Wednesday, January 02, 2008

DAY 88: Day off in Stratford

Tues 1 January 2008
Very warm all day

Just as well I’m having a day off because I woke up with severe backache. The slightest move caused me intense pain and I couldn’t reach my pain killers which were in a bag outside. It had been a very hot night - not sure about here in Stratford but in Melbourne it was still 30 at midnight according to today’s paper - and so I was wearing very little (don’t get excited please ladies) , and it was a real struggle to get some clothes on since I was hardly able to bend at all. Eventually I managed to crawl out like a cripple onto the grass and get some tablets (3!), but it was fully half an hour until I was able to stand. In the meantime some people had passed but didn’t ask what was wrong, when it was evident something was wrong; possibly they put it down to a New year Party hangover! Once the medicine took effect things improved fairly quickly and I was up and about again. A very nice (formerly) Polish lady, Anna, passing with her dog, was very kind and looked quite concerned about me.
I still took it very easy and spent a lot of the day reading the papers - there were even papers today too despite the holiday. It was very hot by just 0900 and it was going to be a scorcher all right - not a cloud to be seen. The pool opened oat noon and I was there soon after getting in when hot; out for a while; back in when hot x 10 or so etc. Gentle swimming seemed to loosen the back up even more. There’s a kiosk at the pool to get ice creams and cold drinks too so that added to the pleasure. I could practically see the tent and my stuff from the pool too.

I tried a new kind of ice cream - dippin' dots! I've never seen this before, but it comprises a tub of little ice cream balls some 2 to 3 mm in diameter (you get around 10,000 for $5.50!!!) and they are delicious - a sensuous icy cold tingle as the balls hit the tongue - ahhh!! (:->)

Anna checked that I was OK in the evening and we chatted about how she had travelled extensively and lived in Australia, Italy, Sweden, Spain and other places. She has for the past four and a half years been looking after her sick father, and is just taking a well-earned break here.
Nothing much else to report today so I won’t waffle unnecessarily; only took 2 pics too.

This magpie came a few metres away from the tent whilst I was eating dinner and sang a beautiful song to me for ages, and I tried to teach him or her a song too without success. They are very interesting birds and I must find out more about them.

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