March 25, 2016
Liverpool, NS

Roadspill is 13? Seriously? I was in my 30s when I started this?

I don't even remember 2003. Guess that's why I have this blog — to remember all the kvetching I did about the state of Canadian media. What's changed?

And to record my travels, of which there have been many.

I don't write much here anymore. That's probably because of social media, much of which didn't exist back in the day.

But it's still a place to record big life changes, like my hip replacement two years ago and my current weight loss.

So, Happy Birthday, Roadspill. You're a teenager! Time to get all responsible...  unlike yours truly.

And so it goes....

More progress...

Thursday, March 24, 2016
Liverpool, NS

This guy has arthritis? You'd never know. And thanks, Dr. Clive Duncan for the new hip and life!

So far, so good. Much work remains!

Cheers!

It Works!

March 16, 2016

I've been going to the local gym since Feb 24 and I love it!

It's so incredible to be able to move without pain. None in the old hip and none in the new hip.

As per usual, I'm probably doing too much. Workouts were running 2 hours per day, but with some changes, that's now about 1:50. Still a lot. But so far, so good.

I had been going at 9 am, but I found that this really screwed up my work day. So for the last few days I've been going at 6 am. If I leave the house at 5:50 am, the timing is perfect. And then I'm done and on my way by 8:30 am. The added bonus is that the gym is almost completely empty. Awesome!

I find this a much better schedule, although I'm still trying to adjust my evenings to go to bed earlier.

I've been keeping track of my progress and since March 1, I've cycled over 300 km (and I'm on track to hit 600 km this monyh. I've just added rowing, so my arms get a bit of a challenge, too.

The results: weight down 5.5 lbs in 16 days. And 32 lbs since January 2015.

Hopefully I'll stay motivated and efforts will continue to pay off. I'd like to lose another 47 lbs.

And So I Goes...

Cheers!

-30-

THR +20 Months (609 days)

March 4, 2016 - THR +20 Months (609 days)

It's hard to believe that I'm now one year and eight months post hip replacement.

The new hip (left) is still working perfectly while, surprisingly, the right hip is still showing no signs of needing replacement. That's coming, but who knows when?

I've joined the local gym and plan to attend Monday-Friday. So far so good. This was my first full week (I joined midweek the previous week). I logged 123 km between cycling and walking (mostly cycling) just THIS week. The previous week I walked 11 km and cycled 11 km.

Watching the legs go round and round...

Eventually I'll add weights and whatnot. But for now I'm going to do 25 km per day, five days a week.

Another surprise: my weight is down. 11 pounds less than when I left Ireland. Today I weighed in at 251. That's 26 pounds less than a year ago. Slow and steady...

Got mail?

Meanwhile the Liverpool experience continues. The weather had been quite nice although as I write this, there's a blizzard blowing outside.

Oh yeah, it's winter!

I've been enjoying myself, thanks to a friendly local community that is always inviting me out for dinner/fire hall breakfasts/beach visits. Last night I had a couple of drinks at the local pub, which is straight out of the Prairies: a couple of pool tables, VLTs and the bar is cash only.

Club 21, Liverpool's legendary watering hole

Yeah, it's kind of a dive... but a nice dive. There's a big celebration planned for St. Patrick's Day and I'm told the community potluck dinner is to die for. Several kinds of chowders and much, much more.

The adventure continues...

Abandoned Satellite Station - February, 2016

The sign near the entrance remains well hidden, 2016

I love abandoned places. They're creepy, of course. But they're also lots of fun to explore and photograph.

One place I find fascinating is the abandoned Teleglobe satellite station near Mill Village, NS. At one time it was an important cog in Canada's telecommunication network. Not only did signals shoot to and from space, the Bermuda-Canada undersea telephone cable terminated here.

The site was shuttered in 1995 and left to the teenagers, vandals and copper hunters of the area. I'd first heard of the place back in 2008 and visited soon after. At that time, all the buildings were standing. But the most unique attraction was a massive 30m (?) satellite dish that had been cut from its mount and allowed to crash into the ground.

One of big dishes, 2008

The crumpled dish rose out of the bramble like a monster climbing from a shallow grave. It was very surreal and very post-apocalyptic. You could almost hear the zombies moving around in the dark buildings. I took a bunch of pictures back then. You can see a few of them HERE.

Much has changed over the past eight years. My visit this past weekend revealed that much of the facility has been reduced to rubble. The dishes were gone as were most of the buildings. This is pretty much all that remains:

Teleglobe Satellite Station, 2016

I created a small photo gallery of the site as it looks today, HERE.

I plan to go back soon and will post some more stuff. Until then, here's an example of the not-so-ugly graffiti that covers most of the remaining walls.

A colourful spot, 2016

Is that a zombie I hear?

THR +19 Months (580 Days)

February 4, 2016 - THR +19 Months (580 Days)

New month. New location.

I'm marking my 19th month with the new hip in Liverpool, Nova Scotia. I'll be here for a spell. The weather isn't cooperating, so I don't have a bunch of photos to post. Yet.

The left hip is as good as ever. I still get some fatigue/strain if I sit in the same spot too long, but other than that, no problems whatsoever.

The right hip still isn't showing any signs of wear. Flying was a bit uncomfortable and I had some pain in the joint. However, that went away once I was finished travelling.

And so it goes!

Cold Air, Clear Skies, Black Ice

Friday, January 8, 2016
Normann's Ruh, Isle of Mull, Scotland

A Cold Morning Breaks on Mull. 1/8/2016.

So... the 'road' on this part of the island is basically single lane tarmac. No plows, no sand, no salt. Not surprising, as it really doesn't get wintery here (yet). However, last night was clear and cold. How cold? Well, the temperature inside the house was 14C when I got up. Brr!

I took the dog for his morning walk/pee/poo and found the road to be covered in black ice. I nearly fell a half dozen times. I can't believe people drive on it, yet they do. And at speed. Crazy given the sheer drops and lack of any guard rails. If you went off the road here, you might not be found for days.

Anyway, the good thing about it being clear is that it means some sun today — which should make for some good photos. The DSLR will be coming along on my adventures today.

And so I goes... 

THR +18 Months (549 Days)

January 4, 2016 - THR +18 Months (549 Days)

Seriously. A year and a half?

I'm gobsmacked that 18 months have passed since I received my new left hip. Why?

Well, I almost forget what living with pain felt like. And I can't believe how fast time flies. It's really quite incredible.

The good news continues: the left hip is fantastic. And the right hip, which will need replacing at some point, is also fantastic. No sign of any trouble. An X-ray might say differently, but in terms of pain: zilch.

Walking and hiking are almost effortless. And would be if I could just drop this excess weight. Gah!

But... I've been cycling in Scotland, too. It's an eBike (with an electric motor assist for steep hills) and I try to get out on it when it's not raining. But that's not often.

Wandering around the Isle of Mull, Scotland

Plans are coming together for the next stop on my journey: back to Nova Scotia for a few months.

And so it goes...

2015: The Year That Was

2015 was filled with mostly ups and just a few downs.

Travel: Guatemala, Mexico, Nova Scotia, Ireland, Scotland.

Health: New hip great. Other hip not showing any signs of trouble. All else good.

Weight: Down a bit.

The important boxes ticked: a roof over my head, food in my tummy, money in the bank and steady income.

Plus a ton of great friends to enjoy life with.

And I started cycling again!

Yup, a damn fine year!

Happy New Year!

Waiting for 2016 in Scotland

December 25, 2015