Just Keep Walking
When my sister and I were little girls mum often used to take us to the shops or the park, this was when we lived in England. We always walked. We didn’t own a car and although we occasionally used the bus more often than not mum would walk taking our big pram, or later on a pushchair for Naomi which I would ride on if my feet got too tired.
I guess because of this we didn’t find it a problem to get around on foot. We walked to school, with mum and later alone or perhaps with friends. If we wanted to go to the shops we walked too. Later, when we were a little older and living in Elizabeth, South Australia we also walked to the library or to the railway station to catch a train to Adelaide. We thought nothing of it, nor did it bother us to walk home again afterwards. I remember that our cousins would often call their parents to come and pick them up from the station and we would wonder what the fuss was about. It only took about twenty minutes.
All that walking came in handy when as an adult I was working at the Adelaide Station myself. There was a lot of walking involved going through each train picking up rubbish.
I think walking is a great way to get to know a place. When you are on foot you see a lot more. The first summer I lived in Tasmania I often had to wait an hour or more for a bus home from work. I used the time to explore the various streets of the Hobart CBD.
My feet and ankles get sore now if I have to walk too fast, especially in hot weather but I still enjoy a walk in the park or by the river.
