Good news! Exactly a month after their return from Rome the lost package with their walking poles and sticks were found and returned to them.
"Had really given up on these! - but looks like they wanted and needed to be reunited with us!" said Kathy. "I can't wait to measure mine to see how much it shrunk."
"I felt quite nostalgic when I opened the parcel and took out the bamboo 'stokkie' from Switzerland," said Sil. "It still had some Italian sand on the end. I am so pleased to have them back."
The Book:While the VF Five were walking, they never got a chance to read their own Blog - or to read each other's posts. Now that they have had a chance to read through it, they have decided to compile all the Blog postings, the comments, photographs etc into a 'memory book'.
This is the proposed cover of the book.
Sil took the photograph of their shadows on a stony road early in the morning as they were leaving Lucignano D'Arbia.
The book will consist of a contents page, introduction to the Via Francigena and the five pilgrims, notes on their preparation and planning, all the Blog pages as well as a chapter on Val's food reports. They are planning to include as many colour photographs as possible. There will be a list of VF Five trivia (average age, average mileage walked, longest day etc), daily stages and mileages, accommodation lists, packing list, maps and resources. Rayna will do a couple of 'scrap book' pages, one with bits and pieces from the walk and another with pictures of the different VF signs along the way.
Sylvia is also planning to compile a Power Point presentation on their walk to use when giving talks.
