Day FOUR 4 May 2015
Espinal to Zubiri started @ 6.30am till 12.00pm about 17.9 kilometres

Started off really nice, walked most of the way by myself. Through stunningly beautiful forest. Listened to the world waking up. So many different birds and bird calls. Slowly, slowly the forest full of noises woke up. The first about five kilometres were up every so slowly. Then came a nice flat part. I am good on the flat bits. I enjoy them and I know that I am doing more than two kilometres an hour! I had breakfast in a small village, it was so early that the lady had not as yet made breakfast! I had something delicious filled with chocolate an some excellent coffee, met a father and son from Canada, we sat around for awhile and chatted. Most people do much more than me a day. Hm. Starting to develop a complex! I am listening to my body, I stop before I push through the hip joints or the knees! I don ‘t have to prove anything and I have plenty of time? All the wild flowers are out, and the trees are full of new shoots it is spring time in the Pyrenees. I took time out to stop and smell the flowers. I caught up with Helen from New Zealand, who is 72 years old and we slept together she said! I can’t remember this, so obviously the earth didn’t move for me! She is lovely but even she is faster than me! I also walked with a lovely Canadian woman, from the Vancouver islands, she is a strong walker, and quite fast. She is setting up a Baby Boomers website, and I wanted to ask more about this, but she must have walked the extra six kilometres to the next village! So people move into and out of your walk, it is lovely, often you don’t even need to introduce yourself at all. A “buen Camino” is sufficient polite , and then just move on or move slower. The last four kilometres of today’s track was the worst as yet. It was a steep down hill track, but due to yesterday’s rain, and the many hikes riding the Camino, the track was muddy, and steep. Hard slog on the hip joints and knees. Also for the first time since I started my left shoulder is complaining again. I carry the extra weight of the sleeping bag in it now! Which is exactly what I didn’t want to do! It is supposedly a super light weight one, but it is still over two kilos for sure I will leave my nighty and my orange top with my new found friends in Pamplona, the young people are from Nigeria and so poor and out of work. I also wonder if I should send home two t shirts I haven’ t worn as yet. Should not have gone to Desigual shop and gone silly. Although the Tops are so light! What else can I be losing along the way? Have lost my Ethiopian cross in a taxi in Windhoek, and this time I left my “bullet” ring from Addis and the ring the old Maasai woman gave me, somewhere behind. I normally put all of this stuff in my hat, but can not remember what, where and when I lost them. What I am learning is that nothing is precious any more! They least one has the better it is! Of course my bloody diary on its own is nearly two kilos. I am NOT supposed to glue or stick things in, but the child in me can’t help herself! Ah well, may I will find out that even my diaries are not that precious either!