I Miss Riding My Bike

After I injured my shoulder in January 2009, and the subsequent surgery to repair two torn tendons, I have come to appreciate the simplest things in life that I could do without thought beforehand.

While I've never claimed to be a great gardener, my ongoing back problems, and now this shoulder injury pain have made it practically impossible for me to do gardening anymore which is really frustrating. My yard looks like an impossible mess or should I say like a detonation area. I can't afford to pay a gardener to fix it for me. Mmm, seems I'll have to find myself a gardening fairy. Does anyone have their postal address?

Usually I've taken on the handyman jobs around the home, and have always enjoyed the challenge. Now there are limitations to what I can do, eg if it means reaching with both hands for more than 20 seconds at a stretch, I can't do it. Simple jobs that I could once do as easy as pie, I'm now having to ask JD to do. Thankfully he's got a pretty good head on his 12 year old shoulders and enjoys these kinds of tasks.

Assembling complex bits of furniture is now an impossible task because I can't hold it all together or hold and screw parts together. Aargh. Once again I'm fortunate in that a couple of my friends help me with these types of things.

But the thing I miss most of all is the ability to ride my bicycle. Because of my back problems, I can't walk and neck problems mean that I can't swim either. I found a few years ago that I could quite easily ride a bike as it relieved the burden on my lower back. In fact, it was great to be able to get out and about and I used to ride up to 12km. 

I LOVED the freedom and finding nice places to explore. Either of my two dogs would come with me and run alongside the bike until they were tired, and then I would harness them into the basket on the back of my bike. They loved the wind in their ears and to see activity around them, and it was a lovely time of bonding.

I've purchased an exercise bike but it's not the same, and I have nowhere on the back on which I can rest my injured arm and the view in my rumpus room is definitely not inspirational. But ... the fact is that I have no excuse not to exercise now. 

I wish I could purchase a DVD of various places around the world that I could watch as I ride my exercise bike - it would make the exercise much more interesting, PLUS I could see other countries at the same time. 

Perhaps I'll do some investigation on the DVD situation. It may encourage me to get back on the bike, even if it means that I stay stationary, and the poor dogs can no longer experience the wind in their ears.


Perhaps I'll put a basket in the back, put on my DVD of "Bikepaths in France", place my dog in the basket and turn on the fan before I jump onto the bike. At least if I can't fool myself that I'm overseas, I might be able to trick the dog.