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The Perfect Fit


So departure day is 8 days away, I have no more days off, no more chill, I have 6 working days, 2 days at the zoo (volunteering not just visiting), a 3hr dentist appointment and I recon about 5 trolley loads of stuff to put in storage and a car load of plants for my parents to come and collect.

I am a bit stressed, I requested my sabbatical 9 months ago and now I feel I’m cramming last minute. It’s like a crazy exam, that you’ve studied for but not really enough to do well. Maybe enough to pass, maybe not sort of depends on the questions but like with the exam prep the last few days are going to be crucial.

So things that are going well,

  • · Bike is serviced, my first ever experience of taking a bike to a bike shop when it is not basically falling apart. Was amazing the people at London Bike Kitchen seem to have done a fantastic job and have also helped me with spare spokes to carry hopefully to ward off any wheel issues. (I’ve never carried spokes before but I’ve also never been anywhere so remote, so I trying to be prepared. I also have brake pads, inners tubes and a couple cables, hopefully all will come back un-used).


  • · I have put a lot of stuff into storage and the storage space is both booked and seems a sensible size, so hopefully there will be no drama with fitting the rest of the stuff. Which is good, I think trying to estimate the size of storage for your belonging need is a bit like looking at a pair of trousers and guessing if they’d fit, without any idea what the fabric is and only have previously warn skirts. In theory you know how trousers fit and you have a rough idea what the volume of your legs are but it’s not really till you try to stretch them over your bum that have any idea if they will actually fit…think I’m going to avoid that awkward moment when the don’t.


  • I have passport and have booked 2 nights’ accommodation and 1 ferry, so should be set to at least get into France! I also know thanks to Brexit I have 81 days to travel in the Schengen Zone before I have visa issue. As someone who is an admin failure, this is a win.

Things that are still ‘in progress’,

  • · Work, the thing paying for the trip, there is a ‘sh*t ton’ to do, about six weeks’ worth of things in progress things, a load of new things to look at and a load of things I’ve told people are done but probably if I’m not honesty are not completely done. I don’t do anything that lives depend on but I really like my team, so I’m going to try to get it at least a bit tidy..

  • · Pack the stuff actually going on the trip, this has started but is not done, it also should probably be clean before we set off.

  • · Putting more stuff in storage not some…all the stuff! All the kitchen stuff! all the random clothes! The seemingly bizarre number of shoes I own! All of it but also keeping things I might need on my return near the front but making terrible use of space. We are back to trying to squeeze into the trousers without create an insane muffin top or showing an amount of ankle that would be scandalous to he Victorians. The storage fit should be snug, neat and make maximum use of curves….just like the jeans.



  • Pick up final purchases, I have done nothing but spend money recently and I need to pick up final items…Tin opener, camp meals (for emergencies) and bed inflator I’ve ordered….all pretty important for the camping plan.

  • Planning the route, I started, I got like a third of the way up Sweden in detail and then drew a rough line the rest of the way….I need to work on this! Not getting to the artic circle because I can’t find it would be a problem.


Things that need to happen and do not yet have date,

  • Haircut, not vital but if not done in 2.5months I will be full on yeti!

  • Glasses, suddenly realized if I should need to drive or something while away should get glasses on new prescription (I had an eye test a bit ago but covid reasons I didn’t get glasses).

  • Setting up new phone, I bought a second phone as a back up, I need to do more than put it on a pile for packing

  • Somethings I’ve not even thought of.

  • Some other things, I’ve thought of but forgotten.


So in summary in 8 days I need to do many work things, pack the all rest of the things, plan more of the things, be less hairy, less blind and more organised!


8 days…should be doable.


Time to step it the prep because the prep is almost over after that we have to move on to the ‘doing the do!





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