After yoga on Monday I decided to take myself off walking as the weather looked like it might be forgiving for a little while, which indeed it was. So I took a 90 minute walk along the river Arve at Thyez, but sticking to the paved trails as it had rained a lot over the weekend and everywhere was pretty muddy. Then on Tuesday I went to my second yoga lesson of the week with my neighbour and really enjoyed this session. We've been doing quite a lot of "salutation to the sun", which I don't particularly like, but on Tuesday she had us doing "salutation to the moon", which I found more enjoyable - although I ached like billyo afterwards. Seeing me getting out of bed this morning was pitiful! Still, those aches only last as long as it takes to warm up a little and then I feel great.
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| Salutation to the moon |
I found the above on Pinterest, although there are different variations, but of course the only person who looked anything like those photos is our teacher!! Still, if at first you don't succeed … That being said, my Monday morning teacher must be in her mid-40s and looks around 10 years younger, and my Tuesday teacher, I reckon, is in her 50s and while facially I would say she looks her age, her body is incredible - all "bendy", slim and toned! They are both great adverts for yoga, I can tell you! On the drive home my neighbour was saying that after a week "without" she starts to get stiff and miserable so I asked how she thought she was going to feel when the classes shut down for the summer. To which she asked if I would be willing to have a go at doing a yoga session with her a couple of times a week during the summer break! My, haven't we come a long way! And to think this is the lady I had to nag for two years to join me and now she can't imagine not doing it anymore! To that end, I also can't imagine "doing without" as I feel so great when I get my full quota of four different classes in during the week so I'm wondering if I should sign up for a third yoga class next year. I'll have to think about that though, I guess, as my friend warned me about over-scheduling myself during my first couple of years as a retiree!
I didn't go walking yesterday as we had our first snow fall of the year - can you believe that! Our first snow so late it's just unreal! And while it snowed fairly heavily in the afternoon and evening it was all gone this morning when I got up. I only hope the rain we had down here translated into snow up in the mountains as the skiing holidays are coming up shortly and this place will be heaving with kids on spring break! Anyway, I was feeling a bit lazy today and wasn't going to make the effort to get out walking but then I looked at my walking log for the year and realized I was so close to 100 miles in that I'd better get out there and start walking. So I went up behind the houses at the back of me and what I used to consider a complete walk took me just 45 minutes today (including uphill). Heck I must be a bloody wimp to have ever considered that strenuous, so I'm suspecting some progress is being made, however little! When I came to the end of that circuit I decided to head on out towards La Roche and added another hour to my walk and now, I'm delighted to say, I've hit 105 miles walked since 2 January. It isn't enormous by any means but it has all been "conscious" walking, spurred on by signing up to the FB challenge! And I'm loving it!
When I got back I saw that I'd received an email from a lady who runs the kiddies' craft club in the community hall where we have our sewing club. It's called the Association des Associations and there are about 20 different clubs run by the commune of Amancy. Hiking, zumba, yoga, photography, sewing, choir, belote (card game) and so on, which is quite impressive for such a small village. Anyway, this lady had got my email address from the clubs' info sheet and asked if I would like some patchwork books for the club. It's actually a sewing club, not a patchwork club (I'm the only one that does patchwork because I can't sew), but one of the younger woman asked me on Monday night if I would help her start doing simple patchwork as she loves the stuff I'm making!!! Yikes, frankly I'm rubbish at patchwork and usually have to do work-arounds because I keep messing up, but what could I say! I told her that I was learning myself but I would be glad to help her if I could. So I ran down to the community centre tonight and the email lady handed me about 30 books on patchwork, all in French (mine are mostly in English so not much use to the others) and it looks like we could well be taking off in another direction with the sewing club! And since eight of our members are new to the club this year it's been gratifying to see how friendly everyone has become - it's a nice bunch with no "difficult" members like we had last year (thankfully just one person). In fact, one of the younger women suggested we have a kind of pot luck at this Monday's sewing evening as she felt it was a shame to limit our socializing to just a Christmas dinner and an end-of-year get together. Nice huh! I have no idea what I'll make but I'm leaning towards a red velvet cake at the moment, although that could change any time between now and then!
And finally, seeing all the stuff in the news about the coronavirus bought back an incident that happened, I think, in 2003 during the SARS epidemic. Because the threat was classed as epidemic-level by the World Health Organization, they invited representatives of all the international organizations in Geneva to a meeting on how to deal with such an epidemic should the city be hit. The head of HR was invited and he asked me to go along with him! Me???? What the flip! You can't begin to imagine how I felt sitting in that huge room surrounded by all these eminent epidemiologists giving their opinions on such a serious subject in what seemed to me to be a language right out of Star Trek, although I was assured it was English! As we walked out of the room my boss actually said "Sorry, I should have introduced you to everyone but I never got the chance"!!!! Say what! I would have just died if he had 'cos, you know, me and Marie Curie weren't exactly like this:
You write very interesting posts.
ReplyDeleteThanks PP, I'm trying to write this up more as my own diary but every time I write about one thing something else keeps popping into my mind so I could be here forever!
DeleteI need to get my 54 year old non bendy body to follow suite! I know once I started, I would really like it, but I need to find that friend to hold me accountable. I could commute to the Swiss-France border and hang with the two of you at class.
ReplyDeleteOddly enough I always found it easier to go it alone because then I only had myself to blame if I didn't go - or maybe it was just too easy to back out if a friend said "nah, not today". And I'm sure you'll get into it when you retire, although it's a shame to wait that long too isn't it. Until then we could meet at the main border every Friday at 10 a.m. if you like!
DeleteI wouldn't be surprised to hear that most governments have made preparations in case of a nuclear attack or some sort of pandemic. But it would be a rarity here in Canada for an individual home to have a safe room or bunker area. It's interesting to think that Switzerland has mandated this.
ReplyDeleteWell done on the exercise!
Oh I'm sure most countries have safety bunkers for the "important people" (which wouldn't include us I'm guessing). Here though, I don't know any home that doesn't have a basement, although it was probably intended more to store your wine than as a nuclear bunker. My own basement is huge, hence I've got so much junk. Actually, whenever I heard about devastating tornadoes in the US I used to think "why didn't they run down to the basement" and then realized that most US homes don't have them.
DeleteOh definitely, if I don’t get my thrice weekly yoga/Pilates sessions (I prefer the latter), and it doesn’t matter how much other exercise I do, it’s as though rigamortis begins to set in.
ReplyDeleteI was doubtful about the pilates to be honest but I'm beginning to enjoy it now. But seeing me walk to the bedroom door when I get up I must look like I'm 100 years old. You're reassuring me if I'm not the only one!
DeleteWow, that's amazing about the bunkers. Wonder what they think they'd come out to if there was a nuclear "accident"? No basements here in Australia either.
ReplyDeleteI like yoga but hate, hate, hate, downward dog. Have never been able to do it. Have a dodgy hip and tight hamstrings. Lucinda
There's a few yoga moves I don't like too but I guess they'd get easier with practice. And who knows what they would come out to after a nuclear accident but at least they have the option I guess!
DeleteMore memories for me flooding back! My aunt and uncle lived in Geneva as I've told you and they had a basement with the 'room'. They stored all sorts of stuff down there and it had a great big area with a bed settee in it as it was also brilliant when it was really hot to sleep down there where it was nice and cool. They didn't have air con. I also remember the time my friend and I were visiting and the day we arrived the nearby river burst its banks and flooded everyones basements in the street and our basement was slowly filling with water so my friend and I spent our first day baling it out! I have photos of us in shorts and rubber gloves hauling all sorts up to the garden to dry. Not quite your typical holiday snaps lol. The fear was the flood waters would get high enough to affect the electrical plugs but again they were ahead of the game in that they had plugs higher up the walls than we did in UK. Ours are now higher up than they used to be. Great memories! I envy your love of yoga. I want to love it but haven't found the right one yet. That said, I'm not really looking very hard!! x
ReplyDeleteDo you remember where they lived in Geneva? I was in Petit Saconnex for 5 years when I was single and it was great being so central as a young singleton. And I would love to see that photo of you baling them out - it all makes good memories doesn't it. Talking of yoga, I remember when my dad first started having heart attacks and was advised that yoga might help him. He and mom went out one evening for him to enrol in a class run by the hospital (first time I had EVER seen my mom in a pair of trousers). They came back doubled over laughing as my mom had ended up enrolling and my dad didn't - and that WASN'T the plan. I actually have a book called "Yoga for the over 50s" or something like that and if those photos don't motivate you I don't know what would!
DeleteI think the area was called Thonex? I can't do the wee hoogie above the o on my computer! I don't think it was too far from the city. We could get a tram nearby to take us in to the city and she was very near one of the border points. Did you ever go up Le Saleve (I think it was called)? Oh and believe me you wouldn't like to see me baling out the basement. I clearly thought my hat looked cool as I seem to have it on most of the time. This was the 70's so now its not quite as cool as I probably thought lol. Happy memories.xx
DeleteOh I know Thonex pretty well. The Swiss side of the border is called Thonex and the French is called Vallard so the border is Thonex-Vallard. I used to park there and catch the bus and yep it's right next to the Salève. I think you'd get a shock if you saw it now though as it's changed an awful lot even since I've been here with the Geneva ring road and revamping the tramways. My son doesn't live too far from there, on the Swiss side (wife is Swiss) in a lovely village called Choulex! And if we look back at our old photos we cringe don't we so I know where you're coming from!
DeleteNo one likes exercise, so the trick is to keep at it until it becomes part of your routine and then you just do it.
ReplyDeleteThe feeling better helps, too!
You're absolutely right Bob. I loved sport as a kid/teen and thought I'd stay that way as I grew older but life got in the way and I quit most things. Now that I have the time I intend to get back to it because, like you say, the wonderful way it makes you feel is so worth it!
DeleteQuite frankly, I DO think I'd rather have the bomb hit me directly. Who wants to live in a post-apocalyptic world?
ReplyDeleteBut if anyone would be fit and strong enough to do that, it would be you!
Ha ha, I've a feeling the bomb would just bounce off me at the moment (still got quite a bit of weight to lose) and like you I'm not sure I'd wouldn't rather go out with a big bang and a bottle of Riesling!
DeleteA coworker of mine caught SARS in 2003. She is a very nice gay lady and at the time same sex marriage was not recognized legally in Canada(made legal in 2005). She got so so sick the Dr told her to put her legal affairs in order so they had to draw up wills at hospital bedside to protect her wife. Fortunately she recuperated although she was off work for a full 6 months. Very scary times. I am still friends with her on Facebook but haven't got the cheek to ask her what her thoughts are on this Coronavirus. Lousy time to be on a cruise ship though, right now there is a whole Princess ship quarantined in Japan.
ReplyDeleteIt's scary stuff isn't it. Actually I don't think I, for one, realize how serious these epidemics are. I think I just tend to think of them as like a bad case of the flu and of course it affects weaker people (the very young and the very old in particular) more severely, but seeing that doctor who just died in Hong Kong and he wasn't very old is frightening, but I guess he would have been around it more than most. There is a bad case of flu going round here and people seem to be taking a couple of weeks shaking it off. I've only had flu once in my life and that was enough.
DeleteI've read some of your posts and would like to follow. However, three times I've tried to follow on my blogger feed, and every time they change it to some unrelated blog with a similar name. I'm using the exact extended address in your profile. So, is there a chance you could enable following by email on your blog? Or by Bloglovin, maybe? That would be so appreciated.
ReplyDeleteHi Boud, eek, I have no idea but I will have a look. I know Lucinda has problems posting here (as I used to do on her blog) and the same happens with Northern Living Allowance and Spaghetti Sam's blog. Not sure why this happens but I will have a look, but thank you for stopping by anyway.
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