Day 2 (July 16): Teresa!

The view from my window 

I woke early (5:30), as my window faces east and it gets light around 4 a.m. this far north. Fortunately my room is stocked with many books, and I’ve begun reading a Joanna Trollope novel, Girl from the South. I’m always delighted to find another good writer. 

Another thing that woke me, however, was back spasms. Not sure if it was the almost 24 hours of travel and sitting, working the manual stick shift for three hours, or the bed—or perhaps all three. Whatever the cause, I could not walk or sit or lie down without pain. As I moved and stretched, the pain lessened slightly, so I snuck downstairs and let myself out. I walked down the main road of the village—slowly—and tried to pretend that it wasn’t so bad.

Admitting defeat, however, I returned and lay down again until breakfast at 8:30—a magnificent plate full of poached eggs (fresh from the henhouse), beans (for fiber), tomatoes, mushrooms, and homemade bread with Chris’s lovely ginger marmalade. And many cups of tea. Chris, who is a retired nurse midwife, showed me how to bend backwards and decompress the spine. It did help somewhat.

I lay down again until 11, then hobbled downstairs and drove off to Presteigne, a mere five miles away, for a visit with Teresa. She was waving in the front garden as I approached her charming pink house, and it was wonderful to sit and catch up with all of our news. I also had a tour of her lovely back garden, which she has wrestled from the jungle that it was a mere year and a half ago. Her home has such warmth and beauty.

There’s even an apricot tree in her front garden!

You see what lovely hot weather we’re having—

And her gorgeous view over open fields. 

After a healthy and warming lunch of homemade soup and rice, we took a short walk and parted ways for our afternoon naps—so necessary for me, still dealing with jet lag. 

I spent the afternoon at Corte Cottage, trying to read but falling into a deep sleep, then sitting outside in the arbor with my writing pad, trying to wake up. I made a meal of digestive biscuits, grapes, and tea for dinner, then fell into another deep sleep after many prayers that my back would relax and heal.