There’s Been A Brief Hiatus In Proceedings

Well the last few months have been a bit different. No mega, epic trips or wild camps. Very quiet. On the other hand though, they’ve been anything but quiet.

Of course, Geoff and Jamie have had their kidney operations and thankfully, both of them seem to be recovering well and getting back to some sort of normality. I know that both of them have been on the receiving end of a huge amount of support from friends and relatives, and our thanks and love go out to all those folk who’ve been there for them.

The thing that not so many know, is that I’ve had a bit of a break in normal proceedings as well. Over the winter months, I’ve had a major re-occurrence of an anxiety issue.

This last hit me badly when I was in my twenties (A long time ago, I know!) but I’ve felt it creeping up on me for some time. It suddenly walloped me and knocked me sideways however, a couple of weeks after Geoff’s op. Not the best timing unfortunately, but these things take no notice of your plans.

Not sure whose camera this was, but Sam took the photo.

My GPs have been wonderful and I’ve been assessed and am on a waiting list for CBT (talking therapy) although I am already starting to feel much better. But in amongst all of this, it was also discovered that my blood pressure was rather high. I’ve always had a tendency to be on the high side of normal, but it had reached the point where they wanted to do something about it. ‘Risk Management’, they’ve called it.

I’ve no doubt that some of you out there will think I’m rather daft, but I actually found being put on blood pressure medication a bit of a mental challenge to start with, although I am sensible enough to know it was the right thing to do! Geoff has been a great source of strength to me through my woes, as have a few wonderful friends that I’ve badgered over the last couple of months. Thanks to all of you, good friends are very precious.

And so, hopefully, fingers crossed, we are now both ready to move forward again. We have #ghostcamp no. 5 coming up this weekend, which I’m really looking forward to, and this will also be the first time Geoff has carried a heavier weight in his backpack since the op. He’s  not going to be rushing around or covering any great distances, but it will be great to be out together with friends again.

Then next week, Pebbles and I are hoping to finally finish the second half of the Pennine Bridleway, from Hebden Bridge to Ravenstonedale. We’ve already done the first half over various weekends, but I’d like to get it done and dusted now. For the first few days, Geoff will be meeting us with the van each night, but we’re hoping to wild camp for the last couple of nights before Ravenstonedale. Hitting a lot more agricultural areas than the Pennine Way, it’s not quite so easy to wild camp the length of it, but it has so far been surprisingly pleasant walking. And of course, being a bridleway, it’s eminently suitable for walking with a dog, as there are no stiles.

And wouldn’t you know it, just as #ghostcamp no. 5 is fast approaching, the weather is changing to heavy wind and rain, and thunderstorms…… 😀

TGOC2017