This morning, I saw a large phalanx (I had to google that) of storks circling low over the clinic, almost as if to say – see you in spring – before heading south.
With just one item on my programme before lunch – an early Marnitz therapy session (a form of massage – SO good, for neck and shoulders but especially for the area around my scars – it does not necessarily feel that good while it is happening, but afterwards – bliss) – I went out for a bracing walk – nearly got blown off the dike several times – to see if I might catch a last glimpse of the storks, but they seem to have gone.
That is kind of sad, but the impressive sight of so many storks in the air at the same time is forever on my retina and I regret not having had my camera with me, locked and loaded, at the time.
I and one other newbie were met at the station in Heide(Holst.) and chauffeured to the clinic. Check-in and first introductions. Everybody is very friendly and all is running smoothly.
First thing Friday, blood etc tests, and consultation with a doctor to establish a plan of action.
Had my first neck- and shoulder massage by a super nice masseuse. Later, she will also have a go at the area around my scars, which feels very tight.
Today introduction to the back exercise sessions, and used the fitness room and the swimming pool (swimming felt a little weird, but good), before the zoom course mentioned earlier.
And then I expect yet another good night’s sleep – it is completely quiet and pitch dark here :-).
By the way: Let’s get the Corona rules out of the way: Everyone wears masks everywhere and at ALL times except in one’s own room, while eating, and while in the pool. Even in the clinic’s café we have to put the masks back on between sips of coffee, even if we sit meters away from the next person. Luckily, so far, we have a lovely Indian summer and are able to use the terrace outside the café. Visitors are not allowed anywhere in the clinic. We self-test every morning and keep a record, signed, and they trust us be truthful (considering the vulnerability of some people here I doubt anybody would be stupid enough to not be). Every Friday, we hand in the recorded results and pick up new tests for the week.
Mealtimes have been split into two shifts and organised so that only two people sit at each four-person table at the same time, and diagonally across from each other, and at the other shift, the next two people sit at the other seats. Sounds complicated, but it works really smoothly. It does mean that everyone has one designated seat throughout, which kind of limits the number of people one gets a chance to talk to, but on the other hand, people leave and new people arrive three times a week anyway, which is not conducive to making permanent friends. There are group activities, and in addition “extracurricular” activities that we can sign up for if our busy (I’m not kidding) schedules permit, such as qi gong, pilates, yoga, and walks.
A couple of photos from my walks in the area and in the garden surrounding the clinic.
Here some from a quick morning walk around the garden on a misty Saturday morning:
And here it becomes really obvious that Lightroom is not the best software for post-processing of Fujifilm photos. Grainy, wormy …. It is conventional wisdom but my brain is still a bit too fuzzy to even think about learning the software (Capture One) that everybody recommends.
