193. Physicality, part one

I’ve been sleeping deeply recently, chiefly as a result of working my 62-year old carcass past its normal limits. Waking up slowly, drifting through hynagogia like a leaf on a quiet lake. And then gradually becoming aware of aches and pains brought on by the previous day’s efforts.

There is something so delicious about using your upper torso muscles. Back, shoulders, arms and stomach. 26 years of looking at a keyboard for much of the day makes strenuous physicality an alluring contrast.

We are slowly transforming our ex-fish pond into some kind of patio feature. The final profile still depends on Maureen’s eye and imagination. She’s the artist, I’m the happy donkey. The pictures below show the progression so far.

Those wooden sleepers are heavy bastards. So weighty that Rory and I cannot move them more than a few feet at a time. There were 20 originally, reduced to five in the new structure. To make them shiftable, many have had to be sawn in half. That’s a physical task and a half, using my trusty saw of some 20 years. The half-sleepers have their uses in new places.

I get them there by standing them on end, grabbing the top, and ‘walking’ them slowly. If there are steps to negotiate, I ‘hug’ the half-sleeper, then straighten my back, and plonk it down in the new position.

It is slow work, but we’re in the home straight. Very satisfying. Brilliant for my mental health.

Ee-aw.