Category Archives: sevilla staycation

I can’t walk

16 Friday Aug 2024

Posted by in health, health & happiness, knee saga, knees, sevilla, sevilla staycation

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cant walk

Seriously, I cannot walk anymore. I’ve been doing my best to get out and about each day, but this past week I just can’t. It just fucking hurts too much. Even with the cane, even if I walk slowly. The extreme shooting pain in my (front lower left) right knee makes even a short walk around the block an exercise in constant agony. And so I wonder if I should be even trying to walk on that leg if it hurts THAT bad. Because the pain ends up extending down the entire lower leg. The left knee is no picnic either, but compared to this… there’s no comparison.

I can still shuffle around the apartment, more or less. But each time I have to get up to go to the kitchen, the bathroom, whatever, I have to steel myself for the inevitable shooting pain. Even so, I’m still doing my daily chair workouts (yay! thank god for them!). But my next MRI is a whole month away (September 16th) and I honestly don’t know what to do between now and then.

Not only has this put a serious damper on my Staycation (it’s actually pretty depressing and has left me feeling all scatter-brained, unable to concentrate) I’m worried about next month. I have some tours booked in those first couple of weeks, but… a four hour walking tour? Srsly?? I mean, I know we’re not walking the whole time, but that’s an easy 8,000 steps. I could probably still do the wine tastings as it would mean ONLY hobbling down to Morales and back again. But the tours? How? Going to the supermarket almost has me in tears.

I’ve been icing the area, using different anti-inflammatory creams, keeping up with the chair exercises, but every day it’s getting worse. What I need is a proper diagnosis and then a plan of action… treatment? physio? surgery? I just need to know something. Not knowing what is happening is really dragging me down. Anyhow, just venting today because being stuck inside and the constant pain is really getting to me. xx

PS
for those asking… I can’t take anti-inflammatory meds like Ibuprofen due to my BP, and I won’t live on a steady diet of pain killers. I just won’t.

staycation (almost over!)

12 Monday Aug 2024

Posted by in health, hope, sevilla, sevilla staycation, spain

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final stretch

So this is the home stretch, the final three weeks of my Staycation, which officially began on July 8th, so eight whole weeks in total (my next tours are booked for the first week in September). Although I could ill afford taking so much time off I chose to do it because 1) I needed a break, a serious “time out” to hopefully sort out what to do next and 2) I can barely walk anymore. I had a few vague plans and ideas, I had some hope…

And well, I can’t say I didn’t end up achieving any of my goals as most of them were so vague that it would be hard to know if they were achieved or not, but I do feel a bit disappointed that not much has changed. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve really enjoyed this time off, just being able to do WHATEVER when I got up in the morning. And I’m still doing the daily workouts. But as for the rest… I dunno. I’m not even very sure about what I thought might happen, though I did hope the time out would help give me some clarity. Nope.

Anyhow, three more weeks then back to work. That is IF I can walk. There are okay days and then some really not okay days. Like today. I tried walking down to the river and back (not far) and I was almost crying from the stabbing pain in my right knee. One good thing is that I got the appointment for my MRI… September 16th! So there’s a bit of hope. I may just develop a what-the-hell approach for these last three weeks, meaning just fuck it all and stop even thinking that I need to be accomplishing or improving or changing anything. Just be. Maybe I should have been doing this all along. How’s your summer going?

staycation (stage 2)

30 Tuesday Jul 2024

Posted by in casa azahar, sevilla, sevilla staycation, spain

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stacation 24 pt 2

After buying that cool veg chopper yesterday I realised that not only was it really going to up my food prep game, it was also going to help with stage 2 of my Staycation. This was the same moment that I realised there was actually going to be a stage 2. I think this is kind of the “transition week”. Who knew?

Since the Staycation officially began on July 8th I haven’t missed one daily chair workout, and I have to say I’m a bit proud of myself about that. Because it’s now to the point where the day wouldn’t feel right without one and that’s kind of what I wanted to happen. It’s how things used to be. Am also getting a walk in most days, though this is getting more difficult because my damn knee is getting worse by the day, so walking is no longer a pleasure (basically it hurts like fuck).

Anyhow, this means that after this week I still have four more weeks (Staycation officially ends on September 1st). This doesn’t mean I haven’t been working. I spend several hours a day on my websites and social media, updating stuff, editing photos, creating content etc. It just means I’m not doing work I’m being paid for, which was the work I needed time off from. I already know this was important, though still vague about what, if anything, will come of taking this break. And although I really can’t afford to be doing this financially I also can’t afford to not do it.

And so next up after getting myself hooked on the workouts… some diet changes. I have already made a few, and I’m still taking the fish oil and vitamin supplements. What I’m going for is another “habit”… a way of eating that feels just as natural in my daily life as the new workout routines do now. So this “transition week” I am working towards getting that started, and also having fun with it.

Don’t get me wrong, I eat well, always fresh food, nothing over-processed, etc. And no, I am not out eating tapas every day (that’s the magic of social media). But after multiple operations, chemo-menopause-ageing etc my weight increased without me changing any habits. I wasn’t eating more or doing less. And so now, instead of feeling a bit helpless about all this, as I have felt these past 15 years, I am motivated to find what works for me. So let’s see what August brings. How’s your summer going?

breathing

15 Monday Jul 2024

Posted by in casa azahar, home, life stuff, sevilla staycation

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breathing

I usually scroll past these “mindfulness quotes” when they pop up on my social media but for some reason I stopped to read this one and… ufff. Over the weekend I’d been starting to panic that the first week of my staycation was almost over and what had I done with all that TIME? What did I have to show for it? I was already feeling like I was letting myself down. So even though I know it’s corny, this helped remind me to take time to breathe. It’s okay.

staycation 2019

24 Saturday Aug 2019

Posted by in casa azahar, cats, friends, home, sevilla, sevilla staycation, summer

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As I mentioned the other day, I’ve been on a staycation this month, since I don’t have any money coming in and can’t really afford a holiday. But I’ve been keeping busy and it’s actually been quite nice having some time off, taking walks, seeing friends, reading, netflixing with the cats (watch One Strange Rock!), cooking (still trying to perfect tortilla con “socarrat”). It’s also nice because the crazy neighbour is away all summer, so I can enjoy time at home without having to deal with her nonsense. Plus it hasn’t been super hot. And hey, I did have trips to London and Galicia earlier this year, so I’m not complaining.

Meanwhile, I’ve also been looking at what direction my business will take as the rapid growth of tourism over the past few years has totally changed what began (for me) as a “hobby that turned into a job” thing. Which has been fabulous. And since 2009 it’s also provided a decent living. Then I started We Love Tapas in 2015, but it was around that same time that Sevilla was suddenly inundated by new tour companies. And so, while I know I offer a superior experience, I realise I have to “up my game” if I am going to actually STAY in the game. So that is also what has been on my mind during this short hiatus, and I’m happy to say that some fresh possiblilites have presented themselves (both in my mind and in person). More on that as things progress.

How’s your summer been going?