Time to press on – In the name of Thiago – Day 205

 

I’m hoping that it hasn’t escaped your collective attention that I’m doing a rather significant 300 mile walk this autumn. I don’t bang on about it with every blog because of course, as I have such an extraordinarily exciting life there’s so much else for me to write about!

 

However, today I have precisely fuck all that is more exciting to write about, so you are going to be subjected to my walk-related witterings. I’ve had a day off today and I can say quite happily that I have used the day very sensibly. Although I woke up at 6.30 and got up, that was only to speak to Angélica before she left for work and I then went straight back to bed.

 

Usually when I go back to bed I feel as if I’ve wasted time, but today I felt properly refreshed. I had this bizarre feeling wash over me of having truly achieved something by doing fuck all. I’ve got to say, I like this feeling an awful lot!

 

 

The weather helps on days like this. I had a plan ‘a’ and a plan ‘b’ for the day. My plan ‘a’ was to take Elisa and a friend for a day out at a beach. This plan was ditched on Saturday when it was fairly obvious that the whole country was going to get pissed on at some point. Plan ‘b’ was either buying my walk trainers or staying at home doing walk planning admin. I went for the latter.

 

So today I’ve been booking in some accommodation, catching up with some people who will be walking with me, booking train journeys. I feel good for doing it. It’s not that’s it particularly difficult, but it just gives me a bit of breathing space sorting some of this now.

 

The main benefit is that I’m spreading the cost a bit, though I also know I’m going to need a zero balance on my credit card come September. Whichever way I look at it, unless I live like a monk it’s going to be expensive in places. Actually, those Trappist monks used to smash it down them so perhaps that’s not the most accurate of analogies!

 

 

I’ve also had a good old chinwag with my onetime flatmate Simon. Simon and I shared a flat above a chip shop on the seafront in Eastbourne for nigh on two years, immediately after I returned from a nine-month sojourn in Moscow. He is quite some character it’s fair to say.

 

In those two years we enjoyed some utterly preposterous comedy moments and quite a lot of things that I wouldn’t ever consider putting in this blog. He also did my fucking nut in, but all that’s long since forgiven.

 

He’s a tricky fellow to pin down but the reason for giving him a bit of a shout out today in particular, is that he’s hoping to do some fundraising with Halifax or the ‘Fax as he refers to them, (not necessarily lovingly) for the cause. The trick is to work round all the red tape. He plans to do this through the use of charismatic charm. Gees, his employment prospects look bleak..

 

 

So all in all for a day spent at home with the rain hammering down throughout I feel remarkably positive. Elisa is at her friend Millie’s for another sleepover, Angelica will be home soon and we might – and it is might at this exact moment – have a little drink together out tonight. I know, I truly am feeling adventurous!

 

Not that any regular readers will need reminding, but just in case there are any newcomers today, the reason for pretty much everything I’m doing this year is my little man, my beautiful son Thiago, pictured above. This blog that has his name is his legacy, and so is the walk. He truly is my inspiration. You can donate to the cause and get me closer to my £10,000 fundraising target. At the same time, you’ll be supporting two fantastic NHS hospitals – Royal Stoke and Birmingham Children’s. Thank you.