Day 31 - Rest day in Cheltenham

Yesterday something twinged in the back of my right leg, I put it down to stiffness, and cockiness about thinking earlier that I’d had no trouble with my legs since starting the walk. But during the night it became pretty uncomfortable. So this has not been a rest day full of exploring Cheltenham, sadly. More it’s been one of lying on the sofa with my leg supported, whilst lovely friends entertained me. Coupled with good eating too.

Some of my book group, a collection of women whom I’ve known for up to 30 years, came to spend time with me, Janet and Helen, and also to discuss the excellent ‘Anxious People’ by Fredrick Backmann. Kate, Fliss and Diane were a tonic. Kate used to be a GP, and very kindly thoroughly checked my leg, and ruled out anything serious, which was a huge relief. It’s still painful, but it’s something I can deal with with drugs. Fliss brought a fantastic cheesecake, and Diane fed us various political gossip nuggets as we were also gripped by the latest developments at Number 10.

This morning I woke just before 9am, which is pretty late for me. Despite that, I have felt tired all day. I guess this is all part of the process. I am going through an intense challenge, and whilst I have generally adapted and coped very well, it is still something that needs a lot of down time to recuperate from. On a walking day I will generally finish about 3 or 4pm, and then will lie down for a couple of hours at least (normally writing this blog) before eating dinner early and then going to bed about 8.30/9pm. That’s a lot of resting!

I’ve also seen more people in the last 24 hours than I’ve seen for a month. It has been a delight to be with my friends, and I’m extremely touched that they have made the effort to come and see me. But I’ve really noticed how all the social interaction takes it out of me - almost as if all the time on my own has meant I’ve forgotten how. Everyone has been so sensitive to this, giving me time to rest and moving on when I appeared tired. I couldn’t be more grateful for their thoughtfulness.

The next couple of weeks have a number of events, including a wedding. I’m really looking forward to these exciting things, but will also be keeping an eye on how it’s affecting me.

Local tipple: Home made ginger beer

Lunch at Turtle Bay, Cheltenham - great!

Jerk halloumi Buddha bowl with a few fries pinched from my friends….

Percentage of days of the walk completed: 33%. Wow.