Nautical

I went for my physio appointment first thing this morning and was delighted to hear that my knee X-ray had not shown any issues with my leg and knee bones. 'Not even any signs of arthritic deterioration', the physio said. He did however say that my right leg muscles are very weak, especially compared to my left leg muscles, and it is this that is fundamentally causing the pain and sense of instability. He gave me a set of exercises which I am to do 'little and often' to try and build my muscles back up to full strength. He said to exercise to the point of mild discomfort but not to the point of pain. I felt considerable relief to a) know the size of the problem and b) what to safely do about it.

After the physio I drove to Wisley to meet my friend R. Even though the weather was quite dull and dank, arriving as I did after midday I was directed to the far reaches of car park 3, as 1 and 2 were completely full. The two cafes closest to the entrance were predictably heaving with grandparents trying to entertain their grandchildren so we walked to the Hilltop cafe, which was also busy but we managed to bag a table. My friend decided that she wanted to go to the 'ask a question' session at 2pm and so I went along too. In the event I learned a great deal and even screwed up the courage to ask a question myself.

After the Q&A we walked to the glasshouse where there was a 'houseplant takeover' with a nautical theme. There was so much to photograph (see extras). I was bowled over by the creativity, imagination and sheer hard work that had gone into making the displays. It made me think that my few white pots on the windowsill at home are very boring. However, I can't see Mr Flossmo letting me bring a boat or even a rusty lobster pot into the living room. Ah well.

As ever, the shop was full of lovely if very expensive plants and gift items. I laughed at the birthday card which said something along the lines of ...I remember the days when I used to call them the right knee and the left knee, now I call them the one that hurts and the one that doesn't. There was a big display of large glass bottles and lots of small plants to buy to make your own terraria. I was tempted but resisted, at least until I have an idea where I would put such a thing.

The drive home was slow but not outrageously so. Mr Flossmo was waiting at home and as I walked through the door he put the kettle on. All in all a grand day out.