The Last Ditch by Tom Paine

During the last lockdown, I gained four kilos. After my heroic efforts losing forty kilos in 2018, I wasn't happy about that. As soon as my health club reopened I stepped up my exercise programme to three hours swimming per week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and got my weight back down. I don't enjoy a second of it. Exercise is medicine. I hate it, but I hate more the consequences of NOT doing it. 

My heart sank when our tyrannical government announced lockdown #2 and my health club emailed to say it would close on Wednesday evening. I had my last swim on Wednesday morning and resolved that I must replace it with something rather than just allow my health to deteriorate. I was a transactional lawyer and respond well to a project, deadlines and goals. So I reasoned that, rather than just walk around the neighbourhood every Monday, Wednesday and Friday I should set myself some objectives. I decided to walk The Thames Path from Hampton Court Palace to Canary Wharf. If I walk on the three days I usually swim, taking the bus or Tube home at the end of each section (and returning there on the next planned day to continue) I reckon I can achieve that during the current lockdown.

At my age, I know my own psychology well (self-knowledge is the beginning of wisdom, they say) and so I announced my intentions on my personal Facebook page. I am now ego-involved. My friends will mock me mercilessly if I fail. This ensures I can't backslide.

This would have been illegal during Lockdown #1. The rules forbade travelling to places for exercise. This time however we can exercise as often and for as long as we want as long as we observe social-distancing, only do it with people in our household (plus one other) and observe the rule of six, social-distancing and wear masks when required. 

Today Mrs P the Second and I walked from Hampton Court to Teddington, stopping for a packed lunch in a park in Kingston-on-Thames. A good friend lives in Teddington so we had a socially-distanced outdoor chat with him at our destination before heading  home by bus and Overground.

The picture above is of the beginning of the walk, looking up the river from the bridge at Hampton Court. All the pictures from today are here. As the tyrannical response to COVID19 has prevented me from making (and blogging about) my usual motorised excursions around Europe, this pedestrian trip is all I can offer.