It's Best To Have A Sturdy Pair Of Trainers When Living In The Countryside.

Walking, the sport everyone can do.

You know, when you get to the age of 40, it is best to stop running and rather start walking. Running does put a lot of strain on the old legs and your face. Running makes your cheeks flap up & down and surely that isn't too great for your skin? Serious women runners older than 30 do have a hollow cheek look...

Walking is nicer because you get to be able to chat, enjoy the scenery and get from A - B without looking like a drowned rat. We tend to forget that 50 or so years ago, most people didn't have a car. Some had bicycles but the main mode of transport was on foot. Kids walked to school and maybe, just maybe, some of those exaggerated stories our parents told us were true. You know the ones:

" When I was small I had to walk 10 km to school. In the snow and barefoot! "

Did they tell us this story to get us up in time to catch our school bus or to let us know how bone lazy we were? Oh dear, have started to tell tall stories like these as well?

" When I was young, we didn't have a smart phone young lady. We had to use an old fashioned telephone. One with a twist dial that took some power to turn. "

Honestly, I have done that already...

Walking home from visiting friends yesterday afternoon ( in the next village and about 4 km away ) was so nice. As I met other walkers or gardeners ( the sun was shining and all you could hear was the buzzing sound of many lawnmowers around the village ) I got a chance to speak with some of them. Shooting the breeze as they say. Everyone stops and chats.

This is the way our grandparents got news about their friends and neighbours. Instead of texting on a phone, they walked and talked. A conversation face to face which sadly is becoming a thing of the past. Maybe we should push the younger lot into a pair of trainers that do more than show their fashion style. Get them to start walking, talking and enjoying nature.

Oh, I know this sounds like Utopia. Getting teenagers off their behinds is far from easy. But imagine, if you could...

Biggi