Keswick, here I come!

June 12th

This was my last day with the Martins. Breakfast and chats in the morning, per usual. How amazing is it that I can say that??? Here I am, in a whole different country, and I get to have family breakfasts and dinners. Goodness... my life could not be more magical right now. And, I don't mean that in a bragging way; I just want to acknowledge how blessed I am to have been HANDED this opportunity. And, through saying "yes" to the next thing that excites me, I have experienced more magic than I imagined.

After hugging Shelly, I was off to see James's physio! James played rugby and has been seeing Gary he was on the team in (college and university... I'm not sure). The point is that on one of our day trips, Sherry was telling me how great Gary was, and I felt the tug, so I said I'd love to see him. And I'll be damned if they didn't make it happen!

Anyway, I got to sit through James's appointment. I think Gary mainly sees big, rugby players like James with athletic injuries.

Then there's me.

Gary could not have been more lovely. (Same for James. He made sure I was parked accessibly and held my arm when we crossed the road) Okay, back to Gary. So, he mobilized James's knee for a bit, and then it was my turn. I'm used to the assessments, and I'm a puzzle for inquisitive minds (that could be applied all across my life). After a brief assessment and little mobilization, he said he wanted to try me on this zero-gravity machine for fun. He wants me to attempt longer strides to give my body time and ability to catch itself if I start to fall, and the zero gravity machine (I'm sure it has an official term) was the safest way to try. He said I need to UNlearn the way I've learned to walk.

Well, no harm in trying! Gary doesn't play. He pushes you to see what your body can do, so it felt a bit fast. Well, halfway through the ten minutes, he was explaining how our belly buttons are our center of gravity, and we should let them lead the way. That's all I needed! I let my ol' belly button get her time to shine, and boy did she ?!?! James and Gary were gobsmacked.

Then I asked for a picture with him. I said, "I know you're going to feel this is weird, but I'd love to get my picture with you before I go!"

In true Englishman form, he said, "Well, I suppose so. It's already been a weird week because someone baked me a cake!" How silly and precious :)

So, I will be looking for a machine like that in the states to practice! In the meantime, my belly button's name is now Samantha, or Sammy, or Sam. She is a fucking rock star! I'm excited to see how our budding relationship will develop! It may sound woo woo, but I could write a whole thing on how sacred belly buttons are, and this is evidence in my book!

I got on the M6 after that, and it was pretty smooth, uneventful sailing for a while! I chose a pub to stop in about an hour out from Keswick. And, I'm so thankful for following my gut! I sat at the bar, and Rob and I became fast friends! (So much so that I'm here again drinking, eating, and writing because my Air B&B can't handle my blog needs) We talked about school, family, travel, literature, and gardens. It was effortless and lovely, so I said we must be facebook friends! Thank god the youngin' got to work to help us because we couldn't find each other online to save our lives! Ha!

I left Cross Keys Inn so thankful for good men. There are a ton of you! (Unfortunately, they happen to be woman's biggest predator, so I HAPPILY sing the praises of the lovely ones I know)

Rob said THE BEST fish and chips were in downtown Keswick (that's all I got. To be fair, I didn't ask for details), so I headed to downtown looking for the pub that felt right. Turns out, Keswick isn't as small as I thought. The downtown is quaint but thriving, so I kept on driving. Also, my GPS decided to stop working. This is where my country driving back home kicks in, and I just take the next exciting road. And, I ended up finding a biergarten near a bustling trail. I don't remember what it was called, but it was lovely.

I got to the Powter House around 6PM and a beautiful pup met me at my car and walked me in! Gahhhh... my heart almost burst! Karen followed closely after him, and she showed me inside. The front of the house was built in the 1570s, and there were many additions following. For example, the spiral staircase was enclosed in the Georgian style. It is full of antiques! Is that what you call furniture dating back to the 1660s?!?!? It's wild and gorgeous.

As beautiful as it is, it is obvious I was more worried about pictures and English breakfasts than accessibility. So much so that when Karen showed me the loo down the hall, she asked if I could manage. I told her, "As long as no one's looking, I'll manage. It won't be pretty, but I'll be fine." I was right. On both accounts ;)

My room and the loo are the rooms with the gorgeous, original floors. And, with that authenticity, comes wavy floors. So, my staying her is constant physio for me :)

Karen has wifi, but it's not quite up to broadband standards; hence, me sitting at my friend's pub typing away. (I made him assure me I wouldn't be the annoying American, but I'm kinda wondering now if he was just being sweet ;)

Well, that was my last day with the Martins, first day knowing Karen and Rob, and my first day in Keswick!

It was great!

Cheers!