Day 63 and the End to End was back on in 2019 in Cumbria after a break of a week. If you were going to walk LEJOG maybe you too would think it a good idea to have a break at about half way. I met all sorts of different Lejoggers. Some were doing it in small stages and some were going for world records. I was just plodding along.
Some folks are surprised about the distance. I’d get messages about how far it seemed to be from Land’s End to Gloucester which was the first 300 miles, and it did seem a long way. But most folks were puzzled that the half way point was before the Border with Scotland and how big Scotland is! Indeed it is a whole new country. More on that story later, as they say.
For now we were back in the M6 corridor in Cumbria. Road signs asked folks to look out for red squirrels. In the process they seemed to have overlooked the hedgehogs. I didn’t see any red squirrels but I did see rather a lot of dead hedgehogs. I’m sure they’re one species to be pleased with fewer vehicles on the roads during lock down.
A doughnut at Southwaite services was very welcome. Southwaite is the poor relation when it comes to M6 services, but it was there and the doughnuts were sweet. My finishing point for Day 63 was a random post box at Braithwaite, except it didn’t look so random. Indeed, further enquiry confirmed that Hannah had stood next to the very same post box in 2012. We trod in each other’s footsteps.
And for today at least, we queue up, mostly sensibly distanced, for things we’ve not been able to buy for a while. I’m fortunate not to need to do so. Bob and I have become quite self contained here in Longdendale: a walk, a delivery of local goodies, and a chance to write or sew seem to keep me going more or less. The second half of the walk seemed amazing at the time, but in 2020 it’s a while since my last doughnut.
From the remembered bible: Out of the strong, comes forth sweetness (not about a doughnut as far as I remember!).
When the lion of Corona virus roars, we kept our distance.
Mindful of the vulnerable ones, we put our sensible heads on.
We’ve learnt to distinguish essential from our wish list and
to begin to weigh new risks.
The sweet taste of success is only possible
if we go at the speed of the slowest and
keep our hearts and minds tuned to God’s ways:
the poor still need feeding, the vulnerable need shielding.
May we keep pace with the weak,
ready to share a sweeter feast in peace and safety.
JAL: 15.06.2020 in Longdendale.