8 weeks now until the start of the walk. Somethings are coming together and some are coming apart.
I think I now have support crew sorted apart from the first and last week. Accommodation is still an issue but I haven's started focusing on it fully yet. An I have so far done nothing about a van.
Last week the 6 pairs of 1000 mile socks I had bought on the internet arrived. I wore a pair my first serious get fit walk 25.9km from Island Bay to Shelly Bay via south cost and Kilbirnie, then around Miramar Peninsula to Seatoun, back through Kilbirnie and around the south coast back to Island Bay. The dogs handled it really well with no feet problems at all but I did notice they smartly avoided the sharp looking broken rock on the shoulder of the road around Miramar Peninsular wherever they could.
The speed limit around the peninsula is 40km an hour and there is no footpath so it was a good chance to try Idol out on walking off-lead and keeping off the road. He did pretty well and I think with a few more walks around the peninsula I should get him fairly consistent at staying off the road. I did let Toby off lead at one place where I thought the only distractions would be on the sea side which meant keeping off the road. He proved me wrong by charging across the road and up a steep bank where a few pigeons where sitting on ledge about 20 metres above the road.
I popped in briefly at Rita Angus rest Home to see Mother on the way to Shelly Bay for lunch (9.5km)- very nice corn fritter and bacon sandwich, a piece of cake and coffee. Next break was visiting my son Iain and his partner Ingrid, and my grandsons Zander and Caelen (17km). Caelen thought Idol and Toby where delightful. he spent a lot of time crawling around at great speed after Idol and pulling out the odd bit of fur but mostly patting nicely. Toby had wisely retreated to the corners of the garden but Idol is a real sucker for children.
By now I was getting rather stiff - I had really felt the slight uphill into the Seatoun Tunnel - and my concerns that a blister was developing on the sole of my right foot was now a certainty - so much for the 1000 mike blister free guarantee. A short 3 km to Rita Angus, where I arrived just as Alison was heading out with Mother to a coffee bar so time for another drink and a rest before the last 6km back home. The blister was getting really sore by the time I got to Princess Bay. The road here winds around a cliff and the footpath is narrow - but fortunately fenced so you don't feel you will fall down the cliff. I had to suffer the ignominy of pulling into the fence and letting a couple of women go past but I was clearly holding them up.
Had a well earned snooze then cooked dinner and started dealing with my email backlog.
Sunday I wasn't stiff but the blister was too sore to do any serious walking. By this evening (Monday) it is well on the road to recovery.
I think I now have support crew sorted apart from the first and last week. Accommodation is still an issue but I haven's started focusing on it fully yet. An I have so far done nothing about a van.
Last week the 6 pairs of 1000 mile socks I had bought on the internet arrived. I wore a pair my first serious get fit walk 25.9km from Island Bay to Shelly Bay via south cost and Kilbirnie, then around Miramar Peninsula to Seatoun, back through Kilbirnie and around the south coast back to Island Bay. The dogs handled it really well with no feet problems at all but I did notice they smartly avoided the sharp looking broken rock on the shoulder of the road around Miramar Peninsular wherever they could.
The speed limit around the peninsula is 40km an hour and there is no footpath so it was a good chance to try Idol out on walking off-lead and keeping off the road. He did pretty well and I think with a few more walks around the peninsula I should get him fairly consistent at staying off the road. I did let Toby off lead at one place where I thought the only distractions would be on the sea side which meant keeping off the road. He proved me wrong by charging across the road and up a steep bank where a few pigeons where sitting on ledge about 20 metres above the road.
I popped in briefly at Rita Angus rest Home to see Mother on the way to Shelly Bay for lunch (9.5km)- very nice corn fritter and bacon sandwich, a piece of cake and coffee. Next break was visiting my son Iain and his partner Ingrid, and my grandsons Zander and Caelen (17km). Caelen thought Idol and Toby where delightful. he spent a lot of time crawling around at great speed after Idol and pulling out the odd bit of fur but mostly patting nicely. Toby had wisely retreated to the corners of the garden but Idol is a real sucker for children.
By now I was getting rather stiff - I had really felt the slight uphill into the Seatoun Tunnel - and my concerns that a blister was developing on the sole of my right foot was now a certainty - so much for the 1000 mike blister free guarantee. A short 3 km to Rita Angus, where I arrived just as Alison was heading out with Mother to a coffee bar so time for another drink and a rest before the last 6km back home. The blister was getting really sore by the time I got to Princess Bay. The road here winds around a cliff and the footpath is narrow - but fortunately fenced so you don't feel you will fall down the cliff. I had to suffer the ignominy of pulling into the fence and letting a couple of women go past but I was clearly holding them up.
Had a well earned snooze then cooked dinner and started dealing with my email backlog.
Sunday I wasn't stiff but the blister was too sore to do any serious walking. By this evening (Monday) it is well on the road to recovery.
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