Walking funny

Tonight was the night we finally resumed our evening walks with the dogs. They enjoy it, we enjoy it, and we’re all the better for it. This time, Nigel and the dogs enjoyed the walk: I enjoyed sitting on a bench while they walked.

My knee problems continue, which isn’t surprising, since gout attacks take up to a week to clear. But for large parts of the day today, I was, if not fine, at least pain-free. We decided to give it a go.

We always go to a park called Onepoto Domain [MAP], down by the motorway in Northcote, because it’s flat and has extensive concrete footpaths. This means that we can go even if it’s been raining, and the dogs won’t get muddy paws. The concrete also helps wear down their claws, which is important.

So we got there, Nigel got the dogs out of the car, and as I moved slowly to get out, too, he suggested that he take the dogs and I sit on a bench, and this is what we did.

I was sitting on the first bench, only maybe 100 metres from the car park, facing the pond, which is popular with ducks and people with remote controlled model boats. I watched both. But a pair of pukekos, who’d been foraging nearby, came over toward me, under the false assumption I’d brought things to feed them. That attracted masses of pigeons, but they left as soon as they realised there was no food from me.

The pukekos, however, continued their foraging. Since they were so close, I snapped a couple photos (above and below). At one point, the solo one up top was VERY close, but moved too quickly for me to get the photo I wanted—which is kind of funny, because they don’t move all that fast; fast enough, obviously, to get out of frame.

Nigel and the dogs finished their walk, I met them back at the car and we went home. Once there, I realised my knee was hurting more than it had all day, and I was really glad I’d sat on that bench rather than attempting a walk.

And the irony in all this is that if I’d been walking all this time—we don’t remember when we stopped our regular walks, but it was “quite some time” ago—I’d probably be less susceptible to gout attacks, though this one probably would've happened, anyway. Right now, frankly, I don’t much care about that fact; I just want to walk with Nigel and the furbabies again.

Soon, I know—it’ll be soon.