Bye bye, boots

A sad day for me (Annie). I finally waved goodbye to my trusty walking boots after having them for about 28 years. 

They were expensive when I bought them as a late teenager, but were meant to last. I had no idea how much that would be true. They were looked after carefully (despite how they may look in the photo), and remained comfortable and dry to the very end. 

Their first trip out wasn't to go walking; I jumped out of a plane with a parachute and the boots for foot support. Over the years they've walked all over with me, in both hemispheres.

It was probably our last visit to Glastonbury that started the end for them. The sheer volume of mud and wet there never quite came off them properly. 

Finally, when walking out in Yorkshire last year, the sole came away from the boot. Luckily Immy had a spare hair band, which we attached to keep the boot together and get me the several miles back to the car. Since then I'd toyed with getting them repaired, but in the end a more modern replacement seemed far more sensible.

Today they went to the landfill.

It's a small thing in these strange times, but these boots have meant a lot to me over the years. They've kept me safe, and comfortable, and enabled me to get beautiful places. So today is all about them.

Bye bye, boots.