Walking again…
Our friend Romaine was here for a few days and took her daily short walk up the road with Meredith.
“Robin not walking anymore?”
“Seems not at the moment….”
This comment was duly reported back to the sometime walker who was busy watching others exert themselves impressively in the World Athletic Championships–enjoyable.
No immediate reaction then from the “no-longer” walker.
The comment, however, left its mark–like a nagging truth one’s been trying to ignore.
At supper last night prompted by Ben, our sleek, fleet of foot, black cat–mercury on the move–agitating for a postprandial forage, the subject came up again.
“You’ve given up walking?”
“Uhm…”
I had just eaten–I say it myself–a delicious plate of Mellanzane Parmigiana (aubergine in tomato sauce with parmesan)* and simple tomato salad–and was feeling benign–not like walking exactly, at that moment you understand, but positive towards the idea of walking again.
I heard myself saying:
“I should walk at 6am at this time of year–before the sun gets up and it gets too hot.”
My relationship with the sun changed a few years ago, after a small operation to remove a squamous cell carcinoma close to my nose.
The fiery beast has become like a friend you’ve fallen out with–and cross the road to avoid.
I spend my time dodging the ultra-violet.
Sad paranoia.
Silly too, as I have hats–effective ones–and sunblock.
The former I enjoy, the latter I don’t.
The remark at dinner was well-timed and I resolved to get up at 6am and walk.
I didn’t commit to this publicly at the time, which meant that this morning it was with a glow of virtuousness that I delivered Meredith her hot drink at 7.30.
“You went for a walk?!”
Yes–and as I left the “precincts,” I saw a small figure approaching out of the darkness, as surprised to see me as I was to see him.
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Beau takes his duties seriously
Our head cat–Beau–was out on his early morning walk–patrolling the perimeter.
We greeted–and went our ways….
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Beau, night work completed, takes a break.
see page 176 of my book Mediterranean Cooking for Diabetics
Filed under: other sides to this life, Poldark
