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All in a day! July 30, 2007
(As stated on David's walk page, Paul Vernon had a chance meeting with David, while David was shopping in a suppermarket in LeBlanc, on July 28th. Paul realized he wanted to help David.)
The morning of July 30th, a thoughtful and kind Paul Vernon, Mary, and Peter hit the road finding Daved walking and pulling his heavy luggage between the villages of Montmorillon and Adriers. What follows is the wonderful things that happened for David, writtin by Paul:
"I phoned David and found out where he was only to find that I had left the tent at our lake about 25 km away but in the right general direction so we hurried off to collect it.. I agreed to look out for him on the D729. Now came the problem, we were running late, where would he be?. We were coming at him from 90 degrees. So to save driving up and down the road we did a swift estimate as to where we might intercept him. We set our target to be a small village about 18 km from Montmorillon called Adriers. I was phoning David on the way to no avail as he must have turned his phone off to save battery. We arrived at the village intersection and guessed in which direction he might be on the D729. After going about 500 meters my phone rang ... it was David asking where we were ... at that moment I spotted a lone figure on the roadside with a phone to his ear .... "Look to your left David ...there is a Blue Jag coming toward you" I said. Waves all round and we were there.
I handed David the tent but he seemed to be a bit overloaded with the backpack and a wheelie trolley. So decided that it may be a good idea to take his load down to Adriers where we had spotted a cafe, this would leave him to walk free of burden for the first time. You know what it is like dragging your bag on wheels through the Airport ... imagine doing this for hundreds of miles. We waited at the Cafe for David to catch up and had a chat while he quaffed a couple of glasses of ice cold orange juice. I thought that it was senseless to just leave him there like that so we decided to take his bags and scout ahead for accommodation within a three or four hour walk. I asked the Cafe owner if she new of anywhere in the direction of Abzac which was about 20 Kms away. She said that we MIGHT possibly find a place just after Les 6 Routes in an area known as Les Vieilles Forges at about 16 Kms.
We left David with medicine and water and headed off to scout ahead, sure enough we found a place called Le Chene Vert. It is a very nice Chambres d'Haute doing bed and breakfast run be a charming English couple called John and Pam Ball. Over a cup of coffee (we did feel guilty) we told them of David's mission and they agreed for him to stay for the night. Not only that, they kindly offered to take David's luggage on tomorrow to Confolens where there is a camp site by the river. He can do that now that he has a tent. We are now getting together to find someone to move his bags for the next leg of the journey from Confolens. So David is in good hands with John and Pam.
David is now at Le Chenes Vert .. 86150 Millac. Tel +33 549 4885 98 ..Email ballj@orange.fr Website www.millac-bed-breakfast.com
Speak with you all soon
Warm regards"
Paul VERNON
(read David's "Thank You" email, sent July 31st )
Please Read: All of us that are "virtually walking" with David want to thank Paul, Peter, and Mary for their kindess and generosity. Thank you to John and Pam Ball with Le Chenes Vert Bed and Breakfast, for inviting David to stay overnight. Thank You for the group of French peple that gave David provisions.
Appeal on www.Angloinfo.com
Paul posted this appeal on: Angloinfo.com:
Hi, this is an appeal for help (not money) for a brave soul that is walking from London to Lourdes along the Median Line (or as near as possible) ...
David Henderson a farmer from the UK is walking without a support team to Lourdes to raise money for “Flying Eye Hospital”. He could really do with some help .We met him in Le Blanc and again near Montmorillon, we have taken his luggage to the next overnight stop at MILLAC near ABZAC (86) John and Pam Ball of the Chene Vert bed and breakfast where he is staying tonight (Mon 31st July) has kindly offered to take his things on to Confolens. We are trying to get people to help with his baggage after Confolens. For the helpers, a days walk for David is only a 20 or 30 minute drive for them So please make that little effort ..David is a really nice person and deserves a bit of local backup. Follow him on www.meridianman.org
You can contact me at paul@savingthedodo.com.
Could you please forward this Email to your relevant Angloinfo sites
A special "Thank You" to Stephen Garwood of AngloInfo Poitou-Charentes for making the appeal a priority and positng this appeal!
Signs for David
Paul asked a friend to print these signs out for David to have with him while in France.
 Hi John
Could you lay this out on WORD and print a few off for David. I think that the French is OK but change it if you see faults (Ispika de lingo buttu ritin is no so eezy) It is to show the French if they ask what he is doing. Could you also print the flag separately so he can put it on his backpack ... It will allow helpers to recognise him easier on the road.
Many Thanks, Warm regards, Paul VERNON
(Paul Vernon's Web Sites:myecochannel.tv - A Second WindOur French Number is 0254285314, Skype name "Saving the Dodo" - Please, take a few minutes to visit our site. -Only then will you fully understand how exciting and important our environmental project is.
http://www.savingthedodo.com)
Newspaper Article from a Southern Regional Newspaper: The Charete Libre
David's walk was reported with a nice article in "The Charete Libre"
Etape du «Meridianman» sur le chemin de Lourdes
A Quote from Article in French:
"David Henderson, proche de la soixantaine, marche depuis son comté de Warwick situé en plein cœur de l'Angleterre pour se rendre à Lourdes. Atteint de diabète, il marche pour améliorer sa santé, il marche par plaisir, il marche par défi. «Mes amis ne pensaient pas que j'allais mettre sur pied ce voyage vers Lourdes en suivant le méridien de Greenwich», s'amuse-t-il dans son anglais volubile."
The article in English:
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