Over the past few years the aches and pains that tend to affect one as one gets older have begun to take their toll. For example, taking part in Lawn Games using rules like LITTLE WARS, FUNNY LITTLE WARS, and LITTLE COLD WARS has become almost impossible as my knees allow me to get down and crawl about well enough ... but just aren't up to the job of getting me upright again afterwards! Without some means of support (a convenient table, chair, or passing wargamer), I just cannot get up.
I was discussing this with an equally elderly gentleman recently (to be truthful, he was actually a few years younger than me!) and he strongly suggested that I acquire a fold-up walking stick for these sorts of occasions. He told me that since he had acquired one, his problems in this area had diminished considerably. He also advised me to buy one with a rubber tip so that it would give me sufficient grip on a shiny surface as falling flat on one's face whilst trying to stand up was at best undignified and at worst, dangerous.
I have now acquired a folding walking stick, ...
... and I am slowly (and carefully) learning how to use it. I have yet to use it on public transport, but when I do, I might even be offered one of the reserved seats for people with mobility problems ... although I have considerable doubts that I will.
I was discussing this with an equally elderly gentleman recently (to be truthful, he was actually a few years younger than me!) and he strongly suggested that I acquire a fold-up walking stick for these sorts of occasions. He told me that since he had acquired one, his problems in this area had diminished considerably. He also advised me to buy one with a rubber tip so that it would give me sufficient grip on a shiny surface as falling flat on one's face whilst trying to stand up was at best undignified and at worst, dangerous.
I have now acquired a folding walking stick, ...
... and I am slowly (and carefully) learning how to use it. I have yet to use it on public transport, but when I do, I might even be offered one of the reserved seats for people with mobility problems ... although I have considerable doubts that I will.
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Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteA real gentleman would have a sword custom made to go with such a device....Of course if such an item is over 100 years old and classed as an antique you are permitted by law to carry such a thing. I am not sure if a fold up variety would qualify....
I fully understand where you are coming from this as my left ankle injury is beginning to make its presence felt rather more frequently than 30 odd years ago when I did it!
I hope it helps you and next time you are over we will stick to the ground floor rather than the loft.
All the best,
DC
Check out the movie 'The Brotherhood of the Wolf'. There is just such a ... sword... thing ... wielded by the bad guy towards the end. :-D
DeleteDavid Crook,
DeleteLuckily I'm not a real gentleman ... and the top section looks very similar to an SOE Welrod silenced pistol!
This day has been coming for some time, thanks to my scoliosis and the onset of arthritis. I've had problems getting up after kneeling for at least five years, and I'm hoping that my new walking stick will help. Luckily I don't need the stick whilst I am walking ... yet.
All the best,
Bob
Archduke Piccolo,
DeleteThat's not a film I've seen ... but I'll certainly look out for it now.
All the best,
Bob
I am nearly 60 and have had some knee issues related to arthritis for some time. They seemed to be getting worse so I saw a specialist who gave me exercises to do that strengthened the leg and core muscles. These involve stretches and swimming on my back. They have led to some amelioration. I already swim distance so I now incorporate backstroke into my daily routine. I recommend swimming for general health and to do it five times a week. The main stretch I do involves placing hands on the floor with body up (not in push up mode) and place feet flat on the floor. The other involves lying down and raising the pelvis; I do this latter whilst reading so it is not to onerous as a time filler.
ReplyDeleteJanes James,
DeleteI was born with scoliosis, and learning to swim helped me to develop the muscles I needed to help me cope with the effects of the condition. I also learned a simple, short exercise regime that helps stretch specific muscle groups, and I still follow this every day.
As a youth I also played rugby, and damaged my knees quite regularly. As a result of the damage, my knees have been painful for years, and the onset of arthritis has made matters worse.
I shall be 69 next birthday, and I do try to keep fit By walking whenever I can.
All the best,
Bob
Lot of that going around. What keeps me limber is largely exercise of the right sort, gentle stretching and breathing etc and careful choices about what I eat, some things seem to bother my joints. This sort of thing is best nipped in the bud while we're still young (relative to 90 year olds) but best to consult some who knows what they're talking about.
ReplyDeleteRoss Mac,
DeleteAlthough I am 68 - and will be 69 in February - I don't feel old, just a bit stiff in joints that used to be supple.
Sue and I eat a lot of Mediterranean-style food (tomatoes, olive oil, pasta) that is supposed to be healthier than more traditional British dishes, and we try to exercise as best we can. I was advised to take several diet supplements that are supposed to help reduce the impact of arthritis and cataracts, and these form part of my daily regime.
All the best,
Bob
There is an old story from somewhere about mankind beginning life on all fours then moving to two legs and subsequently three.
ReplyDeleteEither that or you are becoming a Martian tripedal being.
It was a riddle posed by the Sphinx to Oedipus. What goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the middle of the day and three legs in the evening?
DeleteJim Duncan,
DeleteShakespeare alluded to it in the following speech:
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
I think that I am currently on the cusp between the fifth and sixth ...
All the best,
Bob
Archduke Piccolo,
DeleteDidn't the Sphynix die when the riddle was solved?
All the best,
Bob
Being a Scot we didn't do much in the way of that Shakespeare chappie but lots of the National Bard Rabbie Burns.
DeleteThank goodness for a separate educational system.
Jim Duncan,
DeleteNot even the (in)famous 'Scottish Play'? That does surprise me!
All the best,
Bob
I think Macbeth was covered in class but I missed a lot of teaching time due to surgery for deafness/hard of hearing.
DeleteI must have heard enough though since I passed my English Higher in 5th year.
Jim Duncan,
DeleteYou did well to make up for the lost time.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeletePleased you've obtained the walking stick- hope that it will help you to participate in the Garden War Games that you so enjoy. My only problem seems to be a tightening of the leg calf muscles after I've been pushing the Lawn Mower for about ten minutes uphill- I put it down to infrequent exercise to keep the calf muscles 'toned up'. Hope your otherwise well. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson,
DeleteI hope to be taking part in a floor wargame later this week, and it'll give me the opportunity to see if my new walking stick helps.
All the best,
Bob
Been there, done that, got the stick! All part of life's rich tapestry.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the answer to Garden Games is to promote yourself to CinC.
Barry Carter,
DeleteIt's all part of growing old disgracefully.
I did exactly as you suggested, and was C-in-C of one side during the last lawn game I took part in. I didn't win, but at least I was able to take part.
All the best,
Bob
Yes, surely you could have a young aide-de-camp to move the figures for you whilst you sit on a chair with a comfy cushion? I'm just starting to have the same problem as my 3-year-old grandson insists that I get down on the floor with him to play with the Brio train. As you say, its the getting up again that's the problem!
ReplyDeleteStryker,
DeleteI'd love to have an ADC available to help me, but the possibility of me having one is somewhere between 'no chance' and !zero'. Mind you, it sounds as if you have an ADC in training!
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your ingenuity will enable you to find alternative, wargaming uses for your new stick: Line of Sight checker, Movement/Range measurer &c.; or, with a pin in the handle, the striker for Jane's Naval Wargame?
Perhaps my smaller build makes me appear more frail than your sturdy physique; I have been offered a seat on the bus several times recently...
Best wishes,
Arthur
Arthur1815 (Arthur),
DeleteI'll have to devise some wargaming use for it other than just as an aid to get me vertical after I've knelt down!
Although I've offered my seat on the underground to several pregnant women over the past few years, I have yet to be asked if I want to sit down due to my age. I obviously look rather more robust that you do ... which is - of course - the reverse of the truth,
All the best,
Bob
I do hope you put the stick to good use at the Bring & Buy at all good wargame shows, Bob?
ReplyDeleteRay Rousell,
DeleteNow that is a good idea! I could use it to beat a path through all those backpack wearers that seem to gravitate to the Bring & Buys!
All the best,
Bob
That means you can just point like Monty ;)
ReplyDeleteGeordie an Exiled FoG,
DeleteWill I have to say 'Gather round chaps' as well and hand out free cigarettes?
All the best,
Bob
I'm now 75 and I know how you feel! I go up to London about once a month and very rarely do I get a seat in the evening on the way home. I do carry a TFL "Please Give Up Your Set Badge" - but haven't quite felt the need to use it yet! Can you recommend the folding walking stick you got?
ReplyDeleteDavid Bradley,
DeleteAlthough I have yet to see if I will be offered one of the reserved seats, I have noticed that young black and Asian men frequently offer to stand so that older women or those with babies can sit, whereas their white counterparts rarely do.
I actually bought the stick that is featured in the photograph from Amazon. It cost just under £20.00 and came with a small storage bag.
All the best,
Bob
Bob - VMT - I too have witnessed the same - too busy checking their I-phones!
DeleteDavid Bradley,
DeleteThe smartphone is a wonderful invention but its use can easily become obsessional. Mine has a very good satnav, and I use that more often than any of the other features, with checking my emails as probably the second most used. What I rarely do is listen to music on it and never, ever do I play games. I've also been know to use it as a telephone!
All the best,
Bob
I'd have thought a shooting stick would have been handy for lawn games.
ReplyDeleteNigel Drury,
DeleteTrue ... but only if it comes with bullets!
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteCould you store NERF gun ammunition in the shaft?
Arthur
Arthur1815 (Arthur),
DeleteProbably; after all, the assassin in DAY OF THE JACKAL hid a whole sniper rife in crutch!
All the best,
Bob