Overland with Kids

‘Manic’ as a word is a bit of an understatement as we have been rushing around packing, dumping or we should say - sheepishly taking! - (in secret we might add, from the children) - toys!!!!!! and other bric-a-brac along to the charity shop, packing, arranging visas for Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China, collecting vehicle/s from servicing, more packing, organising carnet, even more packing, packing, packing!, getting extra passport photos, arranging storage of our belongings, applying for and then deciding against a loan to act as a cushion, yet more packing!, making phone calls, painting, cleaning, weeding the garden and trying to get our house ready, packing again!, arranging travel insurance, green card, arranging plans for our wills while we’re away, where the post goes, where the cat goes, notifying mortgage lender, clearing accounts, setting up secure banking while we travel, sorting International Driving Permits (IDP’s), cancelling utilities, shopping for essentials, responding (with disgracefully lengthy delays) to friends emails, writing lists and writing lists again elsewhere (never to be found again in the packing frenzy so Anne now has a bright pink book she can’t lose!), deciding about staple foods (we have 8 boxes of 72 weetabix so far included in this along with a barrage of other staples) and the list just goes on and on and on. Our education, toys and reading pack is just about there now and we have devised a plan of implemention/operation but have no time to update currently via our website (it will come!). Plus there is so much other ’stuff’ for the kids as well as us we want to take but know for sure these ‘things’ won’t fit without even looking in the back of our currently empty vehicle.! But we realise weight is premium and key. We have too many clothes currently in piles on the floor and like everything else - these are awaiting dreaded elimination results. We’ve learned how to make Bannock bread on the frying pan, Andrew is laying low and getting on with things while Anne wants to revamp the caravan while there’s a million other more important things to do before we go - we have managed to get a new canvas roof for the caravan fitted finally. There are 9 days or maybe 8 days left before we go and are we ready? - a big fat NO!!! is the answer to that but, we are having a farewell barbeque next Saturday to celebrate and say good bye to everyone - so we’ll have to be ready by then. Gulp! We’ll be so organised that we’ll have one final opportunity to update before we go (note the nervous twitch as we say this!). And did we mention the packing! Also that our loft was like having another house! And don’t even mention all the pictures, cards and letters the children have made or written over the years - all ‘keepers’! Phew!

Bye for now!

Diary (Blog)