Out of my Comfort Zone…
š¶Didnāt we have a lovely time, the day we went to Bristol š¶
Iād been stuck in the house for such a long time I was going stir crazy, cabin fever had well and truly set in and I was gnawing the skirting boards working out an escape plan.
One of my Wid friends took a gamble and came to visit shortly after my last operation and kept me company for the weekend with lovely cake and cups of coffee.
In return, when I was able to, I was invited back to experience Chippenham, Bristol and Avesbury.Ā I was asked if thereās anything I didnāt want to do, and I said Iām up for anything (except long walks due to my predicament), Iām trying to get out of my comfort zone and push/experience things I wouldnāt normally doā¦Ā (more on that later!).
Being on both crutches at the time I couldnāt walk very far, I was looked after very well once I was able to travel (albeit slowly because of the pain and my leg locking up).
After a coffee and refreshment in Chippenham (look how beautiful the River Avon is) ā¦
First up was a play called DEAD! (well widow humour can be slightly dark!) actually it was called Fred, Ted, Jack and Harold.Ā We arrived at the theatre in plenty of time and one of the staff signposted the lift for me to get to the theatre level.Ā My two friends accompanied me when the same bloke shouted.Ā āI can see why you need the lift but those two can walkā.Ā Without I thinking I shouted back āTheyāre my carers!āā¦
That shut him up, and gave us all a bit of a giggle.
The play itself was extremely funny, I donāt want to spoil it for you, though its based on famous serial killers in history.
The next day included a tour around Bristol, thereās so much to do that we couldnāt fit it all in that afternoon, and besides me with my gammy leg canāt be much fun for the host, but they were very patient.Ā Turns out a street fair on at the same time, I didnāt get the chance to take a look around, I was given a choice, but it would have involved a bit too much walking on my bad legs so I wussed out…
We managed a bit of a boat trip around Bristol Harbour⦠My friends narrative was hilarious, thereās an alternative career in stand-up comedy for her.
I love being on a boat, something about it is calming, relaxing, maybe itās just being so close to water, I donāt knowā¦.
The day had been brilliant so far, in addition I was given a guided tour (via car) of Bristol with various landmarks, and stories from a childhood long gone.Ā Since I had my camera with me, my friend said thereās a great vantage point that shows all of Bristol below the hills.Ā Great I said, as we drove there.
Gorgeous Sunset isnāt it?

Tog Hill – Bristol, Should really be called “Tug Hill š³”
As Iām bent over a landmark plaque thing trying to line my shot up, my friend was giggling away to herself, and I was unsure why⦠wellā¦
By day, itās a beauty spot for family picnics, by sunset however, it appears that itās a place with more āDog WalkersāĀ than dogsā¦š¤š³š±
I did think it was odd the number of blokes in vans loitering around somewhat, a young woman and her partner in an Audi with discarded tissues getting Sh!t faced (presumably before the start of her performance), and I guess the next clue was when I pulled my camera out of the boot of the car a number of men dove into their vehicles and drove off sharpishlyā¦š
At the point I realised/found out, let’s just say I was keen to get out of there.Ā In the words of my friend āHe shat himselfā, that is of course a gross exaggeration⦠I was merely protecting her honour/integrity/modesty by jumping in the car and non-chalontly shouting ādrive, drive, driveā. Ā On an unrelated note I was mildly relieved there was a change of underwear available in my overnight bag, but that is coincidental, nothing more, nothing lessā¦š³š¤
In my haste to get away, I drove up the wrong bit of the carpark, where a car was coming towards me down the dirt track, I was about to flash my headlights to signal them to go by when my friend grabbed my hand and sternly said āNoā, how was I to know that this was code that meant I was āUp for itāā¦š±
Anyway, long story short, and 10 miles later Iād calmed down enough to see the funny sideā¦š¤ŖĀ To be fair, I did say ‘Take me out of my comfort zone” I’ve since learned to be more careful what I wish for!
To cap the weekends activityās off, a trip to Avesbury to see the stone circle and picnic with fellow WAYWoCās, which translated to me going to the boozer whilst everyone walked in the heat before settling down to a picnic where Iād enjoyed some of the best sausage rolls Iāve had in I donāt know how long. Ā More on that in another blog post!
Finally, as Zebedee once saidā¦. Boinggggggā¦ā¦ā¦ Time for Bed and the long journey home. Ā This was the best weekend I’d had since my wife was diagnosed with Cancer, and I’m grateful to the people that organised and made this happen. Ā It was bittersweet because I would have loved Janice to experience this, but then again I would never have met such a wonderful group of people either. Ā Conversely its highlighted my desperate need for a holiday/break one of which I can’t see happening for a long time yet.