Red Lion Hotel Basingstoke

Day zero: Departure<br><br>Packing's done, but today&#8217;s list has a dozen or more things to do (all easy and mundane) &#8211; take meter readings, returning a forgotten library book, squeeze the car into the garage etc.<br><br>An early Christmas card is dropped off by Claire and Derek, near neighbours who amazingly in a few days are doing their own extended world trip, and whose paths cross ours in Cairns in four weeks time.<br><br>Steve is coming at 2.30pm to ...

<br><br><br>"Whatever can go wrong at the most inopportune moment, will" Sod's law<br><br>All I had to do today was to get the laptop ready for travel: clear out old files to make space for photos, transfer my planning files with all the hotel, travel and other necessary detail; and check in.<br><br>First the laptop email chose ...

"We're leavinghome" Beatles<br><br>Leaving thehouse for three months over winter can be a bit of a worry, and besides, thehouse insurers don&#8217;t like it.<br><br>Fortuitously,Barbara and Steve will be house sitting. Good friend Barbara and new partnerSteve have both recently left failed marriages and are looking to start a newlife together. So the arrangement suitsthem, suits us, and suit our insurers. <br><br>But even so,much has to be done to get the house ...

... Bekey, Mum and Dad and then set off to Birmingham Moor Street for the first stage of my trip, train to Heathrow airport with Kate. Made a few last minute phone calls to Tina (little sis) and Tom and got to the platform with minutes to spare.<br><br>Kate provided a lovely picnic on the train and we spent a couple of hours making crazy plans, gossiping about work and chattering like kids. Between the 2 of us we managed to negotiate the London Tube system with all my bags ...

... fella.<br><br>Pooper was smitten with Valentino Vespa but was also conscious that she wasn&#8217;t looking her best, how could Valentino be interested in a poor little Pooper, with her bug spattered grill, wonky eye, flared arches and unwashed bodywork she was wasn&#8217;t feeling her best. Maybe it was the heat of the day, but things were stirring under the bonnet, it might have been the thirty litres of super unleaded she had drunk the night before but whatever it was a brazen ...

... wines we boarded the plane. Mom and I sat in first class, while William and dad shuffled on back to coach. I tried to make it to the back of the plane to get a good picture of dad (probably snoring and asleep before the plane even took off) but the flight attendent rangled me back to my seat. I can say that after flying international first class, I don't think there is any other way to travel. First of all, there is ...

... Vegas and finally LA, drop the bike off and train it to San Fran. Back to LA to plane it to Tahiti and then onto the Pacific Islands before hitting NZ and seeing both Islands, Fox's Glacier and the site of the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior which rests just off the NE of the North Island (oh I need a PADI cert too...). To Aus and this is pretty fluid at the moment, either join the OZ Experience bus crowd, or get this car called a spaceshuttle and use that to drive myself around ...

... information! I have 10days left until I leave the pub.... it is really frustrating me, so im looking forward to leaving. Rusty has 4weeks left til he gets here! He bought his backpack and sleeping bag etc the other day so i think hes getting excited! i cant wait to see him! Excpect emails with brotherly-sisterly arguements!! I have become addicted to Chilli Con Carne. I make it about twice a week. and when i dont ...

... I work until 11pm so at least i can have a drink over the new year and laugh at those on until 1am! It didnt snow Christmas Day, but on the 27th/28th it did! I borrowed one of the cars and we drove to Reading, god knows why we ended up there, i think thats where we thought the snow was, but little did we know that on the way back we were to find snow all through Tesco's (Coles/Woolies etc equivalent) carpark!! So we had a ...

... why I am here and a bit about the reason for teacher exchanges. They listen intently for about 4 minutes. I then explain that when I put my arm up, they need to fall silent. Several students get this and follow my lead. Others seem to not comprehend English at this time, despite the fact that they are speaking to their friends in English. Then there's odd little "J" whose pride and joy is making a variety of farmyard animal sounds. He also has trouble sitting still and seems ...