Familiarity can be comforting, gives you peace of mind. So this year we are back in Normandy, a place we have been to twice before in the same house. I have written of it before, fearing it would be overrun by tourists. Well, where we are staying near Saint-Clément-Rancoudray is reassuringly quiet. Of course, I reflect on what has changed in those three visits over seven years and that can be confrontational. There are also rediscoveries. These are nicer to reflect on.
Confrontation
Well, let’s get that confrontation bit done first. Of course, that is related to progression of MS. Cycling routes are now within a much smaller radius and certainly quite a bit flatter than they were in 2020. Still pretty hilly, though. After all, the Tour de France went through this area earlier in 2025 and the Belgian commentators called it the Ardennes of France. Similar characteristics, lots of short, stiff climbs. The sort of thing I used to relish! Now, I am more careful. Walking is also not up where it was although, on Tuesday, I did manage two kilometres! OK, very slowly and with a long sit-down in the middle. But still a walk!
Bad weather on the first couple of days, though, restricted outdoor activities anyway. That meant doing other things.
Continuing (Re)Discovery
So walking and cycling are still pastimes on this holiday. Not as much, but still there and still, mostly, enjoyable although the last phase of a walk does get hard work and I need a stick, even with walking supports. Still keeps me fit though. Alongside these it is nice to keep rediscovering some other pastimes.
Reading, for example, something I have tried to pick up again. Rainy days are perfect for this. OK, my cognitive skills are no longer so good. So I change how I read. Now I make sure I take an hour divided over the day and read slowly, concentrating. I am glad if I read thirty pages a day if the book is complex but can read at a quicker rate if the text is easier. Less names to remember, for example.
The simple act of reading a book, though. Relaxing but also good for my cognitive skills. Helping my memory a little. I will get around to drawing as well, and I’ve done some writing on this holiday. Even with inclement weather, this combination of old and new is keeping the days full.
Old Habits
One thing is consistent across all of these holidays. I find myself in the kitchen, just making simple food for an evening meal. No recipes, just making use of a few ingredients and making something a little manageable. Normally with some cheese afterwards. We have not been to a market yet but the local shops give us all we need. It all just seems a little fresher although, before going too quickly into how everything is better in France, a lot of veg like peppers and aubergines comes from ‘Pays-Bas’. Those greenhouses.
Still, it’s nice to cook without any script. Just pick up what looks nice and cook it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Just some music on and cook. Enjoy the moment.
Living with Change
Let’s be honest. I am not going to pretend that everything is wonderful and positive. It actually felt really crap that what used to be a nice, quick walk is now a slow hobble and a real struggle at the end. After such an experience it is human to sit and reflect a little that not all change is easy. Take cycling. The last time I was here I enjoyed those hard hills, toiling up a wall of a climb with my heart rate peaking at 190. It felt good! I don’t go near that same climb now. That can be difficult to accept.
Still, it has to be and the aids that are available need to be used. For example, I need to just use my walking stick, that’s all there is to it. I may be thinking that I hobble like an old man but no-one really notices and no-one gives a shit apart from me maybe. In any case it is not an issue with using the stick at all but more with the realisation that it is no longer an option not to use it. I have to use it.
Living with change gets easier with a bit of rediscovery of old pastimes. I still feel lucky, though not all the time. That’s human. The enjoyment is different to seven years ago, perhaps. It is still so valid. And there is so much to keep discovering.