The prospect of exploring a different country really appealed to me. I had visited Denmark four times before, but never done a serious exploration, so I was as keen as mustard when Rex suggested it.
    Sadly though, it wasn't to be. To me, Rex's injury to his back was a worry at first for the poor lad's health, but once we'd learned that it was a muscular injury rather than a spinal problem, then we both felt relieved. Muscles can be worked on and will recover in time. For me the incident was then just a setback which we could find a work around. Rex took it harder than me, he was hugely disappointed that we couldn't achieve our goal, and he felt he had let me down. I did my utmost to convince him that goals can come and go, and they are not the be all and end all. I was not really bothered that we would not be reaching Denmark, and I encouraged him to be positive in making the most of what we could do where we were based.
    We made the sensible decision to stay put in Friesland until he felt comfortable with the idea of slowly making our way back during suitable weather spells, and took the opportunity to take in some new locations when the weather was decidedly rough.
    And we took the opportunities available to us. We made trips to two more Frisian islands which all have their own character; totally enchanting. In addition, we ventured along the narrow channel behind Flevoland to explore what was once the coast on the Zuiderzee. A detour to Utrecht was an added bonus.
    To me the outcome of the trip was not a disaster, but an opportunity to discover new, unexpected locations. All in all, I was not disappointed one little bit.
    Rex's back spasms had receded somewhat when he started taking the Diazepam, but his back remained sore for the rest of the trip, and he had to be careful not to exert his back during our meanderings back to the UK. Two months after returning home, his back is still sore. I try to instil in him the advantage of undertaking some organised training to strengthen his back, even going so far as to suggest Pilates classes. He did follow this tack for a while, but then decided to drop the idea. The words "take a horse to water" and "can't make him drink" spring to mind.
    But the passion can't be extinguished, and within a month of returning home Rex was already mulling over plans to return to Denmark the following year. He is a glutton for punishment.
    Long may these adventures continue.