However I do have to rouse myself from my torpor at regular intervals, now that my physio exercises are consuming at least 15 minutes three times a day and there is (at last!) clarinet practice on top of that. Knitting is still on the forbidden list, after a very uncomfortable attempt a couple of days ago, but to his eternal gratitude DH is again free of kitchen duties and I’m really enjoying being back at the cooker wielding my pots and pans – with due care, of course.
But between these short bursts of activity I’ve been coasting – reading, listening to music and watching pleasant but undemanding TV. My brain just refuses to do demanding at the moment and who am I to argue with it? Even little grey cells are allowed to lie dormant occasionally and only deal with the bare necessities...
Image via Google
I think after all the difficulties you have faced recently with moving and wrist disasters....you deserve a hibernation period...preferably with hot tea and crumpets to be available whenever you stir. I've spent the last couple of days "house bound" because of the snow and ice, but fear I must venture out shortly. I'm sure I used to be so much more confident about walking and driving in snow....now I use it as an excuse to huddle by the fire and catch up on blogging/TV shows I've missed/spend hours over the Guardian sudoko, and quick crossword ( cryptic is way beyond my pay scale).....and since your fb post yesterday....dream of tea and crumpets. Take care...enjoy the rest. Jx
ReplyDeleteThanks for the permission just to huddle and relax, Janice. :-) I don't have snow or ice as an excuse (not that I'm driving yet in any case) but I really do want to stay close to home. Take care when you do venture out.
DeleteQuite right too. Whatever chores usually occupy your mind and body will still be waiting if you dodge them for a while. Some of them may become unimportant if you leave them long enough leaving you with a bit of spare time.
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe in doing nothing today which could easily be left till tomorrow.
Just think how much extra energy you'll have in Spring. :-)
"I firmly believe in doing nothing today which could easily be left till tomorrow." Thanks, Ray, you've just provided me with my new motto. :-) Back to the energy conservation then...
DeleteI do hope you're feeling a but better today after your horrible fall.
I am thankyou
DeleteI had to put my two shillings worth in here. My Mum and I had different views ... she always advocated 'don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today', while I [and I was a teenager who knew it all then!] deliberately advocated "I firmly believe in doing nothing today which could easily be left till tomorrow." Thank you for the memories.
DeleteYour Mum sounds very like mine, Shirley, and would probably have been horrified by my new motto. :-)
DeleteOne of the advantages of living down south is the better weather so we don't have weeks of grim grey skies, but often have sunshine and a bracing nip in the air. It makes a lot of difference! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're so right, Sarah. We've had a few really beautiful crisp and sunny days amid the general murk and I felt like a new woman. :-)
DeleteRest is good... I'm having a gentler day today, working from home and allowing myself some chill time after a few very hectic and demanding days. Sometimes feels like my "get up and go" has long since "got up and gone", so hibernating sounds very appealing
ReplyDeleteIt's comforting to know I'm not alone in this, Catriona, though you have the excuse of very busy and demanding work. I remember it well. :-)
DeleteI wonder if you can hibernate in the tropics...I rather feel like giving it a go...
ReplyDeleteWhen you've done the experiment, do come back and report on the results, Helen. :-)
DeleteEnjoy this period of hibernation while it lasts! Before you know it the flowers will be blooming, the weeds growing, and you will have places to go and things to do. I think the gift of January is how it forces us to slow down and rest. I'm happy for you that you are back to clarinet practice. Hopefully the knitting will soon follow.
ReplyDeleteOddly enough there are a few flowers blooming out of season in our garden right now, Kristie,but they look a bit sorry for themselves. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes through in the new garden as we approach our first spring here. Now for some clarinet practice...
DeleteWhat better way to savour life -- moment by moment... Relax, relax and enjoy, enjoy ...
ReplyDeleteI will, Broad - I don't seem to have much choice about it. Moment by moment is good. :-)
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteSounds okay to me!!! (Bear in mind there will be an element of just 'settling'... I found there was a lot of fallow time for about three months after I had unpacked... and am STILL doing a bit of sorting out nearly a year on!!!) YAM xx
Oh, that is reassuring, Yam. Because of my broken wrist we still have a lot of boxes not yet unpacked, which is unsettling. I'm just making a very gentle start on the books, though we need more bookshelves. I think they've been multiplying in the boxes. :-)
DeletePerpetua, I definitely go for *hibernating* in winter.... even here in Texas where we don't (usually) have that much of it. The cats agree with me on this. Together we hibernate in front of the fireplace whenever the weather is cold, damp, and gloomy. And I don't consider this a waste of time, it's more of a pleasant way to share some time in our comfort zone (and certainly better than wiling the time away in front of a TV).
ReplyDeleteLove the Louis Armstrong video! He used to live not far from us in New Orleans... out by the lakefront.
It's very reassuring to hear that hibernation is an instinct shared by those living in warmer climates, Rian. This winter it's not just physical energy which is lacking for me, but mental, and I really am whiling away the time very lazily. Tomorrow we're forecast to see the sun again, which will help a lot, even if it's only for one day.:-)
DeleteGreat to hear that the rehab of the wrist is going so well :-) I'd definitely hibernate, except for days full of bright sun and snow which are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteIt'd going better than I'd hoped, thanks, though I think it will still be a longish haul before I forget there was a problem. No snow here this winter, though tomorrow is forecast to be a rare sunny day. Hurray!
DeleteJust what I needed to hear on a very gray, moist, weepy weather day here.
ReplyDeleteHibernation, if only for an afternoon, is what we all need now and then. Good for you, Perpetua, making lots of lemonade out this lemon of a winter you've had with your injury and your weather.
It's fun, isn't it, Penny? Sorry to hear your weather is as grey and wet as ours and probably even colder. :-( Yes, I'm an instinctive lemonade maker, though sometimes the instinct flags a bit... Tomorrow I may try making my own crumpets. :-)
DeleteToday in Prague has been grey & with light drizzle, making your idea of hibernation Perpetua, quite appealing. But we are past the winter solstice so the hours of daylight are slowly getting longer. Keep doing the physio exercises & playing the clarinet & things will slowly improve.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement, Ricky. :-) Yes, the afternoons are definitely staying light for longer, though with today's cloud cover and rain it was hard to tell. Roll on the sunny Saturday we're being forecast. Now to go and do another lot of exercises...
DeleteWell done for keeping up with your physio exercises - I can see that they're paying off already - and managing your clarinet practice as well - great stuff!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Molly. Yes, they are making a real difference, though my hand still stiffens up overnight. A real case of using it or losing it, which makes clarinet practice even more appealing. :-)
DeleteHooray! Back at clarinet practice. How wonderful for you. Hibernation as I have mentioned is a good thing here in NS, but I have to keep getting up to do the church thing, and the Bible Study thing....Probably a good thing too, or might never leave the house. I guess we are looking at a storm this weekend. Oh Joy.
ReplyDeleteOh, it is, Bonnie. I'm terribly rusty and will have to take it a bit at a time to start with, but I'm really enjoying it. You've been having some dreadful weather in Nova Scotia too and I can well understand the temptation to hibernate. In my case not yet driving makes the temptation even stronger. :-)
DeleteOften the body knows what we really need more than our minds. Hibernation at any time of year is not to be sniffed at! I am pleased you are slowly picking up your 'chores' ... sorry that knitting is still difficult, but Perpetua, it wont be all that long until the sun shines brightly and by then you will be fully recuperated:)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're right, Shirley, but sadly we're not always good at listening to our bodies. However it's good to be able to do more and more things and it even felt great to change the beds without help today! I'll just have to be patient about the knitting. It will come...
DeleteIt sounds like a perfect January to me, Perpetua. Lots of cosy resting with short bursts of exercise and music practice thrown in. Soon you will be all systems go once more; enjoy it in the run up to Spring and all its glory!
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting it all into perspective, Patricia. :-) Spring feels more than a little way off as yet, but it will be fun when it comes and I get some idea of what grows in this new garden. I feel some garden planning coming on...
DeleteI think you are definitely on the right track, Perpetua! I'm delighted that you're getting back to your clarinet and navigating the kitchen once again, but it seems to me that hibernating is a very reasonable response to continue healing. I think it's good to give yourself that! You will probably begin to come back to action by spring…that's what my tortoises do. LOL! It's good to get an update, my friend. Continue to take care of yourself in any way that fits you! Debra (breathe lighter)
ReplyDeleteYou've got me chortling at being likened to one of your tortoises, Debra! Such an apt description for how I feel at the moment. :-) Still, slow and steady wins the race, so I'll continue with my exercises and clarinet practice and wait for spring to revitalise me. We're promised sun for tomorrow, so I'll take a walk round the garden and see whether the previous owners planted any spring bulbs...
DeleteRest and recuperation are very good uses of this season of dormancy, Perpetua. I hope you will continue to go easy on yourself so that real healing will take place. I'm sure you'll have lots of plans for better weather - so in the meantime.......I think you're on the right track.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pondside. I'm probably lucky that I broke my wrist in winter rather than summer or I'd have found it very hard to take things easy enough to heal properly. With permission from all my blog friends, I can now hibernate with a clear conscience and emerge again when spring arrives. :-)
DeleteI quite understand how you feel at the moment as we encourage our daughter after her nasty fall and injuries to her back and ribs. Healing is a process as you know yourself and rest plays a part, although it can be frustrating when one is usually so active. Happy to know that the physio exercises are helping you, you're able to take up the clarinet again and do some cooking, which must be therapeutic. As for us, our daughter worried about us going out in the ice and snow (which settled again) so we've been careful and stayed indoors. She's coping with the help of her family, good friends, neighbours and internet shopping so we have peace of mind that all is well and things will improve. All the best with your continued recovery Perpetua.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. I'm further along the road to recovery than your daughter and am counting myself lucky that I can do more every day. Your daughter will find, as I have, that it takes quite a long time to get over this kind of injury and sometimes our patience wears a bit thin. I'm glad she has so much help, and internet shopping is certainly a real boon in these circumstances, as we have found. Grocery shopping from the comfort of my study is not to be sneezed at. :-) I do hope your snow and ice disappear soon.
DeleteWith our wildly changing weather here I'm never sure if I'm in hibernation or full spring clean mood.
ReplyDeleteThink of it as spring cleaning in stages, with rest days in between - a perfect solution. :-)
DeleteHello Perpetua,
ReplyDeleteWell, it always seems to us that your idea of complete relaxation and ours are at other ends of the spectrum. Now, we, of course, have degrees in Lazy Tarting so hibernation is a natural extension which carries us through the winter months!
You fully deserve a period of rest and relaxation. You have done so much and had so much to deal with that complete idleness is a requirement. Our parents would have been horrified at the number of days we spend just reading......it takes a while to adjust and tell oneself that this is a totally worthwhile activity.
So, put your feet up and take it easy. Become a fully fledged member of the Lazy Tart club! We can recommend it.
Hello, Jane and Lance. It's lovely to see your names popping up in my comments again. :-)
DeleteYes, we do seem to be at opposite poles at times, but, believe it or not, I too can be a Lazy Tart if I really try and I'm actually getting better at it as I get older. I've always been a bookworm, but other forms of relaxation and enjoyment now compete for my time, even though the more active ones are on hold for the time being. Now to revel in the books I was lucky enough to be given for Christmas...
Obviously it was/is good that you made the move when you did. I seem to remember a lengthy period when you were snowed in last year. At least you are in a village now.
ReplyDeleteHibernation sounds like a great idea with the weather over there but keep up with the exercises and clarinet. Hugs.
You're absolutely right, Susan. We were snowed in for almost 3 weeks in March/April 2013, which was one of the factors which persuaded us to move. Down here in the valley we're below the snowline most of the time.
DeleteTjhe weather today has been brighter and I've been having a look at the garden, but the exercises and clarinet practice aren't being neglected.
Golly - was it two years ago that you were snowed in - how time flies.
DeleteA season of rest in the den is always a good thing. Remember, Mama Bear rests from her duties. She does not think of work, or crocheting. That is the trick that we have not learned to do.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are making good progress. Soon, you will be going full speed ahead.
Thanks, Sally. Yes, Mama Bear has the right idea, but she doesn't have Papa Bear and his needs to consider. :-) I'm enjoying this time of just pottering and am looking forward to the coming of spring, when hopefully I'll be able to do everything I'm used to doing.
DeleteIt is good to do little and not feel guilty about it. I slept in until about 9am every single morning during my two weeks of Christmas break, and would gladly keep up that sloth-like pace, except I have to get up for work...
ReplyDeleteOh, I always used to do that in my working days, Betty. I'm not a natural early riser, so those holiday lie-ins were pure bliss. At the moment I'm just glad my wrist is less sore and I can sleep better.
DeleteIt sounds good to me. You've been through a lot these past few months and maybe this is your body's and mind's way of saying enough for awhile. I'm sure you'll feel like doing more soon, probably when it warms up. I'm so glad to know you're back to playing the clarinet! That is wonderful news. Take care, Perpetua.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're right, Jennifer. This isn't something I've chosen, rather it's been forced on me, so I'm just having to go with the flow. What I need, even more than warmth, is sunshine. The weather has been so very grey and dismal recently. Being able to play the clarinet again, even if only for short periods, has cheered me up immensely. :-)
DeleteHibernation or taking it very easy sounds like a great way to start the new year. I am pleased your operation came out well and with your exercises you will be in great shape by spring to get back to a more energetic time table.
ReplyDeleteEven with everything that should be done here, I like sometimes to just take a book of an afternoon and read for a couple of hours (even though I read every night before going to sleep.) I also think I need to do this reading of books that have been accumulating on the shelves, unread, before I give them away, so I don’t feel so bad.
I'm certainly fin ding it's working for me, Vagabonde. The exercises are making a real difference to my hand and wrist and it's encouraging to see progress. I want to be fit for the good weather. -)
DeleteYou've just reminded me about the big pile of books I have waiting to be read. While my arm was in a splint I couldn't hold proper books and used my e-reader, but now I've no excuse not to get on with them while the poor weather lasts. Now which to start on first...?
I follow my Dad's advice and listen to my gut feeling. My gut feeling at the moment is to rev up the motors and take the winter on head first - I find it invigorating, refreshing and motivating. For the moment. Maybe if it starts raining my enthusiasm will wane, though :-)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that your wrist is coming on in leaps and bounds. My congratulations to DH for successfully helming his way though the choppy kitchen seas. :-D
Your Dad's advice is excellent, MM, but your gut feeling to tackle winter head-on does seem to predicate lack of rain which is sadly not the case over here. It's been so grey and damp that I just want to curl up in a ball and wait for better weather. But even if the rest of me is hibernating, my wrist and hand are getting regular workouts and I can feel the difference day by day. It's great to be back practicing the clarinet (a workout in itself) and the rest will come...
DeleteI always think January is the natural slowing down, chilling out time after the hubbub that the pre Christmas rush and busy-ness brings. Hibernation is the perfect answer to it. Batten down the hatches, cosy up in front of the fire and take it easy without feeling guilty is my motto. So glad your wrist is improving and clarinet playing is on the cards at last. P x
ReplyDeleteThanks, Patricia. I seem to have struck a chord with the idea of hibernation - certainly a temptation with all these cold, damp, grey days we've been having. The woodburner is crackling merrily away and I've stopped feeling guilty at doing so little. Clarinet practice is happening a bit at a time and I'm really enjoying it, though I am SO rusty! :-)
DeleteHibernate away, Perpetua... hibernate away!
ReplyDeleteWhen very young... in the Fifties, remember them...
I was aware of two maiden aunts... one real, the other her companion.
Both had been pre-widowed by the Great War... stayed together in grief...
and then made a life!
The real aunt...
apparently not short of a bob-or-two...
retreated to her room at the beginning of November...
and emerged from hibernation at the beginning of March...
cared for by her companion!
They then went off around the world by "slow boat" for a month or two...
returning to Somerset for the Summer...
then train journeys in Autumn around Europe.
It sounded idyllic to me, as a child...
in some respects, it still does.
I keep buying a lottery ticket each week....
Keep well, recover in your body's own time...
and let DH look after you!
You can reward him with smiles and clarinet tunes...
and, eventually... socks!
Tim, indeed I remember the 50s, having lived right through them. :-) I just loved the account of your maiden aunt and her companion and your aunt's chosen lifestyle. It sounds even more peripatetic than mine and much more luxurious!
DeleteDH and I are sharing the household duties, though I do prefer to do the cooking. ;) Clarinet practice is proving to be good exercise for my hand and wrist and the physio drill is starting to have really noticeable results now. Onwards and upwards...
I feel sure that millennia ago we would have hunkered down and semi-hibernated in winter ... and perhaps we would all be better for doing more of that now.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the wrist is on the mend, and particularly that you can play your clarinet again x
I'm sure you're right, Annie. It does seem so sensible to conserve precious energy for keeping warm in winter. ;)
DeleteThe wrist is feeling better day by day now and though I've a lot of practice to do to get back to where I was before, it's such fun to be playing the clarinet again.