Judi Lawler is in France and Italy for a month.   One of her friends is walking the whole pilgrim route from Holland to the Spanish coast past Santiago on the west coast – 4 months constant walking!  Jude is joining her for a week at Perigueux (where the Tour de France finished in the south of France before flying to Paris).   They do between 20 – 30 k per day, staying at gits or refuges (there are lots along the pilgrim trails).   Jude then flies to Geneva, trains to Mount Blanc and joins 7 other girlfriends for a 10 day walk around Mt Blanc  (It’s called “the Walk of Mount Blanc”). Then train to the Cinque Terre in Italy, and they all walk that too!

The weather may not have been perfect but the thought of wandering the bustling roads of Sandy Point and exploring the beaches was too hard to resist.

We spent a great weekend of wine, food, games and even went walking with Fi and Norm at Al & Kev's house at Sandy Point.

I am sure that most of the world problems were resolved around the fire and the bottles of red wine.

There is no better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than with great friends on paddle steamer heading along the Murray River.

Thanks to our host, Tony and Judi, the Price's and Werner's were housed, fed and watered in fine style at the Lawler riverside resort and then had the enjoyment of the festival just down the road at the Echuca Port.