Tennis, anyone?!

Ok, I have to admit that I've found the last two weeks of work very difficult, physically!

This is probably caused by my 3 weeks out of action, which meant that when I returned to "the office", I had to rebuild my strength and fitness almost from scratch.

On the Good News front: My sacroiliac joint is now fine!

Not so good: My elbows - yes, both of them - have carpel tunnel, more commonly known as "tennis elbow". The right is worse than the left, which is weird because I'm left-handed. This has been an issue for over a week, but I've said little about it, because there's little I actually can do about it! For sure, no more time off work for me, because we just can't afford it!

I begin to wonder if my body's been round the block one time too many, to be able to cope with the physical demands of this job? I worry that things will just keep on breaking down. I feel the pressure to keep pace with my colleagues, and feel I'm not quite holding up my end.

But I'm still loving working with the horses, and appreciate the bonus of not having to deal with regular office politics, so will keep going as long as I can ...

Meanwhile, the rain keeps coming. During the past 8 weeks, there have been just a handful of days during which we've not had any precipitation. And even fewer days when we've actually seen the sun!

On a brighter note, we had our first dusting of snow right down to the valley last night, so hopefully the mud will be firming up soon, with the arrival of cooler temperatures! And the forecast is promising a few trickles of sunshine over the next week, too!

Keep your weight in your heels!

Tanya

PS: To add insult to injury, with the elbow issue, it really hurts to lift my camera!  :(

Back at it!

After 3+ weeks out of action with this sacroiliac issue, I have completed my first week back at work without too much aggravation!

Yes, I ached ... and I could definitely feel that my hard-won fitness level has taken a big step backwards. It's frustrating, but not much to be done about it except start again.

Happily, I didn't actually feel any issue with my SI joint until I got up on the fifth morning (non-work day, thankfully), so it has 3 full days to recover before I'm back at the yard.

I'm still under the care of the wonderful Chiro and RMT, and have a series of exercises and stretches to follow each day, to help keep things from locking up again, while rebuilding strength.

As I've barely lifted my camera for over a month, and have already shared those results on Facebook, below is one of my fav photos from spring 2015 - Alexander Falls, located up the Callaghan Valley, near Whistler:

click to enlarge

Keep your weight in your heels!

Tanya

PS: We have had perhaps 7 days without any rain since the beginning of October. The Pemberton Valley had some significant flooding a week or so ago, but now the temps are dropping so we're not getting as much run-off from the early snow pack, and the precip is falling as snow at higher elevations, which keeps the rivers between their banks. Hopefully that trend continues. So sick of the mud!

Not So Fast!

That's what the doctor (and the chiro) said to me on Friday. Not in those exact words ... but the effect was the same: 

They wanted me to go back to work on "light duties".

They don't seem to understand that working in a yard is not negotiable ... you either do the job, or your don't.

Long and short, the doc called my boss and explained the situation. Which resulted in me having to put off work for another week to ensure that I really am fully ready to get back at it next week.

My logic tells me it makes sense ... but it is SO frustrating!

So here I sit for another week. I get to go on longer walks now, though, and incorporate lifting things, and going up and down hill. Better than nothing, I suppose. And at least I can now take my camera with me! It shouldn't be too heavy, should it?!

Meanwhile, here are a few shots taken through the dining room window on Friday evening, just before the next rainstorm moved in. It shows the snow being blown UP the back of Mt Currie, and right off the peak ... must've been pretty nasty up there!

So, on Saturday I WILL be back at work!

Keep your weight in your heels!

Tanya

What a Difference a Week Makes!

Barring any unforeseen issues with my "reassessments" by both doctor and chiropractor scheduled for Friday the Fourth, I feel I should be able to get back to work on Saturday! Woohoo!

I could not believe the difference in how I felt, between Sunday and Monday! The pain when walking has almost gone, just a bit of discomfort left.

A glimpse of sunrise - click to enlarge

Unusual cloud formations in the late afternoon

Meanwhile, a couple of photos "from where I stood" on the few days when the skies cleared a bit during October: It rained on 28 days during that month! (November isn't shaping up to be much better, either!)

Keep your weight in your heels!*

Tanya

* For those who were wondering, but were too shy to ask, this is an expression referring to the rider's position: When your feet are in the stirrups, keep your heels down! T.