The FastDay Forum

A very happy new year to you all. I'm just back from celebrating NY with my sister in Kent (south east UK). It was a brisk, chilly walk this new year morning, we walked around her new neighbourhood that is lovely - 11,500 steps before lunch. I have not been counting steps till today. My head and ears were snuggly wrapped in hats and scarfs. My sister has noticed that aggressive sparrows are keeping all other small birds away from the habitat. I wonder if that will change in the spring, we will see. Well done Mrstee and Sallyo. Hoping to fit in a few more walks over the weekend but then again I'd like lie in and read some
Felice Anno Nuovo or Buon anno.
x

Well done @Sallyo - I have only managed two walks this week, but I have been swimming a few times and this morning I joined a water aerobics group which I just loved and met some wonderful new people whilst trying to do moves in the water and stay afloat!

Anyway I may not be doing a lot of walking but I guess at least I am moving!

cheers,
Maggie

Hello again.

The Rambling tent has been taken down and is being dried out ready for the Spring, so as I hate squelching across muddy fields and woods I have taken to walking our minor roads, and aspire to 10,000 steps every day.

For me this equates to 5 miles, so respect to anyone who has been achieving that on a regular basis! I need to do a medium walk every day because otherwise I don't clock up anything like enough on housework. I cheat by wearing trainers and jogging as much of it as I can.

Hi @babarita. I like 'rambling' as you call it. We call it 'bushwalking', but as you say, one needs to develop a regular walking practice because not every walk can be a 'ramble.' I think Americans call it 'hiking'. I am hoping to do some rambling in Cradle Mountain before the summer is over. My cousin is coming to visit from Adelaide and that will probably provide enough stimulus to get me up there. It is about an hour's drive away from my place. I love it how in the UK you can get to a rambling site by train. I am about to set off down the river road but my iPhone is flat so I am charging it up before I go so I can do my italiano.

Hi @Barbarita welcome and good luck with your road walks this season. I spent today sorting out the house (first day in many) and one shopping trip. Tomorrow is 9am haircut and then out for a walk to the garden centre to buy a few NY presents estimate 5000 steps. Planning to tidy the garden in the pm. Googling cradle mountain @Sallyo

Very hot walk. I left it too late in the day. There is a total fire ban today and the temperature here says 27C. Hot for us! I spent my walk talking myself into sticking to my goal and not turning back at the next spot of shade. There were a few trees, big enough to offer a moment of relief: some gum trees outside the vegetable factory, some lovely old melalucas by the river bank, some northern hemisphere old trees next to an old house. Other wise it was unrelieved sunny paddocks of french beans. Vegetable trucks of onions or carrots thundered down the road to the factory. Meanwhile: Io sono sotto la sedia.

Congratulations, @Sallyo, you are certainly clocking up those steps! How lucky that you found your pedometer!
My OH and I walked yesterday and today but our problem was the cold not the heat! My legs were so cold when I came back yesterday that they actually hurt when I came back into the warm! It took them about twenty minutes for the pain to stop !
Today I dug out some old thick trousers and that was much better. We only walked a couple of miles but it was quite hard work over frozen, mud tracks. Beautiful though - bright blue skies and, unusually for the Lincolnshire Fens, no wind at all! We saw pheasants, pigeons and a couple of hares but most of the wildlife seemed to be hidden away, keeping warm!
Keep walking everyone, you know it makes sense!

Hello fellow fasting walkers, I'm back with the dog for our usual jaunts .... Unfortunately dog has split her paw open so is going out this morning in a rather tasteful little black ankle boot, which makes her walk in a rather 3 leggidy hoppy kind of way, so I don't think we shall get far. But far enough to blow the cobwebs away and breathe deep!

Poor dog @Mimsmum Well done for getting out in the cold. I had a very big walk today. I thought I would go to the beach but when I got there, the tide was in, and all the walking to be had was on the pebbles. The sand was all under water. Went into Ulverstone, where I had a dentist appointment. I parked the car and had a great half hour's walk to the dentist, listening to The Midday Interview with Helen Garner. After the dentist I made a mistake. I should have walked back to my car but foolishly I went shopping first and the shopping ended up really heavy. It was only a few items, but then I went to the Library and borrowed a heavy book: Contempory Australian Landscape Design and I didn't have a back pack. All this heavy stuff was in a shoulder bag and it got heavier and heavier. I started to feel dehydrated and faint! Oh misery! This wasn't meant to be like this! Finally I made it to a shop. What I REALLY wanted was an ice-cream or at least a sweet milky drink, like a Caramel Malt or an Iced Coffee. But when I saw the information on the side of the packet I realised I would be having half my allowance of my 500 calories in just one drink, So I ended up with a miserable bottle of water ! Luckily it wasn't much further to the car by then and I arrived safely. So, I am gradually getting back into regular walking and I must remember to have a back pack in the car and a bottle of water! By the time I arrived back at the car, I'd done 8,000 steps. Should sleep well tonight.

@Sallyo!!!! You made me laugh out loud, thanks for that! Good luck with your mindful walking
As others say it's been a cold few days, so my Sunday walk ended up as lunch with a friend. Very nice it was too, warm goats cheese and beetroot with walnuts and green leaves. Lunch was followed by a charity shop browse where I picked up a hat for £2.
@StowgateResident well done for getting out there. I'm with you re clothing - I think if I wore more clothes indoors (as I'm feeling cold indoors), it might temp me to get out there. Temperature looks good today but as I'm working it won't be a very long walk. I have seen the bush fires on the news and I hope everyone keeps safe over the next few days.

I little milder here today and my walk was only a twenty minute one but I have been to Pilates this morning and trekked around the supermarket, so I am hoping to make my step target (7500) today. I didn't leave the house until 3.45 pm, so it was rather gloomy by the time I arrived back home but it did make the house feel very warm and welcoming when I came in! Every cloud ...!

Oh, well done you Winter walkers! I know how hard it is to get out when it's cold. And then there's the darkness issue, with day light being so brief. I have already done my walk today. My iPhone was flat so I walked without it, along the Forth Road, which is the busiest road out of Forth. So I went before breakfast to minimise the traffic issue. On the family issue, had a phone call from my son, who apologised for being unfriendly, said I hadn't done anything to deserve it, and invited me for dinner. So there's a chink of light in that relationship. I just have to work on widening it over dinner. I'm taking dessert. We have a bucket full of berries from the garden which I will transform into dessert. Driving to Hobart today - it's a 4 hour drive.

Hope that dinner goes well@Sallyo x x

That sounds better @Sallyo, all shall be well :0). Can I have some of those lovely berries please :0p
I've only done shopping walking recently, what with one thing and another, my routines are properly out of whack.
I'm sitting here with coconut oil rubbed into my hair with a shower cap on top, softening my 'wiry straw' mop!
The grandchildren are back to school today so hopefully normal service will be resumed :0)
Enjoy walking everyone \o/

I am really enjoying reading your walking posts, particularly with countryside descriptions. I had a knee op at beginning of December and I am so missing my walks. I usually walk about 6 miles a day with the dog. I am now managing to walk with just one crutch and cannot wait for day when I can head off over the South downs again. Enjoy your walking everyone