Getting back in shape

Regular readers of my blog will know that one of humans has been poorly recently and ended up in hospital.

After a couple of weeks in bed, he started to get up for a few hours a day but the road to recovery has been a slow process. I have to admit I have been concerned, not least because my walks have been somewhat curtailed as a result. I can’t remember when we last did a good five-miler.

Not that I’m complaining. The weather has been awful – endless rain and wind, with mud in the fields and on the riverbank, and streams of the stuff running down the lanes where we walk. I’ve been quite happy curled up in my basket, snoozing by the fire, or sleeping on someone’s feet in whatever room they happen to be.

I’ve been out at least twice a day, of course, but things have been limited for all of us out of necessity. It seems, though, that I’m not the only one feeling the need to break out.

When he breaks off from his work at the computer, my human has started going out into the garden and doing exercises by the apple tree. He waves his arms around, stretches and squats and it’s good fun for me as I try to join in, weaving between his legs and licking his face when he gets down on the lawn.

Normally he does his exercises on a mat in the bedroom from which I’m banned, so this outdoor session is a bit of a novelty for both of us. It’s only a few minutes a couple of times a day, but I seize the opportunity for a bit of a sniff around the garden before we go back into the office. When he starts tapping on the computer again, I to enjoy a snooze under the desk, dreaming of the day when we can step out for a long, long walk together in the sunshine.