Spring isn’t my thing

Actually, that is a complete and utter, barefaced lie. I love spring, the birdsong, the trees and flowers bursting into life, the weather, the chocolate, it’s really that spring doesn’t really like me.

The last week has been increasingly more uncomfortable. I have managed to walk five days a week for four weeks in a row, broke the 100 mile mark for the month (not enough, but 50% better than the previous two!) and nearly doubled my total ascent to reach 4378 feet. (So much for going metric!) I found last year that walking daily made as much of a difference as the distance and ascent, so I just try to vary the length and height as the mood takes and get my legs used to the idea of plodding day after day.

My goal this week was to walk six days in a row, but it was not to be. All that wonderful warm spring weather after a fairly mild and frost free winter means that the pollen count has risen with a vengeance and the breeze is just blowing it around and aggravating the issue. My eyes are swollen, itchy and full of gunk. I can’t wear my preferred wrap around sunglasses because I can’t get my lenses in to facilitate their use. Tablets might help, except they are tricky. Loratadine knocks me out within half an hour of half a tablet and when I wake up I’m grumpy and grotty. No change there, some might say. I occasionally resort to Cetirizine. It takes a little longer before the half a tablet knocks me out, I probably won’t be unconscious for so long, but I will be tired and grotty for much longer. And I seem to be wheezing, which is unusual. Yuk, really, so I’ll stay indoors until the rain damps it all down for a while. We want rain for the heath fires (been some more, including locally, Dumfries and Galloway and Banchory, amongst other places) and to calm my hayfever before I get unfit!

Spring is beautiful though, I love it.