Here's an image I took this morning for all those who like to have a big Ahhhh..... over cute things...

All together now... Ahhhhhh.......

just don't look in the trough...

So I stuck to my plan and toddled off this morning for a short walk around the village perimeter... or at least, the perimeter around my end of the village.

It was wonderful to be out of the house and walking again. I don't think I'd realised just how much I'd missed being outside thanks to all that damn rain we had recently and of course I do need to take things a bit easy just now.

Well I supposed I walked a couple of miles and took in one quite steep hill en-route. Judging from the amount I sweated, I've lost a bit of fitness lately... to be fair, I've hardly done anything since before Christmas.

At the top of Vinegar Hill (where the Romans planted vineyards during their occupation) there's an old farm and a couple of the 'outbuildings' can be seen from the lane. Normally the hedge hides the interior, but since the hedge is just sticks at this time of year I was treated to a rusty sight... and thought I'd get into a position to photograph and share it with you...

I've no idea what this old auto was, but the tyres look in pretty good condition so maybe with a little tender loving care the old girl might make it onto the roads once more... what d'you think? Will she ever run again?

As an aside, maybe some of you mechanical wizards out there might like to take a stab at what the auto was.

Time for a cup of tea I think...

There's a high ground walk I've done a few times that can be wonderful on a dry day. The ridge of hills is joined above Cwmcarn and I drop off above Cwmbran; a distance of around 8 miles I think.

The going is a little rough at times and the climbs up to and down from the ridge quite steep, but the views down over the surrounding area are grand on a fine day. Here's an image of the path I follow from a previous visit:

My recovery might be going very well, but I'm aware it would be extremely stupid to attempt a walk like this one for a little while. However as I've managed two days without pain relief and not too much discomfort, I am looking forward to getting out for a short walk in the fresh air today. I'll be happy just to manage a couple of miles in the local lanes.

I'd originally planned to get down to the south coast during the early part of this year; I've always wanted to photograph the chalk cliffs in winter for some reason. That trip will have to be postponed sadly, but certainly not cancelled.

The hospital provided me with a list of dos and don'ts:
* No driving for at least 2 weeks
* No stretching or bending for 2 weeks
* No lifting for 6 weeks
* No lifting or carrying heavy weights for 3 months
* No strenuous exercise or contact sports for 3 months

Okay, okay I'll take it easy...

My aim now is to build up my strength and stamina slowly, but steadily; I want to do that hilltop walk within the next six weeks... so I've set myself a target and have a lot to look forward to.