So the timer on the front page ticks down towards the start of our adventures. I can’t tell whether it is speeding up and slowing down, or I’m just flapping backwards and forwards between panic and impatience. But we’ve been busy…

The new lens for my camera looks like it could come up with good results with bigger wildlife than we’ve been practicing on, and we’re getting through the task list pretty well. But there’s still LOADS to do before we can go! Off to Brighton this weekend to see if we can find some shoes to take us through the deserts and keep our feet dry in the wet bits (and maybe also to be stylish and presentable when we get there?). Troopy (until he gets another name) will be going in to have some extra mods done to cope with the new bits of the world he’ll be visiting, and Chayka (until I get another name…I mean, am I really to spend my life named after random avians?? I’ve spent a couple of decades called Chicken…this isn’t much of an improvement!)…anyway I digress…I’ve got to get on to the whole immunisations, insurance, visas and vehicle documentation. And Katana (yeah, guess who got the cool nickname??) is busy as anything with her own visas, immunisations, art and general planning as well as the thankless task of keeping a squawking seagull pointing in the right direction. Next up…Katana’s first ever camping trip…this could be fun!