On the 27th November I injured my back. I wasn't doing anything stupid. I wasn't even doing anything that could be considered risky. I simply turned around.
At first I thought it was just a bit of a muscle twinge, but as the day went on it got worse to the point where my boss sent me home. I spent the next two days in a variety of uncomfortable positions before finally succumbing and going to see a GP who inspired me by saying it would just take time and giving me some painkillers. By the weekend it was worse and had spread into my leg in the form of sciatica. Back to the GP for some more advice and heavy hitting anti-inflammatories. After two weeks I was just able to get into work with a lift - driving was out of the question. And now, a month later I am still suffering with a range of weird and wonderful symptoms, largely affecting my leg but also my lower back. I have seen a physio and his exercises have no doubt helped, but I am some way off being 100%
An added downside to all this is that I haven't been birding (or even out of the house apart from for work) since the 27th November. Until today.
It had got to the point where I had to get out, apart from anything, the dog hadn't had a decent walk in a month. Because I am still struggling to drive I kept it local and went to the Three Sisters. This is somewhere I used to work and is actually somewhere I volunteered at when I was just 10 years old - albeit only once as I couldn't get there when my dad was working, which was every saturday pretty much. It has sadly been the victim of the local authority cuts, in just the same way that lots of places in the area have over the last few years, and is now getting into a bit of a mess. However its still pretty good for a bit of birding, and its only a five minute drive away.
My intention was to spend a couple of hours mooching about, particularly to see if I could find a Long-eared Owl. The site used to hold the odd roosting bird in winter a few years ago. It can also be a really good site for Siskin and Redpolls, holding significant flocks of both in some years. Sadly today I found no Long-eareds and only a handful of Redpolls flying over. A roosting Tawny was a nice, if unexpected find too. A first for me for the site.
But my main discovery of the day was that I was absolutely knackered after just an hour of walking around. My leg was giving me some serious grief which made walking harder and I didn't spend anywhere near as much time out as I had planned. What has me worried is that this could be the new 'norm' if I cant get my back fixed, and as everyone likes to keep telling me, when its gone once it will go again! A lovely thought. Not. And if I'm honest, quite a scary one.
