Folks, we’re off! Journey to airport uneventful ( think you know what’s coming though!!) , then we tackle security! Surprisingly I got through the machine no problem- Kathleen on the other hand was sent through the scanner, but through she came unscathed!

Rucksacks and boot trays passed inspection – but the suitcases were diverted- the walking poles! Despite each being in three- not allowed here. However we can pick them up on our return ( for a fee!) – but that wasn’t the end. They got their swipers – out – cocaine , other suspicious substances – ha, we’re clear 🥴🥴 Then the girl swiping my case tells me she has to do it again. Why I ask? This swab shows traces of explosive so we need to repeat it she replied. Kathleen clearly isn’t carrying any dangerous substances but although the second swipe reveals nothing my name goes on record for 90 days!!! As Kathleen said – an explosive start to the holiday!!!!

Hence

Cheers all!! We’ll be off to Gate 86 when we’ve finished our glasses!!!

My case is packed and my rucksack also. So now I’m in a period of reflection. My partner in crime in all this sent me a message earlier saying “where have the last 15 months gone, can’t believe we’re going tomorrow!” Well , I can’t really – one minute I was enthused to do it by a Spanish friend and the next I committed to it. If you’ve read my previous blogs you will know that apart from previous experience, I was deeply moved by the death of a young friend of our daughter Emma and of a very special friend of ours .

Alistair knew we were going to do this – when I first told Kathleen I was going to do this walk in his memory, she told me “The Way” ( a beautiful film starring Martin Sheen) was the last film they had watched together. Alistair , typically so caring, told Kathleen that when she did the walk to make sure she was safe. Now dear reader, when I first decided I would do the walk I was trying to work out how I could possibly carry my worldly goods on my back – whilst I’ve used a small rucksack before to carry the dogs water and a bowl my experience of proper ruck-sacking is zilch ! Then I had to get my head round staying in multi bed dormitories on my own ……..

So when Kathleen said she wanted to come with me , I was delighted – someone to share it with . Not only that , she asked if I’d mind if we stayed in B & B’s because of Alistair’s previous concerns. – you can imagine my response. Then she found a company who would look after us on the way- what could I say…. I am SO glad she will be with me on this journey. If past experience of the two of us out and about is to go by , you are all in for a good read!!!

I fully understand that many people view the Camino experience differently. I am not saying I wouldn’t want to do it all in the true pilgrim way ( in fact I have already said I would like to take it on with one or more of my grandchildren in years to come – and no I don’t ever learn!!!) but for Kathleen and I, now, this is right. It is our pilgrimage , not anyone elses.

My case and rucksack are ready , but also my heart is packed too with all the people who have touched my life, young and old, no longer with us, and those living with the disease, that I will be carrying with me on this journey.

So thank you, each and everyone of you – get your boots on, and off we go!

I knew this walk was going to take me on an emotional journey, but I had no idea that I would feel so emotional before I even took one step out of the first bed and breakfast we stayed in! Those of you who have followed this blog will know that I’m a technophobe- and the starting of this blog was a mega challenge for me ( well easy really because my friend and neighbour Tim set it all up for me!). Working my way round it and trying to understand it has been slightly stressful( understatement!)- however I think I might be nearly there. No worries I hear you cry – WordPress will have a help desk you can contact. Oh yes they do – the DB ( Dearly Beloved for those not already introduced!!) has done that already and guess who replies- the Happiness Engineer ( and yes you heard me correctly) -perhaps I could be the “Happiness Blogger” 😂😂😂

You see, I’ve digressed again! Back to the start – the reason for my feeling wobbly! I feel so humbled by the donations to CRUK I’ve already received from you all – but more than that, is the number of you following me. It gives me immense pride to be walking with all of you alongside, and knowing you are with Kathleen and I as we walk, is unbelievably special. Thank you everyone – I hope this blog in some small way will make each day brighter for you as well as giving insight into our Camino !

A slightly more serious blog tonight, but necessary. The journey we’re going on will be up and down , but we want you to experience the highs and lows along the way . We will laugh and cry together but the great thing is we’ll be doing it together!

Bring it on !!!!

Gentlemen, no need to read any further! This is not discriminatory statement, rather a statement of fact. Due to an anatomical blessing on your part you have no need for such a utensil!

When undertaking a walk such as ours – where you cross large swathes of the Spanish countryside there are many things to consider, personal safety, ability to walk the distance, availability of comestibles and liquid refreshment, and of course are there any toilets??? Not having done the walk before we don’t know – so if we need to spend a penny (an anomaly itself now! – in some places it’s more like spend a 30p,50p or even a pound! How did that happen?? It certainly doesn’t have the same ring to it!), what do we do? This is where the shewee comes in – for those of you not familiar with this item, it is basically a conveniently shaped funnel for us girls to use. It is allegedly “the original female urinating device since 1999” – so how did I manage without it from 1957 I ask myself? Anyway, Emma our eldest told me about it – she had taken one on her travels around places where squatting would have been decidedly inadvisable and probably dangerous, and the theory is you can spend your coppers standing up!!! Now theory is all very well – practise is more telling!!!

I bought one of these devices before the DB and I set off on our first drive through France to Spain – thinking how useful it would be to just stop when we needed to relieve ourselves and go behind a tree as he can do…..! Well the first time I had need to use it I had a very full bladder and it was fair to say I was a little desperate to empty it. Fortunately, when we stopped at one of the “Aires” on the motorway, (lovely picnic spaces with plenty of trees, grass and picnic tables – so fine for dog and husband regardless) there was a toilet!!! Now I say toilet – but really a glorified hole in the ground, albeit a porcelain one – with foot plates either side!  As I had walking boots and jeans on, I decided this was a disaster waiting to happen. However, I remembered salvation (or what I thought was salvation) was waiting for me in the car in the form of my shewee. What I hadn’t realised, nor practiced, was that full bladder, plus desperation to go, plus shewee, is the equivalent of the Victoria Falls tumbling through a drainpipe! No further elaboration needed!!! All the DB could say was I told you to practice in the shower (I have to say at this point I could barely stand upright for laughing so much) – but sometimes in experiments you just can’t mimic reality! So, said shewee was relegated to the bottom drawer!

Now, Kathleen and I were discussing the availability of latrines on Friday last and she said, “Oh I’m not going to bother buying a shewee, we can just squat behind a bush, can’t we?” All well and good if you can squat – I’m afraid my squatting days are over, on account of an accident I had when I was sixteen. I managed to fall down twenty stone steps on my knees, when descending from the Geography and Geology labs at school with three lever arch files full of my “A” level work in my arms. Yes, it was an ouch, and a big one at that. However, that fall turned out to be a pivotal moment in my life (I’d never thought about it before but had a eureka moment the other day!). I had wanted to do Nursing when I left school but had to inform them on my application about my “dodgy” knees – “sorry not suitable for nursing” was their reply. Then an application to study physiotherapy, dodgy knees and all, was successful! How weird is it to think that my life could have taken a completely different path if I’d been looking where I was going on that fateful day in Summer 1974!!!! I wouldn’t have known Kathleen for sure, a dear friend for thirty-two year! We met on my eldest son Tom’s first day at school. I was waiting for him (nervously) to come out of his class when he appeared hand in hand with a little boy, and they marched towards me. His friend suddenly announced to a lady stood next to me “Mummy, this is my friend Thomas” I need say no more, that is how friendships are formed!

Anyway, I digress, apologies! The DB will be saying “For goodness sake get on with the story!” Can I remind you at this point, unlike him, you have an on/off switch, so use it if you wish!  Now, back to squatting! Its perhaps not so much the squatting down that is my problem, but the getting up again! I don’t suppose there will be conveniently placed grab rails behind the bushes along the way!!!

So, to shewee or not to shewee – that is my question? The answer, dear reader, will be found in the blogs written along the way!!!!

Oh dear! It hasn’t been a good start – earlier I found myself trying to remove nail varnish from my toes, and wondering why it stubbornly refused to shift – only to discover I was using facial cleanser …..Nail varnish remover amazingly did the trick!

I wrote a piece yesterday for this blog and to my dismay it didn’t reach anyone, so I was determined this morning to sort it out. Well I’ve copied and pasted ,pasted and copied till I’m blue in the face , and although I can see it on my WordPress site, the dearly beloved assures me it still hasn’t reached you all. Typically, he reads instructions – every word and every last detail of them! Now , I admit I don’t, I’m the bull in a china shop type, so to get a balance in our team I need a partner who considers everything thoroughly before taking action! He is that person! He kept telling me there was a difference between a page and a post – piffle thought I , what does he know about it!? After twenty two years, you would have thought I would have learnt, wouldn’t you! Well clearly I haven’t because there is a difference between a page and a post – and with a click of a (correct) button pressed of course by Mr H, you all have the post, and I have learnt something new about WordPress!

The day is already improving though- no need to rack my brains as to what I’ll be having to eat later- humble pie!!!

Jane – in  the shower – wearing a purple coat ????

If you’ve ever played Cluedo this should get you thinking! I can assure you I wouldn’t have a clue if I wasn’t the Jane in question!!! I’ll leave it with you for a minute.

In the meantime I just wanted to set your minds at rest – Kathleen and I both managed to get up from that sofa, and after a night’s sleep, managed to walk approximately five and a half miles incorporating a visit to our local agricultural show! Truly intrepid hikers!!! However this time we went minus our rucksacks and poles though still had our trusty four legged companion.

We both have the same make rucksacks purchased from our individual specialist stores. Mine is a larger ( but fortunately not self-filling !!) version, and when I bought my walking poles I took it back with me to Steve and his two lovely four legged assistants (both trained for mountain rescue and absolutely gorgeous) , so that he could show me how to fix them to it. When I was happy with that – he proceeded to show me where, and how, the ice pick was carried! Now I know the weather in Galicia can be changeable, but I am thankfully not expecting to require such an implement on this trip. However, how reassuring to know that when Kathleen and I venture away in the future, should we need such a piece of equipment I will be able to carry it for us!

I don’t know about you, but I like and respect salespeople who don’t try and sell you something that you don’t need. Apart from Steve being a mine of information and a delight to spend time with ( even though buying things in the process) he is one such person.

At my last visit , he could have sold me a rain coat costing anything upwards of £100. He has all the gear ( and all the ideas!) in his shop to kit out every type of visitor – from those climbing the highest peaks in the world to those trekking through the deepest jungles, to those just enjoying all the UK has to offer. So when I asked him for a waterproof, windproof and breathable coat because the raincoat I have is a cheap one ( those that come in a matching bag) and it always seem to make me sweat when wearing it – he could have sold me anything! Not Steve – no, and it is here I refer you back to the title of this piece.

My raincoat is purple – and his reply to my request was “Well is it waterproof Jane?” ” I don’t know” I said ” I get all sweaty when I’m wearing it.” “Of course you do ” he said “you will sweat up to 2 litres of fluid on one of your walks! Before you buy another coat , check that yours is waterproof. If it is it will do you. Put it on and get under the shower – that’ll show you if its waterproof or not!”

So that is (unbelievably!) exactly what I did – and yes it will do! At this point, I say a big thank you to Steve and his dogs at Blackburn Outdoors in Huddersfield for his invaluable advice and information. I wish I could visit more regularly but there is a limit to how many ice pick carrying rucksacks, walking poles and boots one can use at a time!!!

So Kathleen and I are now on the countdown to our Camino – we fly next Saturday on Ryanair to Santiago de Compostella, from where we are taken by car to Sarria, the start of our walk- and yes Ryanair have a strike planned that day. So please Mr O’Leary, whatever else you do, make sure our plane takes us to where we want to go – otherwise you may find yourself confronted by two very unhappy sixty something year old, pole wielding (fortunately no ice pick in sight) women!!!

I’ve written a post on the computer that seems not to be getting out to you – trying to find out why so writing this on my phone to see if it reaches you!

I’m being brave today – writing directly onto my phone ! Today has been a ( hopefully 16 mile) practice walk

Kathleen and I ( and our trusty four legged companion) setting off ! At this point , it really is all the gear , no idea! Ok so we know our boots are good – we both invested in these way back ( more detail in another entry) , we both have rucksacks allowing free movement of air round our backs , and we both have two walking poles ( again more info at a later date!) The thing is neither of us had used two walking poles before – well today we did! I can honestly say we’ve mastered the art of pole walking – we tried pole dancing but don’t think that’ll catch on 😂😂

Just in case you wondered- I can reliably inform you all that using one walking pole properly ( not mincing along with it!!) alleviates one stone from the opposing leg. How do I know this? Well under the instruction of our friend Lee, I visited a specialist Steve ( where he hasn’t been is not worth knowing, he has walked, climbed and trekked through everywhere possible – and in my view his knowledge is invaluable) When I asked him about walking poles he gave me this fact- well not only that , he produced a pair of bathroom scales and proved it ! When I looked perplexed, he explained he had many customers who were Yorkshire folk. Now for those of you who don’t know – Yorkshire folk are known to guard their pennies- the dearly beloved himself is known as Mr HOW MUCH Harding! and Steve explained he had the scales to demonstrate the evidence to these customers so they felt justified to part with their precious pennies!

So Kathleen and I marched on today feeling we were preserving our hips knees and ankles !!!! We had a coffee and rocky road stop ( most appropriate!) then proceeded to have lunch further along accompanied by a glass or two of the Amber nectar, then homeward bound!

Here we are, nearly home with 16 miles under our belt ( the dog at this point has rushed off to greet the photographer!!)

What an achievement- now we know we can do Day4 – oh just a minute we’ve also got a few long ( though less long) days before !! Come on we’re avid hikers now …….surely ???

There you go – two happy souls with a large gin and tonic each !!! Wait a minute – we’ve got to get up from the sofa …….watch this space!!!! At least now we have all the gear , and a modicum of idea!!!!!

Whoever would have thought that I would ever add “Blogger” to my CV? Certainly not me …….Anyway, apparently that is what I am now, so here goes.

I resolved to take the easy way out and write this on the computer first, copying and pasting onto page 1 of the blog when I’m happy with it. You see I’ll need a lot of practice before I begin the Camino – for a start I’ll have to get the skill and confidence  to write using just my phone – no space for the computer in my allotted 15 kg hand luggage or for that matter in my rucksack!

In fact, the whole setting up of this blog has been a challenge to me which has made the 115km walk seem -pardon the pun – a walk in the park! I had fully intended to set this up all myself – I mean how hard could it be? Our friend Ray found me a travel blog whose author, (allegedly earning 6 figures from his blog) had written a step by step guide. He was surely my man and would see me right… Well I managed step one, “Find a name for your blog”, but then the computer speak that followed, baffled me into submission.  Call me a coward but I have become slightly nervous about doing anything new that I’m not sure about on computers– ever since I found I had mysteriously become an Amazon seller overnight, and paying £60 a month for the privilege ( and yes it was the dearly beloved that spotted that small mistake-whoops!) – I was only trying to sell some of our second-hand books! So, you see where I’m coming from.

There was no choice, I had to call in the A team to help me – or rather do it for me! And if it hadn’t been for Tim our friend and neighbour (to whom I am indebted with chocolate brownie), I don’t know what I would have done. As I sat at the computer whilst he was going through what was required, it was clear that no matter how many steps in the “step by step” guide , I was never going to progress past number 1!!! Thank you, Tim for your patience – and hard work- I will do all I can to ensure this blog is enjoyed by you, the reader!

Although we don’t leave for the Camino until 21^st September, there are several related topics I wanted to tell you about, so if you thought this blog was going to be solely an itinerary of our walk I apologise in advance! At least you have an on/off button at your disposable!!!

I’m going to post this now and see what happens – does it work, does it go in the right place – well fingers crossed. Here goes …..