Smells Like Spring Spirit

While you are all ogling the lovely orange/red leaves and pumpkins, we are moving crisply into spring here in Brisbane. And it is as lovely as I hoped it would be.

It's also wet. It rained for most of the last week and it's supposed to start raining again tomorrow for a couple of days. Since we live on a river....well, that makes life just a tad more interesting (but it also makes me glad I live on the 16th floor). There has been a lot of flooding.

In fact, there was a news report this morning that the powers-that-be have had to release some valves on a dam to let some water out. Combined with the high tide expected later today on the Brisbane River, my afternoon river walk could be kinda damp. I'll let you know how that works out!

But yesterday I had a perfectly lovely sunny day to enjoy. I had a morning massage over in New Farm (the next suburb). We finished about 11:30 and it was such a pretty day -- and I was soooo in need of a leg-stretching walk -- that I decided to follow the footpath along the river back to home.

The footpath does stray away from the river in some places but in general it goes along the river for several miles. At mid-day, it was surprisingly busy. Cyclists, walkers, joggers, mums with prams, kids on scooters. There was even a woman in a dark business suit and heels out for a walk. Given how far away I was at that point from an office, I was kinda impressed.

The only problem with this walk was that they 90-minute massage I'd just had was deep. I mean reeeeeally deep and heavily focused on my ... legs. He was doing some myofascial work (including working on some percolating shin splints) and it hurt. A lot. Like hell. It was as close as I've ever come to kicking a therapist and, honest, it would have been just a reflex. (Honest!)

I thought taking a 3 or 4 mile stroll would actually be good for me. Blood flow. Warm up the muscles. Get a little exercise. Get lots of sunlight.

4 miles later, my hamstrings were threatening to spasm. Fortunately, "4 miles later" is also when I got to my apartment. I took one more trip out to the mid-week farmers market in the library square but that was it for my legs and feet yesterday. I stretched and even spent a little time in the building hot tub (which, to be honest, should be called the moderately-warm-tub).

On the other hand, everything feels better today. I'll let you know how I do after the rising-river walk.