The trouble with exercise......

Sounds great and yes you are right about the knees. Nelson area is lovely. Have you ever visited the Boulder Bank...? or Rabbit Island? or that museum which is a 1900 house in mint condition, just outside Nelson?
My son lives on the Kapiti Coast.

I had a great time in the Nelson area when I first went to NZ - including Rabbit Island. We spent a few days in a chalet in a holiday place at Mapua where clothes were optional - however the only people who removed them were the ones you didn't really want to see and I didn't take the risk.

Yes, we had several bbqs on Rabbit Island and we went swimming at Golden Bay. Waitingi Day happened during my holiday and we went to the Maori Village for their open day which was fascinating. I don't suffer from jetlag so the day after I arrived my daughter took me on a 12 km hike to Whistling Falls - she takes no prisoners! We had mussels on the way to Picton, which is a lovely little port.
I was amazed at how many friends they had made in the first few months - I went out in February, three months after they moved, and we had invitations to several houses for informal dinners (is there any other kind in Nz?) The two younger children, aged 13 and 12, love their schools and the 18 year old has just completed her first year at nursing college which she has loved.
My daughter still misses her three older children and her two little grand-daughters, but she has free calls to England and also uses Skype.
Her husband, who is a ship's officer, had a good job offer before they went - I don't think they would have gone on the off-chance, but it has proved to be a very good decision for all of them. My daughter has swapped her smart business suits and high heeels for jeans and wellies, as she now has pigs, hens, two dogs, two cats, and a huge vegetable garden. She helps at Riding for the Disabled several times a week.

Sounds like it is going very well for them there. Lovely. I find it a friendly place. Golden Bay, whimper, whimper, yearn, yearn. The trip to Farewell Spit is amazing, as is Abel Tasman.

I was attracted to the title of this forum and found the comments on housework very reassuring. There are always so many better things to do! As long as the essentials (i.e. kitchen, bathroom and clothes) are healthily clean, does the dust really matter? I just do it when someone is coming--or the sun shines and I can't stand the dust anymore! Like Greatnan (who has made some great contributions to my forum "has anyone walked a marathon in a day?") my flat is small, so it doesn't take long.
Returning to exercise, I felt like Jingle--until I heard about a Spire2Spire trekathon on ClassicFM. It was a walk to raise money for music therapy for sick, vulnerable and disabled children. I am fond of both music and chiidren (and have worked with vulnerable children), so my ears pricked up. When i discovered the walk was from Winchester to Salisbury Cathedral I was even more interested and signed up for the trekathon. A month or so later I realised that walking 26 miles in a day was not for couch potatoes! By this time I was committed and thought at least it should have the side effect of making me (and my heart) fitter. I do not have a car so I am used to walking around and using public transport, but I have never been 'a walker'. The trekathon is on 8 Sept, so for the past 6-8 weeks I have been making myself walk around Hyde Park ( I live in London) and around Richmond Park. I was told that 'walking the walls' of Richmond Park is 9 miles--so I made myself do this before I started fundraising. Last week I managed it twice, plus a bit and walked 22.5 miles.
I can't tell you what a sense of achievement this gave me + the confidence to do the 26 miles in Sept. The parks are beautiful and I have seen wildfowl on the Serpentine, and deer in Richmond Park.
So Jingle, if you ever feel exercise might be a good thing (!) might I suggest you consider doing it for a purpose that inspires you--it has inspired me, and I have a tinsy bit of understanding now as to how incredibly hard the sportsmen and women about to dominate our screens have to work, and I admire them all the more.
if you do get going, gransnet contributors are incredibly supportive.
Good luck, whatever you decide to do (including sitting down with a good book!).
ps if you want to find out more about the spire2spire, or the journey I am making, please check out my web page justgiving.com/SueBSmith71

The justgiving site is down for maintenance at the moment, but I will try again in a couple of hours.
You are doing so well with your training -I have no doubt you will manage the walk. You make me feel quite wimpish!

Greatnan, NO way are you wimpish-- I can just see you striding up and down mountains, Nordic poles in motion. I envisage a combination of Heidi and Maria, with the hills being alive with the sound of music! And then you go off to New Zealand for a couple of months. An inspiration to us stay-at-homes.

Did you see the opening ceremony of the Olympics, last night? I found most of it quite stunning, but I was moved to actually crying when I saw Mohamed Ali (who we probably remember from when he was Cassius Clay) touching the Olympic flag. Someone commented that he 'looks a wreck'. I was shocked at that--I see a man with dignity and enormous courage, the greatest sportsman of all time, or at least my lifetime, ravaged by Parkinson's, yet finding the strength to carry on doing, and giving of himself for what he believes in--a true hero and inspiration to all of us.

GrandmaMiney can I just say that I took the advice of Notsogrand and cut down on the housework - drastically!

On the subject of Cassius Clay (as was) does anyone know for sure that the boxing caused the Parkinsons? Mightn't he have been lined up for it anyway, perhaps genetically?

Re Mohamed Ali, I don't know what caused the Parkinson's, and I'm not sure anyone does. But whatever the cause, the pain to him--physically and psychologically must be terrible--which is why I admire him so much. He has done so much for sport and young sportspeople and inspired generations. To be brave enough to put himself in the public eye--physically compromised, but with such guts is inspiring. I still see him as he was in his prime--physically stunning and with such a wicked sense of humour!
I agree about cutting down on the housework--in the immortal words of Shirley Conran, "Life's too short to stuff a mushroom" so it goes for elaborate cooking as well!

Every time I see Mohamed Ali I think of my mum, it brings a tear to my eye because she had Parkinson's . It is a horrible condition to suffer from.

I think it was the boxing.

I think I read that brain damage was a fairly common result of a boxing career.

My thought re Muhamed Ali was also that it was boxing related as surely you can't take that amount of bashing around the head- and this was in the days before helmets- without some effect on the brain. But it also somehow reinforces my theory that it is so often the aspect of your life that is most central which is affected by degenerative conditions - Intellectuals with Alzheimers or Motor Neurone, athletes with MS or Parkinsons. A very superficial comparison, perhaps - anybody able to back it up?

Could it just be more noticeable in these people in comparison?

You are probably right, more visible.

Annika,
I can understand how painful it must be for you--it can be as difficult to watch one's parents suffer as it is one's children. i hope you have happy memories as well--and allow yourself to think of them...

Gracesmum--
I was interested to read your observations about the aspect of one's life that is most central that is affected by a degenerative condition. My mother was very fit and healthy, still giving care to her neighbours and family--and still driving (safely) until the day before her 89th birthday when she had a stroke. Although she recovered enough to return home with carers twice a day, it affected her memory for dates and time. She had always had a brilliant memory for birthdays and it is my children's, grandchildren's and my own fond memory that we always received a phone call from her at 7.30am on our birthdays. Followed by a card and present absolutely on time for the day. Her frustration, after the stroke, of suddenly 'remembering' someone's birthday and believing that she had forgotten it, even though it was months away caused her much distress.

As for Parkinson's--my jury is still out on the cause--but I don't think we should confuse it with Alzheimer's or dementia. And I still think Mr Ali is the greatest!

I don't think gracesmum was confusing Parkinson's disease with Alzheimer's or dementia, GrandmaMiney, she was just speculating about the possibility of a former profession predisposing someone to a particular degenerative disease.
My SIL had Parkinson's disease and was alert in mind and intellect until the end, although it took a terrible toll on her body. She wasn't involved in any sporting activities during her life, though, it seemed to be just a random strike.

It's ok Anagram, I was not addressing the Parkinson's comment to Gracesmum, which is why I put the comment in a new paragraph!

I was interested to read your comments on your SIL's experience of Parkinson's Disease. As you point out, Parkinson's is not (usually) related to sporting activities or previous 'brain damage', I understand that it is a quite separate condition, the causes and treatment of which are still being researched. My heart goes out to those who have it, such as your SIL and Mohamed Ali, as their fully functioning mind is imprisoned in a body which no longer allows them to live the life they would hope to live, or to express themselves in ways they would wish.
I think I would rather put up with the pain and inconvenience of an arthritic joint. But we just don't know what we are going to have to face, do we?

That's true, GrandmaMiney, and I'm sorry I misread your post. My SIL knew she would eventually be severely disabled by the PD, but I think it was a shock to everyone how quickly it took hold once the deterioration started. When FIL died it was so sad that both she and my MIL had to be pushed in wheelchairs into the service, and by then SIL couldn't talk at all - they just had to hold hands.

Dear Anagram,
Thank you for your post, which moved me. I have sent you a private message.
I guess we just have to exercise while we can.
I did one round of the walls of Richmond Park yesterday for my walking-a-Marathon-in-a-day training [to raise money for music therapy for sick and vulnerable children by doing a trekathon on 8 Sept]. So I only did 12.5 miles--will try to do 2 laps next week--it was inspiring to see the banners for the Olympic cycle races, which had been through the Park on Sat and Sunday.

we had good friend who hs has parkinsons for over 10 years!! it can be managed fairly well in some case with drugs and patches, he does have bad times of course and cannot speak very loudly at all.

From my anatomy and physiology there is a physical cause for Parkinsons but would have to revise to be clear on it.

Alzheimers is hard one, my late father in law was diagnosed with vascular dementia, awful but he was about 89 lives 2 years was so sad as it is physical decline and well as mental he became double incontinent.

I do not think there is any link to Mohamed Alis boxing career and Parkinsons

I did read somewhere that it is impossible to make firm diagnosis on alzheimers until after death and brain examined.
grizzly idea!!

is very sad and cruel to be robbed of your mind and all of us would not wish that to be our fate but we have no say in it.

On a brighter note--hasn't today been amazing. I am not a sportsperson (and never have been) but I have watched more sport--and enjoyed it enormously--than I have ever done. Jessica Ennis (albeit nearly 50 years younger, but hey ho---in my mind's eye I could be her!!!) is an inspiration--such incredibly hard work, in all weathers, yet still so ready to thank everyone who has supported her. Six gold medals today. I'm ashamed to say I was cynical and sceptical about the Olympics, but it is SO exciting and London has such a buzz, it's taken 20 years off me--and encouraged me to train harder for my 26 miles-in-a-day trekathon on 8 September. Well Done Team GB