All is well - or as well as can be expected in a crazy household of postive thinking, growth-focused individuals...

Bob has made a remarkable (I'm stopping just short of saying miraculous) recovery from his knee injury - and (sigh) is out running me as usual... He's gone from walking with the aid of cructches to a gong of 100 squats a day for 100 days (just short of 60 something at the moment and going strong) and we're running a forest path in Steinbank Nature Reserve twice a week, and getting fitter and faster on a fairly tough circuit.

Shaz has decided it is her turn to go walk about and is heading off to Shikoku in October to do the pilgriamge curcuit... and yes, the running is part of her pre-pilgrimage training. She has felt the need for change and someting different brewing for sometime, and rather than call it a mid-life crisis and laugh it off, has opted to explore the feeling. She also needed a BIG adventure project to drag her away from infront of the computer and break her current work addiction in order to get fit again... Combine that with a little so I've achieved the writing goals I set myself - now what... what do i really want out of life feeling ... and you have the reasons she is setting off solo in less than a month-and-a-half's time.

She has an new ultralight one-person tent (which Bob affectionately calls a narrow coffin) and is in the process of walking in a new pair of Salomon hiking boots... and after anguishing about whether to blog or make it a paying trip (provervbial writer on an adventure) of treat is as Shaz on a pilgriamge, has decided to opt for the latter.

So Shaz's attention is on getting fit and what she needs to pack (and getting Japanese visa requirements together) - and Bob is still focusing on selling the centre and a lot of our clutter - responding to the need to be free and unemcumbered in order to embrace the next step on what is proving to be a rather elusive path ahead.

Shaz leaves on Oct 4th - flying via Syndey to Tokyo (why it it cheaper to fly half way around the world than direct still defies logic, but there you have it) - arriving in Tokyo early on Oct 6th - and plans to be on the trail from Mt Koya on Oct 10th at the latest - this is slightly ahead of Bob's timing on his pilgriamge three years ago.

She will not be working while in Japan (a really scary thought for a work addict) and leaves Tokyo on Jan 3 for a stint of exploring New Zealand - but will be working (freelancing as usual) while sight seeing and gather adventures to write about in NZ.