photo!

And I am still laughing (WITH you!) at the hobbling description. JD and I do the "Retirement Village People" dance all the time.

A-C-H-E...no fun to feel the A-C-H-E...

xoxoxo, cd

mrsnesbitt said...

Very shortly I will be having a bath - in an attempt to ease the pain from my bones - hard work filling up a skip! lol!

Suburbia said...

I wonder where those snow drops were? They hold such a promise of spring. Can't wait for the better weather :-)

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful description you paint! And how good it is that you were able to laugh it off. I caught up on Eddie's blog the other day.

CJ xx

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness Miss Maggie. This just made me laugh and laugh. And laugh.

Anonymous said...

Love your sense of fun Maggie
Snowdrops -smiley flowers

Jackie said...

What a pretty name for a plant!!
I'm glad that you and Eddie and Sam had a nice visit. Thank you for your visits and e-mails my friend.
Love,
Jackie

CorvusCorax12 said...

i miss snowdrops, we don't see them often around here

Rosaria Williams said...

Oh no! You are describing my own pains after I've been sitting for a while. Yes, our joints speak loud and clear.

Jules~ said...

So glad you had a fun day together visiting. Isn't it funny how that 45 minutes seems so far away? My brother lives that far from me and if I didn't baby sit for him I don't think we would often see one another. I am amazed that he and his wife drive that every day so I can be their day care provider. It is that important to them.
But 45 minutes is better than the 4 days it used to take when they lived in Florida.

Blessings today.

Rose said...

I can just picture you and Harry along with Eddie hobbling across the room--only because my best friend and I find ourselves doing exactly the same thing after sitting too long talking:) Thanks for explaining the Zimmer frame; I've run across that term in novels often, and always wondered what it was.

The snowdrops are lovely!

San said...

Zimmer frames. You Brits have such colorful terms. I loved your description of the hobbling across the room. It's invaluable to have a sense of humor at such times. I remember my own sister cracking me up when she was recovering from a hip replacement. "I used to hate to get behind a creeping old thing when I was walking somewhere," she said. "Now I'm the creeping old thing." She was laughing at the whole thing and made me laugh too.

SandyCarlson said...

I am glad you got together with family. Thanks for sharing these flowers.

Joey said...

The dratted Arthritis!

Your sense of humor is wonderful, and I love the photograph.

Joey