I prepare for my longest walk since the bladder operation, along a country lane to a farmhouse, a round trip distance of about three-quarters of a mile. It is normally the shortest distance I would consider for a proper walk maybe on a rainy January day. This time, however, it will present something of a challenge.

With Lesley I set off from home at a steady pace of around 2mph and get to the brook I mentioned in an earlier blog in good shape. Now a long uphill section which is fine as long as I can maintain a steady pace. Unfortunately we have to step off the tarmac to allow a tractor to pass. Restarting is a little harder. I reach the farmhouse at the top of the rise and we continue for about another hundred yards until a break in the fence gives a view over the Warwickshire countryside. I am now feeling the effects of the exercise and am anxious to set off home as there is no place to sit and rest.

We set off back and I have slowed from my outward pace. The final uphill section from the brook is a struggle and my pace really slows. I am grateful to reach the top and a couple of hundred yards on level ground to home.

I fall asleep exhausted for a few hours.

I listen to Yo-Yo Ma’s latest Bach Cello Suite recording. He is an absolute master of the use of time, stretching and contracting it at will to suit his exact need.