OFFICALLY NO FIXED ABODE

It has been a fairly hectic last few weeks . I have obviously been trying to work , as well as getting things sorted for my venture. Josh has finished school and travelled to Orkney to visit his mother, will be interesting to see how the lack of revision for his exams affects his results.

Lugging things around for a car boot sale - which I had help from my 7 year old son Ranulph , yes named after Ranulph Fiennes. I was able to make £88 to go towards the walk fund. Amazing what is junk to me is good to others. I had got up at 6.30 on a sunny- yes the sun shone -Sunday morning and made my way to the Scorton carboot  market, I was there just after 7 but third from last so could not go under cover , so picked my spot , which in hind sight was not a good idea , by the ladies loo. Plenty of foot traffic here I thought , also plenty of toilet flushes stirring up the septic tank . Yes it smelt as would be expected from a septic tank , and was pleased when a breeze pushed most of the stink toward other would be sellers .

Josh returned to give me a hand clearing the flat , which I was determined to get my deposit back , but Josh's antics with clumsy art projects , ink and hair on floor which no matter how hard I scrubbed seemed to come through, eventually I dulled the stain sufficiently to not catch your eye . Some sort of blue paint was down the wall and after about ten coats of trusty magnolia I finally beat it. The carpet burn from the soldering iron , yes again J, I was able to use superglue and comb it over much like Arthur Scargill to hide the obvious bald patch . The main thing was I got my deposit back and the landlord was more than happy with our efforts , and I left it better than I found it! I cancelled the  council tax, where the woman behind the counter duly put on her paper work NFA- NO FIXED ABODE , no forwarding address. Yep that sounds about right.

J has now gone to stay with his girlfriend Holly.He will join me on the 19th August- when I should be on the Hadrian Walls section. I sometimes question his commitment to the walk , but time will tell . He said to me that it will be a mega culture clash- one minute doing the townie , matey thing dressed in his extrovert clothing going to the Metro Centre , hanging around with his mates , then to a year with just me in a tent . I do not know who will kill who.

 I do not have alot to do now , and really could leave tomorrow on the walk but 2nd is the day . I realised on a test trip , in the back garden , that my ground sheet of my trusty tent is starting to let in water , wet knees when kneeling. So will spend the next few days getting that sorted.

Will have a lay in tomorrow , and a pint or two tonight . 

UPDATE

Daniel from TGO magazine contacted me regarding the venture . Brief chat about doing the venture with my son J. Obviously it is nice to have company on the walk , and have done alot of backpacking together in the Lakes , North Wales and mainly Scotland , however it makes me nervous his commitment and sometimes teenager approach . Luckily he is better at keeping a tent tidy than his room , he is strong and fit  and normally determined to get from A to B. If I can keep him off the mobile and able to communicate to me using words may help. When we were back packing Cape Wrath over new year he was so moody because he could not get a signal , when his phone battery finally ran out it was like I regained a son and communication with him .

I bought him a MOTOROLA DEFY + , like mine, due to his inability to keep phones alive . He will certainly test it to its limit , I am hoping the phones ruggedness  , dust and water resistance will prove money well spent. Of course there is the possibility that he may loose it like so many phones he has had . You may say - Why give him a phone ? -  I may not like it but it is an essential  piece of kit for him ; he has a girlfriend , a mother and friends he will want to keep contact with .When I think back to the Coastal Walk in '86/7 , no mobiles , just red boxes and coin fed phones . I suddenly feel old.

The only difference between my phone and J's is that I have the whole of Great Britain on 1:50 000 Ordnance Survey maps via the VIEWRANGER app which up to now has been excellent.

H J HALL have sent the socks- Protrek heavy weight . I have been wearing a pair- yes, same pair for the last three days , in wellies , crocs and walking boots to see if they live up to my expectations . Seem excellent so far , no doubt the walk will tell.

I have a solar panel for the trip, something else I did not have in the past . I have not had a chance to try it out , again will keep you informed.

H J HALL SOCKS

Thank you to H J Hall for supplying their fantastic walking socks, we used their socks in 1986/7 for the Coastal Walk of GB and have sworn by them ever since.

Been packing all our gear for storage , but do not give up the flat until 26th. Had the landlord John around making sure we had not wrecked the place, is looking good though. I hope it is OK because the deposit we put down may come in handy.

Contacted various walking magazines to hopefully let their  readers know about the walk, and hopefully gain a shower on route.

J is up in Orkney now he has finished his exams , back to help me clear the flat then to his Girl friends in Newcastle. He will join the walk at the start of the Hadrian Wall Nat Trail around the 19th of August.

Been such lousy weather, but great to test the gear in .