Friday 24th November - Yosemite, Camino de santiago, a jam cupboard, flowers

 I finished the Yosemite virtual trail yesterday. It has been fun;

apparently, to reach the top of this hill I had to go up steep, irregular steps, then scramble over rocks, and finally go up a sort of 200m ladder made of slippery wooden treads fixed between two steel cables, all the time keeping an eye on the unpredictable weather, as mist and fog can suddenly descend without warning meaning that it is unsafe to continue.

None of this would be remotely possible for me in real life! But what a view when you get there....

I've so enjoyed the scenery along the way, and the informative 'postcards' that arrive every so often.

What next? I've paid for the Camino de Santiago, about 480 miles long, from somewhere in France to the tip of Spain. At my current rate of about 6 -7 miles per week (!) I have set a finish date of May 2024. I promise not to post Every Day for the next 18 months!

This is the start; very different scenery.

Joining a challenge does motivate me to try and reach a minimim of 2000  - roughly a mile - steps on my step counter by bedtime each day. Most days I'm still at about 500 by the evening, so I make up the number during the advertisements on TV, and a final 'sprint' just before I get into bed. The final sprint is made much easier by putting on some bright and cheerful Bach. Yesterday it was the concerto for four harpsichords - wonderful.

Having made chutney and jam earlier in the week, the problem was where to store the jars. I eventually thought of a cupboard in the dining room; but I had to clear it first! All this came out of the top shelves;

  

and was sorted into 'keep', 'charity bag' and 'ziffit' so that my little hoard could go in. Jam on the left, chutney on the right. I might add the unopened jars of bought jam and chutney to free some space in the kitchen cupboard.

It's ridiculously exciting - I've never had a proper 'home made preserves' cupboard before. I'll certainly move last year's mincemeat, currently 'out of sight, out of mind' and a jar of chutney which was a gift, into the cupboard (once we have moved the shredder and stack of papers which is blocking the door!)

This arrived in the post today, inside a stout 'letterbox' carton. I quite often send flower cards like this to people for birthdays, or as a special card, and it is rather lovely to receive one. They are real, fresh flowers, arranged in a little block of oasis. There's also a little plastic pipette for watering them every day.    

And look - a little butterfly charm in among the flowers! I've put on my little worktable beside me.