Sunday walks

I'm going to have to rethink my Sunday walks. Despite years of nursing and working Sundays I still have a belief, the result of my catholic upbringing, that weekends are weekends and that Sunday is a day of rest. During the week I work during the morning, (at the moment this is digging one of my plots of land!), the weekends I like to walk but Sunday is becoming impossible. The woods are invaded by hunters and now, if I stick to the road, I am being attacked by dogs. For the last couple of weeks two of the dogs, in a neighbouring village, have taken a fancy to me, they jump around me and fight each other for my attention. That doesn't worry me too much as I don't think they wish me any harm, though it is a little disconcerting! Today I was 'attacked' by four, two were the 'friendly' dogs but two were distinctly unfriendly, one even nipped the back of my leg. I wished I'd had a stick!
It's definately limiting my Sunday walks, I think there is now only one possible route I can take. I may yet be reduced to working outside on a Sunday!

Funny things!

Today I have answered a question that confused me greatly last autumn. The strange 'walkway' that wasn't, that Carmen said was a canal! As seen above.

Last week, from a distance, I saw a stretch that didn't have a cover and could see that it had water in it! Today I got closer, this is a covered canal with very fast flowing water, all that remains now is to find out why?

preparing for the camino again!

I've put my walking boots on again this weekend. After a summer of only wearing sandals it is quite strange, my boots are pretty warn out too but it isn't the right moment to buy new ones. I'm going to be hard put to get much practice in this time. Only walking a week is probably as hard as setting off for the whole camino as you just don't get time to be adjusted. The weather is still very hot during the day so I walked in the early morning mist today.

It's also difficult to know where to walk on Sundays. I wasn't sure if the hunting season had started yet so I decided to avoid the woods today and stick to the road, then I forgot why I had chosen that particular route and decided to extend the walk by coming back through the wood! There I was walking up a road, just coming out of the mist and there was a man with a gun! It's a good job I'm not really a nervous type. I thought that would mean it really was safe to walk back through the wood, but no! Coming back I met two men with guns, there's really no winning. I met a fox this morning as well, that's a first. I don't think they are hunting foxes but I suspect some of the dogs aren't too fussy!

A month today I should be walking from Ribadiso to Pedrouzo!

Saturday, 18th September

Another long walk today, I survived it well though I'm back to finding hills difficult. I'm tossing up whether to be firm with myself tomorrow and do a very hilly walk or take an easier option. I know that Santiago to Finisterra is hilly so maybe I should be firm!!

I saw an animal yesterday!! it was black and looked like it belonged to the stoat/weasel family, I'm wondering was it a polecat or a mink? Will I ever know?

Sunday, 19th September

I was lazy this morning and decided not to take the longer walk that would have entailed a 400metre descent, before returning by almost the same path. I much prefer to do a circular route to a there and back but the path I used to take back last autumn has become so wet and muddy that even over the summer it hasn't dried out.

The photo below shows my village from the hills I was walking on yesterday, walking on the flat isn't really an option here!

My main problem today was where to walk, the path I intended to take became instantly impossible when I heard, just as I was leaving the village, the sound of the hunt dogs, coming from the direction I had intended to walk in. A meeting with men with guns assured me that that was the direction they were intending to hunt in so I had to rapidly rethink my walk. This also reduced the length of my walk but at least I have walked.

still roamin

It's been a while since I've written anything so it looks like I have 'dun roamin' but, not true, or not completely.
I was in England for 10 days at the end of July but I don't think that counts, at the moment I am preparing my next few excursions. Yesterday I went to Sarria to get a new credencial for the Camino. I have inspired a friend who is about to start next Monday, in October I will meet up with her to do the last few days to Santiago and then on to Muxia and Finisterra whilst I was in Sarria i decided to walk to Samos and back, I didn't do that path when i walked in March and I wanted to see what it is like and visit the Monastery. I chose the first day it has rained in months, and how it rained! it is also very difficult to follow the camino backwards, the signs aren't in the right places! Anyway I reckoned I was OK for quite a while but then I came to a fork, I opted for one which seemed likely to be right but it was up a very exposed hill, I got thoroughly soaked and as I saw no signs for quite a while, and no pilgrims coming the other way I decided to turn round and try the other one. It must have been the right route because the other one wasn't so I gave up, went back to my car and ate my picnic. I didn't think thunderstorms last very long but that one did and when I drove back through Monforte the skies just opened even more, real stair rods.
When I got home and had a proper look at the map I discovered I was on the wrong path entirely, i was on the same path I took in march, which just shows how much I remember! If I had continued I wouldn't have got to Samos but to Triacastela, so just as well I turned round.
My next trip is not very exciting but it should be pleasant, I am going to Bavaria for a week at the beginning of October, then as soon as I get back it will be the Camino again.

My major plan is for April next year, I plan a trip to Japan, China and then the Trans Siberian railway to Moscow and St Petersburg. I am really enjoying planning that