Hi everyone,

It's 4.30pm on Thursday and I am now well on my way to getting ready to leave. It's been a hell of a week though!

Finished work on Friday (and of course celebrated with a few drinks on Friday night), then the hard work really started! Well, after I had given myself Saturday off any 'chores' and decided not to stay in my PJs all day!. Spent most of Sunday on the phone and sorted out paperwork (cancelling bills, chasing new credit cards etc) and dealing with the sale of my car that went on Sunday afternoon.

Seemed to spend most of Monday sort out cancellations too (it's amazing how few phone calls you can get done when you are on hold for 40 mins each time!). Also spent Monday having a major pre-packing clear out in the house (5 bin bags, where does it all come from?!).

Then needed to get on with some serious house packing, well after one final piece of paperwork that was ......estate agent wanted written confirmation from mortgage company that is was ok to let the house out. Shouldnt have been a problem as I had already checked with them a few months ago. I wont go into all the detail, but after 6 phone calls, 3 faxes (that I had to walk to estate agent to send), and £225 of my hard earned cash, they finally agreed that it was ok (a day later). So that was Tuesday gone.

Started packing up the house at 6pm on Tuesday as the storage van was coming at 3pm on Wednesday. Up til midnight packing, started again at 7am Weds morning. I still wasn't ready by the time van turned up. Its just a van and driver, they won't help you load so I had to load and unload the van myself. Oh, and they wouldnt give me a lift to the storage place either! So I cycled there (bike was going into storage) and had to walk back. Stopped on the way back to pick up a hire car as I still had so many boxes to take to storage place. Pretty much then zonked out for the evening as I had lost the use of all my limbs and was in vast amounts of pain.

Then had to crack on with the rest of the packing this morning and get it out of the house before the cleaners arrived at 11am (3 car trips). As soon as the cleaners had gone, the carpet and oven cleaners turned. Oven cleaner left about 5 mins ago, and this is the first time I've been able to sit down and breathe all week. The house has never been so clean!

So I now have the rest of the evening to pack up the final little bits and un-pack and re-pack my rucksack a couple of times!! Move out the house tomorrow morning, and the tenant moves in on Saturday.

I've been so focussed on the house and car for the last couple of weeks I've kind of forgotten whether I'm actually sorted for the trip so I will spend this evening make sure I havent forgotten (or stored away!) anything important.

I'll still be loitering around Wokingham for the next couple of days doing fun things like having my hair cut and going to the physio etc. Before heading to the airport on Tuesday morning.

Not sure when I will have computer access again (that's one of the things I still need to pack!), but when you next hear from me I should be in Brazil.

I Hope that's all the hard work over now, and next time I'll be able to write a much more exciting blog next time full of fun experiences.

Lynda x