A rebel without a clue.

Laundry done. No more body odour driving folks away: as though I meet anyone while I am pouring with sweat! The main reason I walk is for the solitude which brings back to me a feeling of gentleness and warmth. Dwelling on the past or worrying about what's next vanish for a few moments and I don't know what the problem is. Occasionally I reach a plateau of calm and all tension dissipates, being in the moment is something satisfying but very hard to convey. This is perhaps because any words used to describe it aren't it. The times I meditate at home or at my mum's are the same. For a few minutes, perhaps a couple of hours, nothing is distressing me. The voice of doubt is silent. On a couple of occasions I've forgotten everything; however this becomes a little startling and panic settles in quickly. Only once did I reject the panic and let anything vanish; it seemed that this was the end of it all, yet something dragged me back. Repase smells wonderful and last nigh...

At 15 kilometres it's a little longer to Vals, along the minor routes either side of the main road to Pamiers, and quite boring, but not those hills. Tomorrow it's quite a different story with no option to miss out fairly steep hills. I'm not a coward I just have limits to my energy with this sack! Thierry has connections with the French foreign legion because he was a soldier in the Alpine division and they had an "exchange" programme. He stopped for a beer and I've stopped for lunch. That was a very tough morning and my boots are still wet! Did I mention it was a bit damp yesterday? On the eighth day Daniel wondered how Leeds Mind help publicize my erstwhile endeavour? Do they? Can they? Why aren't they? I'm not sure I can answer that one, but it feels I am trying to help without help! Except for the obvious help from mosquitoes? It's one o'clock so why move? It's shady and I couldn't care less for mosquitoes in the daytime. I disl...

Is there a shorter route today rather that 36 kilometres over three 500 metre hills?Not constantly on tarmac, not on the main roads and pleasant enough. Most of "modern" interpretations the Way of Saint James visit every church, chapel and cross on the road side which means that the route can often go backwards a while before the destination is back ahead of you! Today it does that too - definitely after Vals. It's a bit later start for me this morning and the shorter means of arriving in Pamier is calling me: voie verte : an old railway route. No hills, not backwards to go forwards: Saint Jean Pied-de-Port is far away enough! So I'm late? Well I've bread, cheese, olives and tomatoes. As it passes nine, and I'm behind my usual departure time (I don't like walking after midday!) I will use the disused railway track. My belly is distended with Andouillette : bizarre but pleasant French only style sausage which even includes the oink I'm sure! A coffee ...