It turns out I do a lot of thinking with my feet.
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It feels like ages since I last wrote, but you probably haven't noticed I've been gone. The time elastic that is usually wound up tight and zips right by has been stretched out since I had my feet operated on (two hammertoes are now straighter). It's been six weeks and the surgeon is happy with my progress but I am impatient to be properly walking and gardening. I feel I’m turning into a tub of lard.
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I had planned to work a lot while I was recuperating. And I have done some – I haven't missed any deadlines – but I found it surprisingly difficult. Lying around in bed drains me creatively. It's the opposite of walking in the hills, which I won't be able to do for weeks, maybe even months. My subconscious does all the heavy lifting in my work; there is something about walking that throttles my conscious brain and allows the ideas to come through.
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One thing I have been able to start is the new edition of A Basque Diary, my account of living in northern Spain for a couple of years. As I published the first edition in 2017, this second one is overdue and I'm making progress bringing it up to date.
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We went back for a week in July and re-visited our old haunts. Some had closed down, but most were still there, and there were new ones as well. Hondarribia has definitely bounced back from Covid.
I better work some more on that and find a new way of coming up with ideas. Let me know if you have anything that works for you that doesn't use feet!
TTFN
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PS. Molly was confused about what had happened with my feet and why I couldn't go on big walks anymore. She perked up as soon as I was able to hobble to the tennis court and whack balls for her to retrieve from the long grass.
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Thanks, Jason. At least I can still work. Just about - ideas are definitely better when they are gathered from the hills and comics are something the AIs haven't quite mastered (thank god I'm old, because that is coming).
I've been enjoying your missives. The last one about the terrible "Aussie" themed restaurant was like an episode from Seinfeld. Have you ever pitched a sitcom?
So sorry about the hammertoes! My mum had the same op and was also taken aback at how immobile she had become. It's not a small op! Hope you're back on your feet soon. Pun, well and truly intended.