Future adventures & current activities
Mrs P and I recently spent a week in a beautiful part of north western Spain with her family. We were staying in a not haunted enough small ‘castle,’ for want of a better word. There are two parts of that last sentence that may require some clarification. Let’s start with the ‘small castle’ bit. Technically it is a small fortress rather than a castle, built in the early 15th century by the counts of Taboada. How can you afford to stay in a castle? I hear you ask. Well, dear reader, this magnificent edifice, which was renovated in the late 1990’s is now rented out at a very reasonable price if the cost is split between say eight adults. Also, we weren’t paying. It was a family treat by the in-laws, which is why you will rarely hear me telling any mother-in-law jokes.
The next part of the sentence that needs some explanation is the ‘not haunted enough’ bit. You would expect such an ancient pile to have at least one ghost, I mean, there was a medieval stone coffin in the courtyard for Heaven’s sake, but try as we might, we failed to detect any ghostly shenanigans. Back in the day we would have been terrified by the very idea of ghosts, but in polar opposition to the way that the film Jaws made us all fear sharks, the comedy show, Ghosts, (also available in the US) has caused us all to completely lose our fear of ghosts. In fact we feel hard done by if we don’t see one, hear one, or experience at least some form of ghostly goings on in any building over the age of 100 years. For those unfamiliar with the show, you are missing out. For those who do know it you will understand my imagining of a ghostly figure bedecked in armour, perhaps with their head under their arm, behind my brother-in-law as he blew out the candles on his birthday cake, squealing delightedly, “Oh! I do love a birthday.”
While we were in Spain we took the opportunity to do a few walks on the trail of The Camino de Santiago, or The Way of St. James. For those that don’t know, the Camino is a pilgrimage originating in Medieval times that culminates at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, in North West Spain. There are multiple starting points to this epic pilgrimage, some people even begin in Paris. It is a trail that Mrs P and I will one day do in its entirety. On this occasion though we were doing a there and back day walk, so for half of the morning we were going against the flow of people, or Pilgrims all of whom had but one destination in mind, the Cathedral at Santiago. We often heard the words, ‘vas por el camino equivocado.’ Which we discovered meant, ‘ You’re going the wrong way.’
When Mrs P and I finally do get round to doing the Camino we will probably start from St Jean Pied de Port in southern France. That particular route to Santiago is about 500 miles long and takes around four weeks to complete. It’s been on our to do list for some years. However, because it is relatively easy in the grand scheme of the kind of trips we usually do, we are in no hurry, so it can wait a few years yet.
It was great fun doing a few short days on the route and we really got a feel for the trail and the many thousands of people who do it every year. You can read more about it on the Santiago Compostella website. To whet your appetite, here are a few photos from one of the short sections Mrs P and I did with her parents near Portomarin, less than 100 kilometres from Santiago de Compostella.
So that is the future adventure as alluded to in the title of this blog. As for my current activities, the book writing continues. It is very nearly finished, honest, but progress was delayed by some necessary building work at our house. I reckon it is just two to three weeks away from completion. The book not the building work.
In order to get word of the upcoming book out there I have started to give talks to various groups. The latest was at the London Region Nordic Ski Club (LRNSC) where I gave a talk and slideshow presentation at their annual AGM. The LRNSC was the place where the inimitable Dagmar Junghanns, who taught me to roller ski, uttered the immortal words, “Well, you probably won’t die.” Since she was proved right I thought I owed them the first talk. It went down really well I think. There were some great questions from the audience and a request that all members get 10% off the book. I can’t promise that, but it is a good incentive to get it finished.
Coming soon to a village hall near you
Do you know of a club, or group that might be interested in a 50 minute presentation? I have titled it:
“Are we having fun yet? - My journey from Long Covid to the northernmost point of Europe”
If you do then please let me know and I will be in touch.
