Thank you for all the lovely messages, I'm glad to hear so many people are enjoying reading these updates and I'm grateful for all the love and support as I continue my journey ❤️
Yesterday was full of emotions which carried over to today and although my body could have completed the planned route, my mind couldn't.
At the end of yesterday's walk I had been to Alperton cemetery where Ro is buried, I arrived close to closing time and didn't stay long. So as I was walking past today I decided to go and spend some time talking to him, crying, listening to the birds singing and enjoying the warmth of the sun. I wished he was alive to enjoy such a lovely day. It was a peaceful time and as I was thinking about leaving I heard footsteps and looked around and it was Ro's sister Natalie. It was a wonderful surprise to see her, we had a big hug and talked about how quickly this year has gone, how strange it's been, and what a truly amazing person Rimoaine was, and how we can't believe he's not around to speak to on the phone or come over to the house. I told her about my walk and she said Ro would have loved that I was doing it. She gave me a bottle of chilled water to take with me, which I drank straight away!
I walked to Harrow, with my coat off for the second day in a row. It was a nice, easy mix of residential streets, footpaths and parks. I was thinking a lot about Ro and also Audrey my great aunty who lived in the area. There were 2 things that stood out to me. Firstly they both continuously supported me in any way they could with my fair trade social enterprise, including helping out with stalls and events. And secondly they both felt a strong affinity to NW London and were interested in the history of their local areas. I remember being on a train with Audrey when the new Wembley stadium was being built and she pointed the arch out to me, it's been a good landmark on my walk. Ro would show me old maps and photos of areas he knew and had grown up in, and then would compare them to recent developments and changes. He was not impressed by Kilburn being called 'North Maida Vale'!
I was already at the top of the hill of Harrow-on-the-Hill when I realised I could have stayed on the flat and walked around to the town. Oh well, I got a nice view from up there, and Carla who I saw last night had given me some of her very delicious cake which helped power me upwards and onwards!
I'd done 6.5 miles and arrived in Harrow just before 1pm. I wanted to stop for some lunch and still had 2 long routes to go - first to Bushey and then on to Radlett and my head just wasn't in it, so I decided I would take a bus and train to my destination.
I'm not sure what my body or mind were telling me but I found myself in Costa (or as Ro liked to call it Costalot!) ordering a festive spice latte! I think I wanted sugar, I definitely wanted a sit down and I know that Ro liked to go to Costa. I couldn't make a good decision like ordering a coffee that actually tasted like coffee!
While I was there I was thinking about a time when Ro told me he recognised a barista in a Costa as being a barista at his work's coffee shop. He had some superpowers of remembering people. I'd met up with Mark, the previous evening, a friend from Bradford who also worked with Ro. He was saying since Ro died something is missing from their team which can't be replaced. Ro has set a very high bar for the job he was doing in IT at the treasury, and Mark said that the job description for the role should just say 'be Rimoaine'.
I got the bus and train to Radlett and walked the short distance to Anne and Jeremy's home and received a warm welcome from them at the door. Again, like Sarah in Horsham they don't know anything about me but are still happy to let me stay and I find that wonderful. We had lots of conversations and a delicious dinner, and then caught up on the latest episode of Only Connect! It's my favourite quiz show so I was very happy when they suggested watching it. I also got one question right!
6 days in and I feel like I've found a good rhythm for my walking, I've sorted out how to pack everything and distribute the weight I'm carrying (all essential!) across my bags and body. I look forward to waking up each morning and getting on my way one step at a time.