Wet.

It rained this morning which was fine for me as I was teaching. By lunchtime when I left school it had become warm and rather muggy though when I drove back up into the hills it turned colder once more with occasional showers. On my way home I called in at the recycling depot (aka the dump) to offload those printers, some cardboard and a few other bits. I also dropped into Lidl's for some fruit and veg. My treats of the moment, apart from chocolate which as we all know must be part of our 5 a day with cocoa and sugar coming from plants, are mangoes and blueberries. Fresh mango is especially nice with zero fat yoghurt though I did forget that I had run out of yoghurt and blueberries compliment my homemade muesli made with oats, oat bran, sunflower seeds and whatever fresh or dried fruit I have. 

 Some afternoon views as I drove home.

At home I did my exercises early to get them out of the way. 'The Plank' was an ideal choice for me as it doesn't involve actually moving which would damage my arthritic knees. Not only does it strengthen your core muscles but works the muscle at the front of your thighs and your buttock muscles. Best of all my bingo wings have almost disappeared. When I first started I could hold the position for 15 seconds before collapsing in a puffing heap but it eventually got easier and now I usually do 3 sets of 4 minutes each, twice a day. For fun I sometimes do a few press ups though not too many as they hurt my wrists. I have advanced from doing something where I think I'm moving but no one else could see anything happening to a noticeable movement which almost looks like a proper press up. (All this is starting from the high position because there is no way I could push myself up from the floor.) It just goes to show that progress is possible for even the most unfit of us. 

I did manage to get a bit of work done outside before yet another shower drove me back in. I'm tidying up the patio at the back of the house now that the pile of branches has gone. I can see that corner now and it's remarkable how simply cutting the lawn edge with a knife makes it look so much neater. I've also been watching my squirrel visitor. He used to make his way to the nut trees running across the tree branches 10 ft above the ground but now he has to venture down to ground level. I think he's quick enough to keep out of the way of the cats. That reminds me, I'd better go and put some more peanuts in the bird feeder.