Injured - BUGGER!

After much indecision, and a discussion with the podiatrist, I finally bought new boots - a low cut pair made By Hi-Tec.
I have worn Hi-Tecs for the past 15 years, and have always found them comfortable and easy to wear in. Started out with a couple of shorter walks, and having no trouble with blisters or rubbing, I thought "These are Ok", and took off on a 20km+ walk.
At the end my feet were very sore, and by the time I got home, felt that I would not have wanted to be walking any further. The next day my instep was killing me, so off to the podiatrist again. The diagnosis : plantar fasciitis. Unfortunately, ALL the Hi-Tec boots are now made with a higher arch, which seemed to be causing the problem. The podiatrist said I needed to wear them around for shorter periods to get them loosened up, before doing any more longer walks. Typical me - getting impatient and rushing things.
So I started icing,massage and taping, and took 4 or 5 days off which eased the pain considerably. I then starting walking again with my old boots, and with much trepidation, I took off yesterday in the new boots to walk down to gym at Dromana - about 8 kms. Fortunately, I arrived in good shape, and although they are a little tender this morning, I'm now more confident they will settle in. Best to be having these problems now, rather than in Italy, and I still have 6 weeks to get them right.

Happy to say that I now have 3 sponsors having lodged pledges on my website in addition to the direct donations, even though I haven't yet started to actively seek sponsorship. Thanks for your support.

Peninsula Trails

Have been enjoying walking the trails nearby - we have been here for nearly 4 years but had no idea how pretty these tracks are. Have been walking with a 12kg pack, and after many adjustments, I think I have finally got the adjustments right - it sits really well, and is not too hot, so I'm very happy with it.
Last weekend I walked 26 kms from Arthurs Seat to Cape Schanck along the Two Bays track - a really good training walk with lots of ups and downs, different terrain, roads in part, and some beautiful scenery to boot. Felt a bit tired at the end, but could easily have gone further if necessary, and don't think I would have had any trouble backing up again the next day - next weekend I will try back-to-back longer walks.
I have now decided to leave the camping gear at home and rely on booked accommodation on the way through.
Still working on the communications and data management gear, with great help from my son-in-law Chris. Have now managed to get GPS tracks for several sections of the track, and although there will be many uncharted areas, these will be a big help, particularly in Italy.
One thing I have not yet encountered is rain, as I need to try out my wet weather gear and pack water-tightness, so please pray for rain! The farm and the animals would love it as well!