(no subject)

[galadhir]

Well that was a very Morris weekend! Went out as a musician with Coton Morris on Saturday to perform at Mill Road Winter Fair.

Even as a musician it's a physically strenuous day given that you're on your feet from 10.30 til 5 in the cold. The dancers get warmed up by dancing, but the musicians need to be wearing enough clothes for the Arctic. This year I went for three thermal vests, a t-shirt, a wool jumper, wool cardigan and fur coat - which was great for the torso. But the legs only got thermal tights under white trousers and were chilly.

Last year Mill Road Winter Fair was cancelled for Covid reasons, so this year it was absolutely heaving. For the past 15 years of my life, it's been the beginning of Christmas for me. Taking place in the centre of Cambridge, its very multicultural, and there's usually samba bands and a couple of lion dogs, and food stalls from all over the world. Even when I was dancing all day and absolutely exhausted by the end, I've always enjoyed it.

So I'm sad to realize that this year the amount of physical endurance required outweighed the fun - I'm getting older now, and I have fibromyalgia, arthritic knees, and being fatter makes everything more effort - and I found myself bearing it rather than enjoying it. I hate feeling physically disabled, but I'm not sure that there's anything I can do about it.

Then on Sunday I was dancing with Ely & Littleport Riot for March Christmas Fair. A much more low key affair out in the Fens, where we were only on from 11am - 2pm. I did manage to pull my weight and dance at least half of the dances. And I thought that I wasn't as wiped out as Saturday, but by the time I got home I had to sleep on the sofa for the rest of the evening.

I hate getting old and unfit! It's hard to enjoy dancing when half of my brain is dedicated to monitoring my knees to see if I'm injuring them.

Fortunately there are no signs of fibromyalgia flare-up today, so I seem to have gotten away with it, but I find myself contemplating dieting again, as though that would solve all my problems. (I don't think it really would. I just wish there was something I could do.)

Comments

[malinaldarose]

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it as much as you used to. And, yeah, getting old sucks.

[ex_flameandsong751]

Getting old definitely sucks.

[galadhir]

It really does :(

Sympathy to your joints!

[galadhir]

Thank you! Yeah, I guess it's a sign to start finding new things to enjoy. At least I've got the painting :)

[yarnofariadne]

It's so hard to become less able; the last time I performed I really felt every year of the decade since the last time before that. I hope you find a way to keep involved in things you love.

[galadhir]

Thank you! I'm sorry you're going through it too :( But yes, I play the pennywhistle and am learning the melodeon, so I can always transition over to being a musician full time (and give Mill Road a miss!)

[sunshine304]

I’m sorry that the Fair wasn’t as enjoyable to you this year anymore. :( I’ve been noticing that the cold is getting to me more than it used too as well, and if you’re not moving a lot or even sitting around all day, even the warmest clothes will only get you so far. I’m glad that at least the fibromyalgia didn’t get worse!

[galadhir]

Yes, it's well known that the musicians will find it hard to make it all the way to the end of this show because they get so cold that they can't feel their fingers any more -and therefore can't play. Our fiddler claims he can still play the tunes even if he can't feel what he's doing, but I don't think that can be very healthy for him!

[dragongirlg]

I kept up with my performing arts stuff for a bit when the pandemic hit - we switched to virtual for a while - but once it returned to in-person I no longer had the energy and had also developed chronic pain. It's hard to become less able. <3

[mistressofmuses]

I'm sorry that it wasn't as much fun and enjoyment as it has been! (Or rather, the fun and enjoyment was unfortunately tempered by the other things.)

I feel you on starting to get older... I've started having knee and back problems that I have to monitor fairly constantly whenever we're doing physical things. (Alex has even more physical stuff to worry about.)

It still sounds like a great event, and I'm glad you were able to go and participate. I definitely hope that you recover easily!

[galadhir]

Yeah, that's almost exactly the same as what happened to me. I wonder if it was something to do with that period of enforced inactivity. I mean, I did cycle in that time, but that's not quite the same. You have all my sympathies! It *is* hard :(

[galadhir]

Yeah, I would not choose to get older except that the alternative is worse! But also on balance I think that I would go again next year - maybe just take a folding seat and sit down more. I'm not alone in thinking about not dancing any more, some of the other dancers are feeling it too, which shouldn't make me feel better but at least makes me feel less at fault somehow. I guess life happens to everyone at its own pace and I shouldn't beat myself up about that.

Hope your knee and back are behaving themselves today!

[mistressofmuses]

I have to remind myself of that sometimes - getting older is better than the alternative! (And I know I'm not that old! Just at the point where the physical bits start to show some wear, ha.)

Finding a way to take more rests might be a help. It can also be a bit vindicating to know you aren't the ONLY one having a rough time. And it really isn't anything you're at fault for or that you have the ability to control, even if it would be nice to have that control in some way!