I have to ‘fess up.  When I started the November Daily Blog as part of the NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) challenge I had the intention of using it as an incentive to do something different and interesting every day.  For me that would be something ‘outdoors’, walking, climbing canoeing, caving …..   But it hasn’t worked out.

Almost as soon as I committed to the challenge I damaged the Medial Collateral Ligament in my left knee and the only really ‘different thing’ I have done is visit the sports physio.  The double irony is that not only had I intended to be more active than usual but a few days before it happened I had paid a precautionary visit to the physio.  In the winter of 2010-11 I spent a month skiing in Canada and towards the end of the stay I flipped and damaged the MCL in my right knee.  Because I’m going back to Canada skiing in January-February 2013 I wanted to make sure that there was no residual weakness left from that injury.  I was pronounced fit and given exercises to strengthen the muscles which hold the knee stable against that injury happening again.

In light of the new injury the physio gave instructions that I shouldn’t go walking on ‘terrain’ until it had healed up.  Most of the walking I do is on rough paths and in the mountains which would put lateral strain on the knee so my good intentions were blown out of the water.  It’s more important to get the knee sorted out rather than risk aggravating it or slowing down the already slow recovery process.

Hence in the past week the blog has been more about verbal ramblings rather than rambling around the mountains and the countryside, the primary reason for starting it.

The inactivity has been galling, particularly as the weather has been clement, ideally suited to being in the mountains, the first snow of the winter falling on the higher peaks in the Brecon Beacons, the local National Park.

However, I have, not been completely idle as I have pushed on with Autumn clearing in the garden and preparing for the next stage of re-landscaping.  I enjoy doing the big stuff in the garden but tend to put it off to go walking or climbing when the weather is good.

I hope to maintain the progress on the landscaping work in the garden but as the knee starts to improve I guess I’ll be deferring it and taking to the mountains again.