Blogs from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, United Kingdom, Europe

After consulting many a good and helpful 'How to successfully pack your backpack' type website, obviously written by true professionals who know their stuff, I must woefully report that my HUGE pack is full and the bedroom floor still has several piles of bits and bobs laying around. Admittedly, I have a slightly skewed perception of what constitutes 'essential'. The first item to go into the cavernous pack was a towel (surely that's okay isn't it?) followed by a travel hairdryer and, ahem, a set of travel rollers. It gets worse, in the lid of my pack is a pair of stilletos! I am an Essex girl after all! But, to be honest, other than my passport and purse, what I want to take most of all is my newly delivered giant photo album of Chester ... read more

Well, it is the day before we depart. This mornig M and D went to get 1000 $US (unmarked and not torn) to pay for our trip in Burma. M has been doing some last minute shopping with her neice Millie in Southend town centre. They have purchased flip flops, sun hats and new makeup. Cases are packed and all electrical appliances charged up. Now need to get a hair cut and we are all set. Spent yesterday booking the remaining hotels and the train tickets from KL to Singapore.... read more

still here... read more

made a v high level map of our tour ... only can't see how to embed it... read more

No-more getting up for work for the next year. I was a little sad as I cleared my desk at work but not for too long. Riplet is now put away for the winter, I have my visas and am beginning to feel organised. will try and upload my first photo, this is what I'm leaving behind. ... read more

I’ve now packed up work and I was in full preparation for a boot sale filled weekend. For those in the USA boot sales are a little like yard sales, we drive our cars in convoy at 5:30am to a large field unpack our boots and sell out wares from any old table or rail we can lay our hands on. It’s usually freezing cold too so we hop from one foot to another whilst attempting to smile and negotiate a decent price for a CD we’ve already attempted to sell on Ebay twice. As it happens a few drinks in the pub on Thursday afternoon to bid farewell to my cracking colleagues actually ended up with me drinking far too much wine, falling through the door totally drunk to the point where my husband put ... read more

Doesn't time fly?! I always thought when i was younger making that statement was a sign of getting old but looking back Christmas seems just like yesterday which sounds even more cliché. My diary is full of lunches, dinners, drinks and reminders to see, eat with, call and e-mail friends prior to our leaving date which catch me unawares even if they have been in there for months. Recently the Brides (three wonderful ladies who all got married within the same year as me) took a trip to London. For the first time ever I actually did something in London other than shopped! Mark and i are living in what can only be described as a pigsty. I've never seen our house look so terrible it's like in one of those programmes you watch on the ... read more

So Happy New Year! I am getting so bored of saying that and typing it into every e-mail at work. Although, everytime i feel myself getting a little grouchy with my work computer i am reminding myself that it won't be long until i say farewell to it. I do secretley do a little dance in my head and sing a song to myself everytime i have this thought. Everyone now knows that we have booked our tickets and the reactions varied from shock to tears to total excitement for us. I know we will miss everyone just as much as they will us but i just feel as if nothing can stop us now! I'm sure i will feel homesick at times, like my Hubster said i too have been thinking about the things i ... read more