The Flag on the Bag (JOGLE BLOGLE +50 days)

Hi. Welcome to the second instalment of the Jogle Blogle.

As you’ll probably remember this is the blog of my brother, Steve Robertson and will be chronicling his walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

Yes, yes – and the three peaks too. Give me a chance, I was coming to that.

Anyway, with only fifty days to go before he sets out I thought that I’d better…

Pardon?

You slept through the last Blogle?

Well I’m not going back through all that again, you’ll have to read it later and catch up! Now sit up straight and pay attention.

As I was saying there are only fifty all too short days to go, so I  thought that I’d better let you know how you can spot the poor chap trudging mournfully through the Scottish countryside in his sou’wester, anorak and wellies, with rain dripping from the end of his nose. It’s very easy, he’ll…

What?

How do I know it with rain? Well of course it will. I went there once on my holibobs and it never let off peeing down for a fortnight. Came down in galvanised bloody buckets!

Where were we? Oh yes. So for the sake of identification and so that you don’t embarrassingly get him mixed up with some old tramp, somewhere about his rucksack will be – the Black Country flag. Here it is for those of you who haven’t seen it.

 Say again?

‘The Black what?’ did you say?

Hang on, I was just coming to that too – you really ought to have more patience.

The Black Country is a region in the heart of England and the reason why you’re all driving around in your German and Japanese cars today. This is where the Industrial Revolution began and the furnaces burned 24/7 which is why we’re proud to have our own flag and why it is predominantly red and black with some white bits – black by day and red by night – black soot, red glow. The white centre depicts a glass cone furnace and the chain represents the chain making industry (we made the anchor and chains for Titanic, which I have to point out is the only part of the ship that actually worked as it’s now at the bottom of the ocean!)

I know, I know – how wonderfully educational the Blogle is!

So if you see that flag prominently displayed on some bag or other there’s a good chance it’ll be attached to Steve. Pop out and give him a cuppa soup, he’ll probably be freezing – yes I know he’s starting out in May, but until he gets to the right side of Hadrians Wall all bets are off weather wise.

 Oi! You at the back. Was that you snoring?

Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I bother.

 Oh and just a reminder, his just giving page is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/steve-robertsonjogleor the shorter Bitly link http://bit.ly/2Tzmjwi

 Due to technical problems which I’m far too old to understand these posts will now appear here on http://www.mistybooks.wordpress.com and also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mistybooks2015or on Twitter @Misty_Books So please like and follow any of those pages so that you don’t miss any of the action. We’re scheduling updates on progress at 40, 30, 20 and 10 days prior to the great event and then daily once he’s set off,  provided this scribbler can stay awake long enough.

 Please share this post far and wide on whatever social media page you find it. After all it’s not just you we want to part from your hard earned cash – we’d like to mug your friends too, especially that rich one nobody likes! 😀

Inaugural Jogle Blogle

Hello and welcome to the very first Jogle Blogle.

Yes, I know you don’t know what that is yet – but sit down, take the weight off and let me explain.

Yes, you at the back with your hand up, what is it?

You want a what? A cup of tea! Well make your own.

Honestly, some people!

And keep your thieving hands off my Victoria sponge, that’s my last slice.

 

For the rest of you, this is the Blogle.

In it I’ll be letting you all know how my brother, Steve Robertson, is getting on with his walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End, aka the Jogle.

Clever eh? Don’t you just love a good acronym?

That’s a distance of 874 miles if you take the shortest route by road.

 

Pardon?

Yes I know, I was just coming to that. It was pointed out rather early in the planning stage that Steve was taking the decidedly easier route. Let’s face it, as we all know, going from North to South is all downhill. You’ve only got to look at any globe for heavens sake!

So to make amends and rather than changing to the uphill route of South to North (he’d already booked the first hotel and foolishly paid a non-refundable deposit) my dear brother decided to throw in the three peaks, Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in England and Snowdon in Wales.

That’s upped the distance to around 1200 miles with some lumpy bits for good measure.

What’s that?

I take your point, although I don’t actually remember him being dropped on his head as a baby, but it’s not beyond the bounds of possibility.

He’s asked me to chronicle the journey seeing as how I’ve done a bit of writing in the past – he said, blowing on the fingernails of one hand and brushing them nonchalantly against his lapel.

 

So as I say, this is the first Jogle Blogle. There will be further posts as we head toward the start of this great adventure on the 18th of May and then daily updates with things like the route to be taken, miles to be covered, blister count from the previous days exertions, that sort of thing.

 

Oh you’re back are you? I see you didn’t make a brew for anyone else you miserable… Hang on, are those crumbs stuck in the stubble of your facial hair madam? If you’ve so much as looked at my sponge, so help me I’ll..!

 

Anyway, back to the Blogle. Did I mention that he’s doing this for charity?

What?

Well of course I’m going to ask you to stick your hand in your pocket, he got me after all, so why should you lot be immune?

It’s for Macmillan Cancer Relief.

Here’s the link to his just giving page. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/steve-robertsonjogleor the shorter Bitly link http://bit.ly/2Tzmjwi

 

As well as allowing you to generously donate, in it Steve explains why he’s doing what he’s doing.

And I’ll let you know how he’s getting on in future editions of – the Jogle Blogle.

Trips off the tongue doesn’t it?

But for now you’ll have to excuse me. I’m just popping into the kitchen to check on something. And if there’s even a hint that my supper has been tampered with, you mark my words – there will be trouble.