Icebergs ahoy!

Treatment on the dodgy joint continues, complete with the weekly trips to Paphos.

Early indications are good: the drugs, or the physical work on the joint or Mother Nature are having some sort of impact.   Finally movement is starting to return.

A check-up with the surgeon went well.  Having manipulated the joint in all directions he declared that he estimated at 50% improvement.  Surgery would no longer be beneficial he said.  Not surprisingly there was much rejoicing all round.

However, there was a sting in the tail.

You must swim; this will help the shoulder like nothing else.  At least twice a week, preferably thrice!

Yes, he really said thrice.

We, perhaps understandably, protested slightly.  The sea, afterall, is still cold.  The surgeon disagreed.

The sea is wonderful all year round!  Many, many people swim throughout the winter months.

He is right, many do.  We know some of them.  They are mad.

It seems that they spend their time out of the water trying to convince the rest of the world that the sea really isn’t painfully cold in January.  Put two of them in the same room and they’ll spend their entire time trying to convince each other.  The rest of us know the truth though.

However the surgeon was in a good mood and listened to the objections with good grace.  With a twinkle in his eye he grabbed his mobile phone and called someone on speed dial.  A five minute conversation, with much enthusiasm and gesticulation, took place. As he ended the call he grabbed a notepad from the nearest desk, wrote down a phone number and started drawing a map.

Here is the port roundabout; here is Carrefour.  Yes?

Behind there is a gym that my friend owns; this gym has a heated pool.  Here is his number.  Call him and he will arrange for you to swim in the pool.  He will not charge you for this.  Come back and see me in one month.  Swim at least twice a week!

Such is life here.  There is a solution to everything, as long you know the right person to call.  Did we mention that, as yet, we haven’t paid a single Euro to this doctor?  It seems, as best we can work out, that unless he operates he expects no payment.  Yet another oddity of private medical care here.

In the end we declined the very generous offer of the pool.  It would be at least a two hour round trip, two or three times a week, in addition to the weekly Paphos run.  And the beach, well it’s only 15 minutes from here.  And really, just how cold can the sea in Cyprus be in April?

The answer is really rather chilly.    Those folks who do this by choice, well, they really are mad.

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