Mornington Peninsula Alpaca Breeders Send-off

What a great night last night!
Some of the local Alpaca Breeders got together to give me a send-off and collectively pledged a further $525.00 to the Leukaemia Foundation which takes our total over $5000.00
Thanks to you all for your interest and support.

Pic shows me receiving Pledge from David Daddo, President, MPAB

This followed a successful show weekend for us, with our Junior Female winning a very strong Fawn class, and our young male, Bositano, winning Intermediate Champion Suri.   It was a good day, having family there to support me, and my grandson Alexander enjoying his first show.
My leg felt stronger today, so I think the rest and stretching is bringing it round (touch wood)!
I've just tapered off my training earlier than intended!
Only 8 days before I leave - Wow

Injured again - Bugger!

Nothing to do with my boots, but yesterday I tore my calf muscle.  I was out on a walk going down a steep path in Arthurs Seat State Park, and stopped to talk with a couple of walkers heading up hill.  Unfortunately, I twisted around and put my foot down the hill behind me to steady me, and RIP!   Still about an hour's walk home before I could get some ice on it, and a quick visit to the physio later.   Luckily it's not a severe tear, so with a couple of days rest, the 'RICE' regime, and then starting stretching again, it should come good. 
It certainly feels better today, but can't afford to take any chances at this stage of preparation, so "slowly,slowly" will be the key - never easy words for me to follow!
Our local Red Hill show is on this Saturday, and I am showing alpacas, so it will be a long day - will just have to stay off my feet as much as possible, and try and keep some icing going.  This time in a fortnight I will be on my flight to Italy!

Happiness is a good pair of boots!

Delighted to report that the new boots feel fantastic - did a 20km walk today, and as soon as I set off, my feet felt relaxed, like wearing a comfortable pair of slippers - so different to the previous pair, and I was able to do the walk without even a bandaid on the blister from the other boots.
Also delighted that donations to date total in excess of $3500.00 and  I would love to double that, so if you can afford to give, or give more, please do so.
I am delighted that I have been able to raise these funds for the Leukaemia Foundation, and to turn my personal journey into something that may potentially have a far wider reach!
Thanks to you all!
Alan

Back on line again!

After a very frustrating 10 days offline while I changed ISP, I'm delighted I can again get online without visiting the local internet cafe!
Less than 3 weeks to go now - press releases have gone out, emails to all my friends and colleagues have been sent, and the total donated is now nearing $3000.00 .
I now have another new pair of boots - I was fortunate to find a Hi-Tec pair in my size in the 'remnants' box at Ray's tent city - as soon as I put them on I could feel the difference, and I couldn't wait to try them out - they have now survived the first break-in walk with flying colours!  Oh well - that's $230 down the drain, but I feel much more confident in facing the challenge in these than in the other new boots I had bought.
I now have a new 'smart phone', and quickly realised that the 'smart' tag may well be accurate in relation to the phone, but in no way does it cover the person holding it!  Fortunately, I have now been able to download the 310 page User's Guide, so will have to get in some speed reading to get it set up.  Fortunately, my son-in-law has kindly offered to load some programs and apps I may need, and to run me throught the installation process - phew!
It's now getting to the stage where it's hard to find time to continue my walking in addition to all the other outstanding matters, including preparing for the Red Hill Show on the 27th, but it needs to be done.   Have now been able to back up 2 days of 20kms plus in succession without any real problems, so I'm happy my preparations are on track.
Wish me luck, and if you haven't donated yet, please make a donation if you are able!
Ultreia.

One month to go

Wow, I can hardly believe I'm writing that, and part of me wishes it wasn't so - there's still so much to do, and I know how quickly 30 days will go!
Fortunately, my foot problems have settled down, and I'm now doing longer walks in my new boots, and I'm feeling more comfortable with them.
I was about to set out for a walk yesterday, but had a look at the radar before I left and decided it wasn't a good time. While the storm descended on Melbourne in all its fury, down here we were spared the worst, only getting 16mm for the day.

I set off this morning (Sunday), hoping to try out my new rain cape (pictured on another day), but only got a bit of drizzle, but it was probably enough to make me feel satisfied that my new gear will do the job.  I was 'sold' on it on the basis that it covered both me and the pack, and unlike putting a cover on the pack, and a separate jacket on myself, it would keep the pack straps dry, while still allowing a reasonable airflow around the body, especially since you can open/close the front with velcro tabs, as well as covering up for storms with the zippers.
I have now started seeking sponsors in earnest, so please, if you are able to make a donation, please do so.
I was very heartened that my local alpaca breeders group have decided to give me a send-off, with funds raised going to the foundation - Thanks to the Daddo's for that great initiative.
I also visited the Leukaemia Foundation on Friday, and got a very warm welcome.  It's nice to feel  that my efforts are appreciated and will help the cause, even if only in a small way.

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!