Ageing before my time..

The road and pavements are still lethal where I live, as the Council refuse to grit them despite taking £1000 Council Tax every year, so when I ventured out earlier I took a hiking pole with me.

It seemed very sensible as I had one. The packaging said it was intended for use on snow & ice so ideal for the job. I also took the view that it is better to swallow a bit of pride rather than break a leg...

Now because I'm fit & healthy, I'm not really used to getting around with any sort of stick. I don't do a lot of hiking either...!

I found that it requires a different sequence of movements, putting the stick down and transferring some weight to it before moving. Its not a natural process and I had never thought about that before. It was an unexpected insight into the problems of restricted mobility as we get older. Something to think about perhaps.

The other problem I had was that the hiking pole didn't seem to be gripping the ice very well. I thus had to tread very carefully, so I felt and probably looked about 80. Would have been quite comical if anybody filmed it...

When I eventually looked more closely at the hiking pole I realised that I had left the protective cap on, so as a means of support on the ice it was absolutely useless. No wonder it was difficult...!

So I might not need any walking aids yet, but it does appear that senility is setting in (LoL)...!