(Apologies if you saw this earlier – I deleted the earlier version because i thought I was wittering on about the wrong person – but I wasn’t!)

When I hit 60 (coo…a while ago now) my New Years resolution was to try as many new things as possible – so went to the Zumba classes at Winchester Discovery Centre offered by the awesome Silvia and Max, I LOVED it – but every week my hips hurt a little more so after three sessions I reluctantly quit.

With hindsight this was the first glimpse of arthritis – but the pain went and I forgot about it…….although the pain was back with a vengeance when I tripped on a paving slab a couple of years later and boom – I certainly knew about it then!

As the arthritis got worse the only exercise I could do was in the pool – oh and Pilates! So I signed up for Aquafit a couple of times a week, Pilates with Lou of Tiptop Pilates in Southampton.

What I learnt is that, whilst exercise is one of the most important things we can do, it doesn’t stop arthritis in its tracks (but by heck it’s important to keep your body as strong as you can, particularly if you are facing surgery).

When Pilates ended a couple of years ago, it was Aqua three times a week. I was back a month after my first hip replacement, yup, three times a week. It was great but lockdown in March 2020 meant it didn’t restart till late November, 2020 and just three classes were squeezed in before Christmas when Lockdown 3 happened!!

But NOW I’ve discovered Sulu!!!

I’m fourteen weeks into my second new hip (I know, very greedy and VERY lucky) and to may amazement I can do this!!

I have to be grateful to Covid for something – and I think it’s this! Without lockdowns I’d have gone back to the pool and probably never thought of doing something else. However, bouncing around to a Latin beat, feeling the blood flow and spirits rise, and having a BIG grin on my face is possibly addictive!

Of course I’ll go back to Aqua – partly because there’s company there!

But oh my gosh – it’s Sulu I’ll be spending my early mornings with for quite a while to come (apologies to Alun Newman, BBC Radio Solent).