Walking again.

 Hello again, Last Wednesday i went into Hospital to have a Steroid injection into my Hip. It was done because my Hip joint is Bone to Bone but due to the fact i am well over weight and have a Heart problem, they say it would be too dangerous to attempt an operation. The idea is to have this injection to try to make me more mobile to attempt to lose 2+ stones to make the Op possible. I had to report to the X ray department at mid morning where i undressed to the Waist and was put on a table under an x ray  machine. A Dr then came dressed in special clothing (x ray proof presumably) and set up the machine with a large TV screen alongside him. He put a small local anesthetic in just below my Navel, then the Nurse brought a Needle about 6" or 7" long, i was petrified by now. He then started pushing this second Needle down inside toward my Groin, then put a second local anesthetic needle a bit deeper inside.He then said that the next bit could be painful......well ..he was right, it was bloody painful. While watching the TV screen he pushed the long Steroid neele further and further in, wiggling it to get right into the Hip joint, by now i was wriggling too with bloody pain, after what seemed like three weeks he was satisfied with the Needle position (i bloody wasn't) and put the Steroid Phial on and injected me, after a few seconds he said there "all done", none too soon for me i tell you.To follow i was told to sit still with a cuppa for half hour then i could go but not drive for 24 hours, his parting words were that this procedure worked in around 80% of Patients, it will be either brilliant or useless he said.
So after just 72 hours it was improved by probably 50% and after 7 days it had inproved 60-65%.
So now i can walk again with just a couple of painkillers 30/5oo co codamol. Yesterday we walked all along Paignton Sea front and back (half mile).
So todays blog is on our first late season walk on Dartmoor.We decided on Saddle Tor which is close to Haytor which we have climbed a few times before, also quite a short walk from the road and car parks. The Tor stands around 460 metres above sea level, ideal for a first uphill walk.
The first picture was taken as we got out from the car, looking up at the Tor.
Please do click on ant picture to enlarge it.

Pictures from the top.

Dartmoor Ponies were curious as we walked.

This picture is looking down from the top on the car park where we were parked

Joke of the day.

If you had purchased £1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you would have £49.00 today.

If you had purchased £1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you would have £33.00 today.

If you had purchased £1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you would have £0.00 today.

But, if you had purchased £1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the aluminium cans for recycling refund, you would have received a £214.00.

Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle.A recent study found that the average Briton walks about 900 miles a year. Another study found that Britons drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year. That means that, on average, Britons get about 41 miles to the gallon!

Makes you proud to be British, doesn't it?