With another week completed, the training total now exceeds 800 miles and I have apparently ascended Everest twice – though I have yet to suffer from altitude sickness or frostbite in the Vale of Belvoir. Oops – is that fate I’ve just tempted again??? Anyway I hope nobody minds if I admit to being a little chuffed at having put 102 miles on the training clock this week as well as taking some time to acquire a motorhome.

For the record, it also happens to be my first ever century. Yes, I might have been a reasonably keen cricketer who played at club level for over 30 years, but for most of those years I was a swing bowler who in later years and after a knee operation, bizarrely converted to a 2nd XI lower-order batsman and wicket-keeper. I might have scored a good hand-full of 50’s but only on the rare occasion when I was coerced into opening the innings when the team was short-handed and believe me – that was rare.  So this walking ton does have a rather nice feeling about it even if I am aware that I need to exceed the feat every single week for 10 months if I am to complete 5,000 miles and be home for Christmas. And – by the way – my best sporting feat was never on a cricket square anyway. It was in a marathon canoe race….but that’s another story.

So, yes, the Blunder Bus is on order from a top man who could not have been more helpful – thanks Ian. All it needs now is insuring, collecting, equipping and understanding. Oh ….and yes – it needs a name. Kate has  suggested ‘Bella’ but I’d like to open this a little wider and invite suggestions. All are welcome and for trivial reasons I will put the best, filtered for cleanliness, up for an online vote.

To finish for today – I’d like to thank prospective support driver Simon and the friendly members of the Grimsby Fell Walking and Climbing Club who I joined for a stroll around the nether regions of Charnwood Forest today. Though Simon and I have worked for the same company for over 20 years, we’d never met. So when he rashly responded to a work intranet article and volunteered for three weeks in my company, I thought it wise that he complete a ‘prat check’.  Well it seems I passed – as he’s inked into my schedule now.  Today made a refreshing change to my usual walks and I don’t think I was being overly generous in sharing out some of my local mud and frivolous conversation with people and not sheep.