Travel preps 3: Rainy November in London

It's warm but wet and yesterday in London we had a torrential downpour of hailstones and rain - almost monsoon-like! Retreating indoors to continue our preparations for our extended travels we cleared out our kitchen and cellar. Think I'll write a book entitled "Downsize Me"!

Have discovered a marvellous travel website covering the countries we're visiting (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) called www.travelfish.org which is full of golden nuggets. Continuing also to involve myself and gain wisdom from www.tripadvisor.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.worldsurface, www.blacktomato.com and many other useful sites. Receiving lots of useful info from fellow travellers and trying to make sense of all the info that's out there.

Meanwhile, Archie is getting to grips and enjoying his new job at amazon.com and Alastair is progressing his VW Camper dream. Last night, had to take our neighbour, the Greenpeace VW owner, Bob Wilson, to casualty last night after a particularly nasty incident involving a ladder, a light bulb and a wet night in Hackney and hope that the home-made leek and potato soup provided a modicum of solace after the incident!

Still trying to take advantage of the last four weeks of access to my wonderful baby grand whose rich tones I will miss when we're away, as well, of course, children, family and friends but getting appropriately excited about forthcoming travels and hoping that various elements of technology (weather, maps, trip advice, emails, mobile etc) will perform as they should.

Off to Brittany on Thursday for a long weekend and to close up Ville Cario until the Spring. Long range weather forecast suggests it might be 20 degrees plus and sunny - hurrah!

Travel Preps 2 - only six weeks to go!

Finally got around to actually booking our flight to Bangkok mid-November. With six weeks to go, there still seems so much to do but the practicals are in-hand.

Firstly, (See earlier post, “Does anyone know Sean Andrews?”), the tussle with Stratford Crown Court is receding with clarification from the Clerk of the Court, that I don’t actually have to appear in person in order to prove I am not, nor ever have been, Mr Sean Andrews.

Meanwhile, trying to figure out how to get to see everyone before we disappear for our Big Trip. Already we have organised a quick flit to Edinburgh to see Archie and a long weekend in Brittany to close up Ville Cario for the winter so free weekends are evaporating. Fortunately, domestic paperwork is in hand and we’re confident we can ‘wing it’ pretty much on the visas front.

Jabs, teeth, eyes and copious supplies of Doxycycline all taken care of and, once again, Lakeland, my favourite mailorder outlet, has come to the rescue in the shape of a vacuum packing, ‘clothes-squasher’ to reduce the volume in my rucksack.

When in Thailand, I am planning on a visit to meet with the Head of the Department of Anatomy, at Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University in Thailand which is being kindly arranged by Witit Rachatatanun from the Thawsi School (Buddhist Wisdom School). This will enable me to progress Eric’s ‘Last Wishes’ regarding the stripping the flesh from his bones and becoming a sculpture representing the impermanence of life which will reside at The Forest Hermitage, a Buddhist retreat deep in the heart of Warwickshire. Whilst in Thailand, also hoping to catch up with Max, one of my fellow students last year. Both of us qualified as English as a foreign Language teachers (CELTA) but I have yet to put my studies to use.

Have been seeing quite a lot of my ex-employees, one way or another. Tonight, it’s Meera and Rod’s engagement. They met at The Angelic in Islington and are having their party there. Have also seen Amanda, Dee and Sarah Ellis-Jones, all of whom left Recruit Media this year to join Peter Fry at the Xchangeteam.

The old firm has just re-launched its website and gone corporate and boring – lots of stock shots of white men in suits and self-congratulatory copy. Just serves to reinforce my delight at not running a recruitment business any more!

Travel Preps 1: So much to do!

I am resigned to remaining incompetent in my pianoforte rendition of Debussey’s Clare De Lune. Despite lessons earlier this year, with a very nice girl called Tessa (trained in ‘The Suzuki Method’), and despite taking my upright piano to Brittany where opportunities to practise nonetheless eluded me), I am now turning my attention instead to the very melodious ‘Try A Little Tenderness’ by Harry Woods. The tones are rich and deep on my piano (pictured).

Meanwhile, preparations are in hand for our imminent travels to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and back to Vietnam for Tet in February. Archie will be joining us. He may, in fact, be there alone, as Alan and I have yet to actually book anything.

So much to do and so little time! How did I ever fit in everything before?!! Top of the list is socialising and seeing family. Alastair has been around, which has been great but messy as ever. I had thought my days of picking up rotting banana skins from the floor and matching smelly socks were over. Still as “Mummy Claws” will be on holiday this year, such indulgences prevail.

On the practical side, I am organising the updating of our Wills and Last Wishes so that should anything untoward happen, everything will be in order. Not that simple a task, it turns out, when you have to consider paying out for someone legal to assist you. I am also researching online into places to see/avoid. There is so much available material but much of it is aimed at 20-something backpackers in search of “The Beach” experience. However, I have posted a comment on the Thorn Tree Forum, the older travellers’ section of The Lonely Planet Guide which is yielding some interesting responses.

Well, mustn’t grumble about lack of time – we are packing quite a lot in and tonight it’s the Hackney Empire organised by Alastair, who returns to Warwick Uni tomorrow. Last week, he entreated us to see the less-than-cheerful ‘Children of Men’. He was disappointed that I didn’t rate it as highly as one of my Top Ten - ‘Soylent Green’ starring Charlton Heston and Edward G Robinson – a prescient and chiling sci-fi triumph IMHO! 'Children of Men' has a strong cast (especially if one is a Clive Owen or Michael Caine fan) and was a good film but despite the somewhat relentless grime and crime, it's action overpowered its potential substance. Tonight’s gig is a No2ID Benefit with standups. However, we are still trying to convert Eric to the cause. His loyalty to the Party unquestionable, but his perception of the threat to Civil Liberties is another thing.

On the subject of politics, following on from the successful Garden Party held here in the summer, I now find myself hosting a "Pizza & Politics" Evening. The theme is Green so it should be interesting. I may persuade AB to participate, although I've actually yet to tell him we're hosting!

I am attempting to finish reading "Attention All Shipping", a light and funny 'travelogue' which, as it indicates, follows the Radio 4 shipping stations and contains smatterings and musings of humour and interest. I am also reading a fairly ancient Herman Wouk but am finding it difficult to relate to the US Naval officer and his dysfunctional family. I may feel disposed to give up. I wonder when I will find time to get fit. There will be alot of 'squatting' on our travels. As someone who took until my early twenties before I could consider the possibility of not being near a decent loo, I have come far!