Here's a tip for anyone with shoulder arthritis. Get yourself a light dumbbell (5 pounds is ideal; less if you need to), or use a medium-sized cola bottle (full). Hold it in your hand, stand with legs apart, and lift the weight until your arm is sticking out straight from side. Rotate the weight and bring your arm so that your weight is straight in front of you. Then lift the weight right over your head (make sure you don't drop it!), hold it for 30 seconds, rocking it gently frontwards and backwards. Then lower it carefully, reversing all the above actions. Repeat (or build up to) 5 or six times a day.
A physiologist attached to my Doctor taught me this, and it has saved a lot of pain, made me stronger (its good to do it with both arms, to balance your strength). I'm not a great exercise freak, so anyone who has the ability to build up muscle strength in the shoulder should be able to manage.
I've been rose-pruning today. It should have been done a month or so ago, but we've had such a long cold winter in North Central England that every growing thing was stalled until last week.
I also cleared out a bunch of ivy, but left a largish patch. Ivy provides very good cover for small birds like wrens or dunnocks, and it's worth leaving some, despite its bad effect on the soil.
And finally, as we approach critical Local Elections in English Cities on May 4th, it looks like this ward is moving towards George Galloway's "Respect" party. I'll still be voting Liberal Democrat, but with little hope. Our glorious leader Menzies Campbell -- the one who "helped" the very popular Charles Kennedy from leadership last Christmas -- is about as inspiring as a wet spinach leaf. Ah, well. Our society sinks ever further into Americanism.
No comments:
Post a Comment