I have Wii'd myself....

On Tuesday, work necessitated an overnight trip to London. Blah blah. All very unthrilling. Routine even. I was not even going to be there for 24 hours. I rang one of my endlessly patient friends to find out if I might stay and headed South.

Tuesday evening began innocuously enough. A glass of red wine, a quick catch up on events since we had last spoken. That is when the trouble flared up. The last time we had spoken had been her birthday and her boyfriend had given her a Wii machine thingummy.

She extolled its virtues to me. She suggested I try it. I viewed it askance. Such a thing was surely not for me? She started plugging things in and it seemed that it would be rude, churlish even, to refuse to play. In my innocence I imagined that five minutes or so would prove to be enough and I would then be able to return to my wine glass and the armchair. Fool. Fool. Fool. How little I knew.

It began innocently enough with a game of bowls. My kind hostess told me with glee that she thrashed her boyfriend at this on a regular basis, consequently I had no hopes for my own prowess. But then the seduction began - STRIKE!!! The sound of cheering crowds, scores in the hundreds. Best of three turned into best of five. I was winning. I was hooked.

It might have been during the last, hotly contested match that I strained a muscle in my bottom. I hadn't worried about this since I didn't think I had any muscles there but it turns out that I do, and it is a muscle required for bowling victory. Ouch. But like a true sportsman (ok, sportswoman) I persevered through the twinge and carried on.

When my friend stopped to answer the phone I started playing Baseball. Now that is hard and it turns out that there are a whole set of muscles in my shoulder blade that are required to play it, muscles I have not used for a long time. Muscles that are protesting.

It didn't end there. Exhausted after the fourth innings I switched to what I presumed would be a leisurely game of golf. Not that I have ever played golf in my life mind you. I hit a Birdie. I don't know what that is but it was very exciting. I also hit a tree and hit the ball straight down the fairway onto the green. I was 1 under par. NO idea whether that is good or bad but I was addicted.

After a brief stop for food we resumed and decided to take up skiing. We had downhill races, we slalomed. We swore at one another and we shouted at the screen in frustration. By the end I was exhausted. It would have been less tiring to do the real thing.

That was just the beginning of the end. This morning I can scarcely walk. Little old ladies with two walking sticks travel with more agility than I do. Entire muscle groups that I thought had retired for good have come out to play and cripple me in the process. I have Wii'd myself, and I'm paying the price.

God it was fun though.