A Tale Of A Toe

Not a pretty sight, is it?

I realised this morning that my toenails need cutting - all of them. Not the sort of thing you would normally read in a blog, is it? I bet you wouldn't get that amount of detail in the Huffington Post. But this is a bit of a milestone for me because for the past 12 months I have only been trimming 9 out of the 10. And this has made me realise just how long toenail replacement takes.

Bear with me - if you are a walker or a runner, this is useful information.

I damaged the nail on my left big toe a couple of weeks before starting my Big Walk last year. The walk started on May 15. Since then, the nail blackened up, died, and was gradually pushed off by the new nail which grew underneath. This has happened to me before, especially when I was running and racing regularly. But I never had a specific date to remember so did not realise just how long the process takes. Much better to avoid the problem in the first place by having shoes with plenty of room for the toes - and to tie your laces properly.

We passed through England like a couple of rockets, then drove home through England and France, which made me realise yet again just how far I walked last year. We arrived yesterday afternoon and now face a mountain of post, a jungle of a garden and all the other prices one pays for 4 months away.