The new man in charge

Hello. This is David (Katy's husband) posting. I'm going to be looking after this blog and Katy's twitter account for the next couple of days whilst she's undertaking her walk. I'll be posting updates and information about how things are going and, if I can figure out how to do it, I'll also post some photos as well. If you're going to be joining Katy for any part of her walk, feel free to take photos and send them in to wardwalkslondon@quitecommon.com.

Good luck Katy!

David
-x-

TOTY: Number One

Number One: When everyone rallied round
I've been really touched by everyone offering their help and their feet to tomorrow's walking effort. That's got to be the ultimate highlight of this year.

My house, and my belly, are full and I'm just making final preparations for the day (er, days) ahead. I'm very excited, but rather nervous.

I can't wait until I get to see some of you there, but even if you can't join me I would like to thank you for your support. Every kind word, every pound donated, has made the whole experience so wonderful. Thank you.

Right, where are my trainers?

TOTY: Number Two

It's the night before the night before. I'm already super-nervous, and once again I'm reflecting on the past year to avoid thinking about Sunday. This highlight is a happy by-product of this Challenge and of writing this blog. I've really enjoyed this part, so thanks for listening.

Number Two: The bit where I got to share my dad with you
Maybe it was a bit self indulgent of me to start posting pictures of Dad on holiday and necklaces he had made me, but as I found myself thinking about him as I walked it seemed natural to write about him afterwards.

Of course, I didn't really think about people paying attention to my whitterings. I was just jotting them down as they came to me.

But then a pair of my Dad's socks were put in a cabinet in one of my favourite museums and suddenly it felt like I was having a chat with more than just myself.


So, as I haven't shared anything for a while, I thought I'd let you see one of my most treasured posessions.

This is my Dad's copy of The Golden Gift Book, a collection of stories that he read when he was a boy and used to read to me when I was little. Some of the stories are utterly fantastic. My favourite was The Cockatoucan - the story of a bird that turned a kingdom upside down every time it laughed.


You can see that Dad enjoyed this story too - he's coloured in the pictures
I think my favourite reversal in the story was when the palace was turned into a butcher's shop, and the king 'who was too wise to fight against fate, had tucked up his royal robes and was busy in the shop weighing out six ounces of the best mutton chops'. There is also a fantastic moment when the king is turned into a villa residence.

Anyway, the part of this book that I really love now is the bookplate in the front.


Dad gave me this book (and its sister, Princess Mary's Gift Book) shortly before he died. I will always treasure it, and I hope that one day I will get to read the stories to someone who is just as captivated as I was.

TOTY: Number Three

This happened before TOTY Four, but it was an incredibly important turning point for me and taught me a very valuable lesson.

Number Three: The day when I learnt it's not pain, it's 'discomfort'.
My first time crossing the 20 mile barrier was a painful, sorry, uncomfortable one. It was a hot day at the end of August and once again I was planning to walk along Regent's Canal.

I'd already had problems with Regent's Canal when my legs starting hurting on that particular stretch during a training walk in July. And it reared up as my enemy again in September and then once more in March (I avoid the whole area now), but it was during August that I learnt to just keep going. I imagine that this spirit will probably make the difference between success and failure on Sunday/Monday, so I'm glad I learnt it early.



I'm not posting a picture of Regent's Canal, because I hate it.
Have a picture of a cat on a boat on the River Lee instead.

TOTY: Number Four

Somewhat delayed, thanks to a technical fail which saw my email fall over, here's Number Four in my Top of the Year rundown.

Number Four: When 22.5 miles was a breeze. And then I broke my toe.
I knew I was tempting fate when I jogged back from the bus stop after that 22.5 mile walk to make sure that I got to the gig on time. But I didn't know that fate would hold out until later that evening and then grab that temptation with both hands.

The toe break (my first broken bone) took me out of action for a while, but could have been a lot worse. In fact I only got an x-ray because the doctor I saw thought it could be a very messy dislocation or fracture of the joint itself (yes, the toe was out at a very special angle).

No further breaks so far, and I've been careful when placing postcards in other people's beds since then. Better to be safe than sorry!

Surprised best friend and howling self not pictured.

TOTY: Number Five

In these final few days before the walk, I'm finding myself doing little walking and lots of thinking. Reflecting on the past year there are a number of moments that really stand out for me. I thought that I would share them with you in the form of a Top of the Year Top Five.

Number Five: When 12 miles was a really long way.
Although I had mitigating circumstances (I was suffering from a severe flare-up of RSI in my wrist) a 12 mile walk from my house in Lewisham to a BBQ at my friends' house in Hampstead took a ridiculously long time. When I arrived I was hot, pink and very very sleepy. In fact, it wasn't long after I arrived that I took a nap on their sofa and my husband tried to stick a sausage in my ear (not a euphemism).

Thankfully things have gotten easier since then.

Husband and sausage not pictured
Photo taken by my lovely friend Carla

One week to go...

This time next week I will be hopefully be finishing the biggest journey of my life.

At the moment I've been far too busy organising all the extra arrangements to make it go smoothly to get too nervous (except when I'm asleep - I'm still having those dreams) but I'm sure I'll be shaking as we set off.

Thanks to everyone who has helped me get this far: all the support, offers of help and, of course, donations have reminded me why I'm doing this and given me a boost whenever I've doubted myself. Here's to next week!