Well, that wasn't quite the original plan...

When My Dodgy Knee was first referred to the muscular skeletal specialist in Buxton, it was with a view to having a knee replacement operation. That's still a distinct possibility, but in the short (medium?) term, the pain and inflammation has reduced significantly and it would seem that My Dodgy Knee and I can soldier on for a bit.

My Dodgy Knee has been keen to get back to the Tuesday Walkers, and so with a short (pre-lunch) walk on offer, we set off for some 3½ miles round the local area. Any pretence that I'm only a fair weather walker has long since been dispelled, and those of us (fool)hardy enough to go all got suitably drenched. Aside from the weather, all went well, so as the next one was a little long at 4-5 miles, off we went again.

As can be seen from the photo of Brough Mill, it was a pleasant winter day. So having reached Aston we decided to head on to Castleton. At this point, My Dodgy Knee contemplated bailing out, but foolishly decided not to do so. After all, it's only going to add a couple of miles to the walk, right?

These days, barely half the Hope Valley buses bother to come via Bradwell, so the option to catch a bus back from Castleton was not really there. Thus it was a case of in for a penny, in for a pound. Or, as it turned out, in for 8¾ miles. It may be said that the final ascent up Smalldale towards home was taken rather "steadily"... but this time, seemingly no significant or long lasting ill effects, so we'll take that as a win.

It's been a while...

The main reason for the silence is that there hasn't been much to report. That said, I'm not sure my physio would have recommended a trip to Texas that included sitting still on an aeroplane for 10½ hours (yes, I travelled stowage class). Nevertheless, My Dodgy Knee and I survived - nay, enjoyed - our trip.

And yes, we did trek up the Enchanted Rock, and back down again (perhaps more to the point), and all the way round it as well. A good 4 miles. Actually, My Dodgy Knee and I accumulated nearly 9 miles that day, although in small doses.

Obviously My Dodgy Knee took advantage of the (rare) opportunities to use public transport (you knew there'd be a train somewhere).

Previous experience has suggested that My Dodgy Knee isn't too keen driving long distances but a 2+ hour drive each way to visit the Alamo passed off well.

Fortunately for everyone's knees, the NASA Johnson Space Centre in Houston provide a tram shuttle around the site.

But sometimes, what My Dodgy Knee really needs is a beer...