This is a deeply moving blog from a courageous person who is determined to overcome her private demons, and I urge all members of this forum to read and reflect on it.
Her story supports my long-held belief that the Government's policy of encouraging us to take up sport for the sake of our health is misguided. The emphasis seems to be on organized sport, but relatively few people can participate and enjoy competitive games much beyond their mid-forties. Recreations such as walking, cycling and swimming can be life-long activities as Waldo and I can attest. I've just turned eighty and still go backpacking with my twenty year-old son, and can normally match him stride for stride except when descending steep trails on loose rock.
It's possible to spend a small fortune on gear as readers of this forum will know, but walking can cost very little. My late father was a keen walker all his life and the only item of gear that he possessed was a cheap canvas rucksack. He wore Lotus veltschoon shoes, a pair of old flannel trousers and other discarded items from his regular wardrobe. When it rained, he put on a plastic mac and a flat cap and cheerfully expected to get wet. He was thrifty, but not hard-up, and he didn't see the need for expensive gear. Before WW1 it was quite normal for walkers to wear their every-day clothes of a stiff collar, tie and a bowler hat!
Hugh
