The next door neighbour just gave me a Vietnamese straw hat,as I was leaving to take some photos to put in this blogg. So I will put it up as an introduction to this very short piece.

Well that was a struggle; trying to make the block smaller so the photo fits but in doing so the block disappeared. So this will have to remain. But it is easier with this keyboard as more like typing and can see the text more clearly. Don’t know if this makes for interesting reading though . On the other hand it is preparation for my Camino Teresiano (or Ruta de la Teresiana.)starting in Avila

The Rocky Bay path stretches all along the cliff at the top of the Swan River. In fact the path goes to my right down towards the bridge heading towards the sea,and to my left becomes a path along the river straight through to Perth, about 20km away. It then winds back along the Swan back to Fremantle. We have walked one way, and I have cycled the loop 42km round the river and a pleasant 2 hr cycle with a coffee break of course half way.

Anyway this morning I’m walking to the right along the Rocky Bay cliff. The cliffs are limestone as you can see from the photos I am placing at the end. Rocky Bay itself (in Nungar language ) is where the Rainbow serpent rested in the Dreamtime in his journey along the Swan River. It was an important fishing spot for the Nungar people.

As I am walking this morning I look at the path with new eyes . This is pretty special scenically and historically. And its 3 minutes from my house. You can see from the photos how lovely it is and how still relatively unspoilt. When we first moved here like 40 years ago these houses along the cliff and opposite were not here. It was an industrial area and held engineering works, car yards, the flour mill, boat yard. Our children took off early in the morning at weekends and holidays and hacked their way along paths, lit fires and ate tins of baked beans, played and fought and swam off the beach below. Just next to where I start walking is the jumping off point. The local kids still jump off Suey(Suicide Rock).A. Rite of passage .

As walk I place one foot in front of the other ,trying to practice the most efficient way of walking with heel first and propelling forward with toes.I think also about not stumbling,about looking after my feet so as not to have another blister,about ensuring this time that my pack remains under 8kg. There is a slight rise to the path with some twists and turns that make it interesting rather than just a bland walk.

The old question asked all the time on the Camino sites :Why walk a camino?Why Spain?And now in this preparation time: how much of the height and twists and turns do I avoid in my choosing which Camino to walk in June 2022? We may be limiting ourselves. Because one of the attractions of walking in Spain is, in my experience anyway, the unpredictability of the terrain and weather and circumstances . Often it is the unexpected which gives most joy .

But I won’t be wearing the Vietnamese hat .

One of the views from the top of the cliff taking in the Swan River and the other side