Our countdown timer has just rolled over and in exactly 30 days we'll be on the first flight of our nine week adventure. I've been saying for weeks I need to write a list of things we need to organise, buy and do before we leave, so today I've stopped procrastinating and the list is now officially started and no doubt somewhat shorter than if I'd started it weeks ago. Everything is booked, visa's for America are sorted and Tony has his international drivers license so it's just minor bits and pieces now.

I've decided to leave all the driving up to Tony as driving on the wrong side of the road, in a manual, left hand drive car, holds absolutely no appeal to me. Last time we travelled in Europe my 'test drive' in the camping ground in Edam was the extent of my European driving. Let's say after trying twice to change gear with the umbrella in the car door I felt it was a safer option to sit in the passengers seat with the map book. This time however we'll be leaving the map book at home & letting the GPS do the navigating, this may also prove to be a time saver as having to drive four or five times around the same roundabout while trying to work out which exit to take is somewhat time waiting not to mention monotonous!