Bootless & Walking (just), Anniversary and back on the Boat

Nothing like a snooze in the sun on a beautiful sunny day at the end of winter.

After 3 months of foot misery - operation, cast, walking boot - I finally became a "whole" woman again last Wednesday.  Hooray!!  I admit I went to the doctor appointment with a great deal of anticipation .. not sure if he was going to say I needed another boot - or more - or if I'd be finally set free.  But free it was.   The doctor had a look at the foot, ordered another round of x-rays and then told me it was fine.  "Just go back to doing what you normally do", he said.

"Shouldn't I go to a physio for awhile?",  I replied.   At this point I must say I was thrilled to be free of the boot but after not walking on my foot for 3 months I wasn't quite sure if I could trust it to work perfectly just yet.

"No, just get back to doing everything you normally do."

So I walked out of his office, drove the car home and started to walk again ... and it's been pretty trying.  My foot still hurts like hell and, frankly, it doesn't really feel like MY foot.  Where he straightened the bunion it feels like my big toe was cut off, thrown away and they stuck someone else's toe on in its place. 

It would be pointless to sit around and continue to do nothing (and I've gained 4 kilos in the 3 months I've been sitting on my ass) so this week I set myself the goal of walking 3 blocks and back.  I thought it would take most of the week to achieve but I did the 3 blocks on Monday.

The foot revealed.  See how straight my left foot is now ... you should have seen the bunion when it was there! 
It stuck out at a good right angle from the bottom of my big toe.
Amazing what doctors can do now. 
Sorry about the graphic nature of the pic (naked, bluish and scarred foot) but I had to show it some time!

Yesterday George wasn't working and he decided - for me - that I should walk the whole 3 & 1/2 kilometres to Lane Cove.  He does that.  He pushes me to do more than I think I could all the time.  I did it, walked the whole way and back with a coffee stop in LC for a break in the middle.  It didn't kill me, although I needed some pain killers afterward, so we did it again today.  I'm well and truly on the road back now.

And speaking of George, we had another wedding anniversary on Monday of this week.  35 Years together and married!!!!  Wow, talk about an achievement!  We've had such a great year, full of the usual ups and downs of any life or relationship but it's been on the whole sensationally happy.  Last year we were just about to depart on the Louisiades Rally and I wrote in the blog then about George's ability to push me out of my comfort zone again and again.  Have a look at last year's blog if you haven't read it (click here). 

This year we celebrated with a long weekend with friends while the boat was tied up to the yacht club marina.  Friday night we attended a meeting with our good friends Ian & Sharon (who were there to see us off from Cairns last year)  and Peter and Sue.  The meeting was held to discuss plans for another club cruise down to Tasmania this time for the summer months. 

After the meeting we all went back to Southern Belle for drinks, talks and laughs.  Unfortunately the evening ended with Ian catching his hand on the boat's lifelines while falling down the last rung in the side ladder.  He badly dislocated his shoulder and spent 20 minutes lying on the cold dock while we waited for an ambulance.  And we weren't even drunk!  We phoned early the next morning to find they were back from the hospital and on their boat so we all had to do it again - drinking, talking and laughing - the next night on Ian & Sharon's boat. 

The weather here is trying to turn from winter into spring.  We've had a few sunny and warm days but then it forgets itself and goes back to winter again. 

In the few sunny days we had at the end of July George planted lettuce and we're
already harvesting tasty leaves for fresh salads!

Right now there's another 'east coast low' off the coast which is causing gale force winds and cold conditions again but hopefully things will settle down soon.  George's fireplace work has all but dried up now and he's aching to sail somewhere again.  Molly is happier with me being more mobile now and she's loving our walks again - all three of them so far.

Wet & exhausted dog returning from a run on the beach a few weeks ago. 
I was still in "the boot" so George and Molly had to find their fun without me.