Daddy still hasn't gone crazy... yet.

Second Leg - Kelso to Jedburgh.

Distance: 12.8 miles (29.6 miles total).

Time: 5 hours 56 minutes.

Wildlife: Pheasants, Grouse, Otter (no he didn't - Daddy), Heron, Rabbit, Dead Rabbit, Dead Pheasant.

Barnaby's Song of the Day: Bohemian Rhapsody.

Today we woke up knowing that we had to sadly let go of Granny's boots, which I have been wearing for many miles over the past year or so. They had to go because there were really big cuts through the leather and my feet were getting really, really, really soggy. Unfortunately, Daddy who had even put dubbin on the boots on Sunday night, hadn't even noticed the cuts! We went into town and got things for our picnic lunch and then on the way back to the hotel we stopped at an outdoor shop to get socks, hats, and some new boots. When we got back to the hotel we placed Granny's boots in front of the bin and said farewell.

As we set off, soon we joined the River Teviot, and very early on a heron landed on the path. So Daddy stopped and took some pictures and then we carried on. A few minutes later, the heron landed the same distance away from us on the path again. So Daddy stopped and took another picture. Then as we walked on we started to feel like the heron was stalking us, because again it landed in front of us about the same distance away. This time, surprisingly, Daddy didn't take a picture and started acting like he was quite annoyed with the heron. But that wasn't really a surprise, because he's always getting annoyed about something.

It's Day Two and I'm feeling really, really excited for what lies ahead. Even though the weather has been quite dreich, I still want to carry on to the end. And today we have carried on the tradition that Daddy and Godfather Paul started over ten years ago, that at the highest point of each day we stop and sing 'Praise to the Holiest'. I enjoyed the song so much that I decided to do it twice today and the second time was actually the highest point of the day (whereas the first one wasn't).

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Daddy's Postscript:

Whenever I find myself getting a bit tired on a walk, footsore and weary, there are a few trusted ways to put new energy into my old legs - some sips of water, bar of chocolate, and in extreme situations actually stop and put my rucksack down for five minutes. When Barnaby finds himself tiring he will say, "Can we hold hands?", or sometimes he just wanders alongside and slips his little hand into mine. Holding hands he finds new energy, so do I, the journey becomes better and so does life.

(I've had to assure him that at no point, ever, did Godfather Paul or Uncle Jimmy ever ask to hold my hand when we were walking together. He's begun to develop a strange fantasy that at some point along the West Highland Way, the three of us should have joined hands and skipped.)