Quartering Kites

Sadly not my photo but the Red Kites have been quartering vineyards either side of me for days. Quartering just means the division of the ground for searching between the pair. It is a technique directly adapted, from nature, by most miliary forces. I actually thought that they had prey trapped on the ground as I could hear strange noises. I was wrong, instead of looking down I should have been looking up.

On leaving Zafra I started to see these signs on the trees. There were about 6 Lurchers with their handlers as I was leaving town and just as I drew level a hare broke cover it went at a hell of a lick with 3 dogs on it. It went over 2 hills before I lost sight of it. The dogs were hot on it's tail and unfortunately after hill 2 there were mesh fences running either side of the track. That would seriously reduce the Hare's advantage. It is the Buell versus Harley, or Fighter versus Bomber equation, basically the shorter you are, the faster you turn. Thats why some of you are having problems catching your wife/girlfriend. Still, there was no sign of the hare's demise on the ground and those dogs may never come home! In some ways I hope they do not as one of the Spanish walkers told me their owners just hang them in the trees if they are not fast enough. There is also a significantly more humane re-homing scheme which thankfully is gathering momentum.

Well today was hard! Maybe it is just the accumulated fatigue catching up with me? I noticed last night that I had a sub surface blister on my right heel. They are difficult to fix as you have to go fishing with a needle for them because you can't see them. The best fix is to drag dental floss through behind the needle and leave it hanging out both sides to act as a wick. That way it won't repressurise and the floss is both sterile and medicated. My shoulders are looking abused too with broken blood vessels from the pack straps, it weighs about 16kg. My Achilles tendons are both screaming, surprisingly the right more than the left. All in all, very normal for weeks 1 and 2. Week 2 will be worse before the body, hopefully, gets used to walking with weight on. Once that happens only death can stop you! Todays highlight was an understanding cafe owner who served me a great meal, with alcohol free beer, right in front of the TV (See photo) while I watched the last Grand Prix of the year. It was held in Spain, in Valencia. Valentino Rossi was already World Champion but raced well coming second, the massively talented Dani Pedrosa won at home! Casey Stoner fell off on his arse on the warm up lap, broke his bike and didn't race. This proves that nobody, including Casey Stoner can reliably ride that Ducati, no matter how fast it is!

Baby Animals

It has been surprising to see lambs, kids and piglets being born so late in the year. It is already cold with a significant wind chill factor. It reminded me that the weather forecast in the Falkland Islands used to always include the phrase " The wind chill today for newly shorn sheep is...." Anyway it means that I have packed well and I suspect that I will eventually wear everything, maybe all at the same time!

The hostals in the province of Extramadura have been excellent, see photo, many of them could be Paradors if they were divided into individual rooms rather than domitories. However, there is one major disadvantage....it is now 0203 and the snoring, having gone through a quieter phase is now back with a vengance! Tonight's final is being played out between Spain and Norway. Luis, from Spain, has the edge at the moment as he is occasionally screaming in his sleep as well as snoring. Christian, from Norway, is deaf with 2 hearing aids so is probably not disturbing himself too much! Still, it gives me a chance to write this blog instead of wasting my time sleeping. I knew that the snoring is one of the biggest challenges that is why I slept rough in the woods last time I walked the Camino. I have the gortex bivi bag in my sack but my fleece bag is not man enough for the job. Maybe after I get to Salamanca and a big Decathalon sports store I can buy a sleeping bag that will keep me alive outside and away from the snoring! I am loathe to throw the fleece bag away as, like all my gear, it holds memories for me. I bought it in Kathmandu, in Nepal, and slept in it for 3 weeks while descending the Karnali River in 1999. I also used it the last time I walked the Camino Frances in 2004.

REMEMBERANCE DAY 11 NOV 09

It seems appropriate to be here for Rememberance Day. For this is Badajoz, and there will be British boys buried near here. Badajoz was a hard won Battle Honour from the Peninsular War when British, Portuguese and Spanish forces, under Wellington, rid Spain of Napoleon.

Just like all the others military personnel who are dying at the moment.

"At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them"

Monesterio to Fuente de Cantos

Well the day began well but ended in very fine drizzle. Enough to darken the colour of your clothes, and make you cold but barely enough to wet you. The wind was blowing from the West and, since the entire route is South to North, only my left side got damp. It was a lazy start to the day with an 0930 interview with Sandra and Colby from Radio Libertad in Madrid as part of their radio show for improvers in English. They are going to get a weekly update on my progress. After the interview I managed to find La Casa De La Cultura and they kindly let me use their computer to update this blog. Waiting for me was an email from my friend Pablo in Los Angeles saying that he had been listening to the radio show via Internet. If anyone needs proof that the world has become very small then surely this is it! Me, on a mobile phone in a hostal in Extramadura, being interviewed from a studio in Madrid, while my friend in Los Angeles listens in! As I left the village I had 1 Red Kite overhead but as I turned a corner I had an amazing wildlife spot. A stream only 2m wide ran to the left of the track and just as I got level with it, 3 fresh water otters ran across, right in front of me! Now maybe some of you cannot go outside without seeing otters but despite the fact that I grew up on an 80km long lake, it was my first time to see fresh water otters in the wild. I have seen salt water otters off California but this was a real "Ring of bright water" experience.