Blogs from Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Well it's exactly one week until the off. Packing has not quite started, being the usual organised selves, but the excitement definitely has! Currently Britain is experiencing some of the worst weather conditions it's had in many years, with many airports suffering. All i gotta say is that Heathrow better be working next Christmas Eve night, cause if it's not me and Matty are swimming to first stop Singapore!! Spending the last few days at home with the kitten, Fizzy, who is purringly oblivious at the moment, asleep on the sofa next to me, that he will have to endure a 4 hour journey to Pembrokeshire, Wales next week to spend Christmas as my replacement with the folks and sister. Still four more days of work to go....incredibly hectic trying to organise life inside and outside ... read more

Saturday in a sunnyish (!) October in Basingstoke - looking forward to starting our travels in 2 months. whooooo heading in to town to find a backpack! ... read more

Hi there everyone!!! Just doing a little tester to make sure this works!!! Only 4 weeks to go till the big off getting very excited!!!!... read more

Today is our flight from London Heathrow to Hong Kong. Our departure is at 10.30 pm so we have all day with Wally and Maureen. We planned with them to see Peter’s cousins Robert and Julie at their house. Robert was unable to make it but Julie came along with her husband Matt, and sons Jack and George. Their daughter Holly was unable to make it as she is studying for her GCSEs this summer. It’s been twelve years since we have seen them and it was really good to catch up. They stayed for about three hours and had to go home as Jack had to start work at about 5 pm. After they left we went into Basingstoke and had some lunch and then went to Tesco to do bit of final shopping in ... read more

We have one week and a few days to go before we meet with friends and family in Winchester for our civil marriage ceremony. Still lots of final things to sort out with regard to the wedding and also moving house so all is a bit hectic. I have one final trip to make for work up to Liverpool then I return stay with our secretary for the final few days as we will be homeless. Leaving do for Amel this thursday and for me next thursday.... read more

February '09 It's just over a year since I completed the first stage of my South American travels. So, before I start round two, some reflections on the first trip may influence the way I tackle this forthcoming venture. The script on the blog from my first trip encapsulated my first impressions rapidly typed up in a variety of internet cafes and enhanced with a selection of photographs which were often difficult to upload. The idiosyncrasies of the internet systems throughout the countries visited and their volatile reliability often resulted in frustration. However there were very few total failures and technology triumphed in the end. I would be happy to revisit any of the countries travelled. I found a welcoming friendly atmosphere wherever I went and the hospitality I received was in many cases overwhelming. Apart ... read more