No sleeps to go!!!

Ok.

So - we have packed up the car and had to sacrifice a lot of items. Have ended up with a fairly pimped up Fiesta, although there have been a few concerns. Like not being able to shut the boot, and then not being able to unlock it!!! And spraying half of the drive with beer, not being able to find driving licenses and then banging my head on the boot - ouch!! Luckily Vic got the heart-shaped ice cubes out and that made all the difference.

The car is chock full of stuff but hoping to get rid of a lot of it by Christmas (like the beer and the mince pies!!!) The tyres will eventually go on the roof, but just waiting until we are on the road proper, and don't want to get charged a fortune for having an overloaded roof on the ferry (as happened to another team).

We are about to head out now and just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped with time, money or things to help us on our way. Now it just remains for us to actually make the ferry on time - we'll worry about the rest of the trip after that!!!

4 sleeps to go

Yikes!! just got back to london after fake christmas in scotland with my folks and emma. Got sooo many great things...
cheers to auntie linda for her bag of goodies - including things we hadn't thought of!!
And to mum and dad and emma for a good mix of things we need and things that are just going to make the journey nicer!! Ranging from a lovely bag, solar powered fairy lights, chinese lanterns, plastic jug, string and bungee cords to perfume and bangles which will help me look and smell nice in the desert!! can't beat a bit of glamour in the sand!

Anyways, think we have sooo much stuff so hopefully when gail arrives on friday we can work out how it will all fit into a ford fiesta!!! can't believe it's so soon..

vic x

Six sleeps to go!!

Well!! What a week it's been!!
Finally got the washers fixed on Monday thanks to Ian. Was a very exciting moment to be able to clean the windscreen, even if it was chucking it down with rain. At least can see what's coming now.
Radio looks like it is defo fixable, but matters have been made more complicated by the fact that the cigarette lighter now shares the power. Luckily can only charge stuff when the car is running which reduces the chances that we will flatten the battery. Hopefully Ian will fix the radio tomorrow - and probably win himself a prize if I can get organised!!

Later in the week I managed to misplace my passport. It didn't help that I was in Liverpool and passport was suspected to be in Gloucester. Stalked one of my housemates to his place of work (by phone) and got him to check for it, but required the rummaging of a woman (Liz!) to locate it!! What a relief!!
Spare tyres turned up, just needed to get them on wheels so headed out to the scrapyards of Birkenhead in the pouring rain. Successful mission though and also aquired jack and wheel brace so defo moving forward. Vic has also got a pump and pressure gauge this week so now we have his section of the car covered.
Have been fixing the roof rack on today. If it lasts the journey down the motorway then job's a good'un!!! Likewise with the rear registration plate - that has finally been superglued in place. And to top it all Jinja has been hoovered - how flash!!! Hopefully will give her a full wash later in the week - as she deserves, before such an exciting journey.
Me and Vic have been playing at Chrimbo this weekend with our families. Vic has been raiding her mum and dad's garage for useful stuff - even a microwave on offer!! Aunty Linda and Uncle Bruce have given a car organiser for filling up with stuff in the car. What a brilliant idea!!! I know it is certainly going to make a big difference.
So not much left to sort. Just a few trees worth of documentation to print off and then away.......................now, where are the car keys!!!!

Ah - less than 2 wks left!

so it's now less than 2 wks and thankfully we are more prepared than we were i think! Our list of things we still dont have is definitely smaller. I've got a box in my bedroom full of kitchen bits and the staple food items in a tesco recycling bag so all good! I've waashed my sleeping bag and have ordered from teh internet the necessary things to re-treat my mossie net, and the usual deet stuff. Have all the paperwork needed ready to go too, so all good! Am gonna make a list tonight to email to gail so that we don't have any cross over but also haven't forgotten anything! 

It's just the little bits we have left but the very kind people of north london freecycle have been donating away and we've had a tow rope from tufnell park, a jerry can from crouch end and hopefully some jump leads this week from holloway. Gail said the roof rack is looking good too which is great news as although we're trying to pack lightly i am pretty sure we're going to have way more than jinja's boot can cope with.  

now if i can just find my ipod we'll be all sorted!! 

The panic sets in.

So, our little group met up YET again!! It was at the end of an already fab weekend, so things could only get better. We met with the other groups who we have been in touch with quite a bit, and then two other groups managed to get to London for the meet as well. Things started off well (there was beer!!) but then someone got the roadbook out. At this stage Vic and I had not yet printed out the roadbook (a handbook of all the useful stuff we need for the journey), and these people had annontated theirs and compared their plans with others!!! Was a bit worrying. They had a proposed itinerary and distances between all these places noted down. They have also got a load of cool stuff on their car like a projector whilst all we have is a blow-up chrimbo tree and some fairy lights!!!! Ah - what fun, at least we got to pick their brains! Anyway, was a good afternoon of chatting and eating and planning and drinking.

We are slowly but surely getting everything done that needs to be done - and dealing with all the new things that the car has to throw at us. For example it is not currently possible to open the doors using the key - you have to climb in through the boot!!! Great!
Seems unbelievable that in three weeks time we will be on the road, but that is the reality of it! Wow!!

Another meeting and a mechanic

So, our little group all met up again last week over Sunday lunch. Was a miserable day but talking about the trip was a great distraction from real life. Makes it all seem so real sitting there talking about what we are going to be doing for Christmas. Not that long away now (7 weeks!!) so we have really tried to step up a gear with the planning.
We have been trying to get some corporate sponsorship sorted but with limited success. We contacted a large pharmaceutical company that make malaria tablets. They said that they couldn't help - but they did send us a 20% discount for a leading sports drink. If anyone wants to buy this discount from us for charity please get in touch!!!!
Jinja has been to see the mechanic this week. She needs a new alternator and a fan. Luckily Roger (the mechanic) has these parts second hand. Hopefully that is all we need to get us to Banjul. We are also getting a cigarette lighter fitted - not so that we can light up without too much effort, but actually so we can power anything while we are away. Still no radio though. The driver's door now refuses to be unlocked from the outside, but at least we have got some spare keys now!!
The plan is to paint some stars on the outside of the car - but just waiting for a dry day when we can do that!!
Feels like we have done loads this week - but still plenty to sort out.
Aaaaaaaaaaaarggggggrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Some time later.........

Oh dear!!
Well, we have been very busy getting everything ready for the big journey. We have acquired a beautiful LHD Fiesta and she/ he (depending on who you talk to) has been named Jinja!! Jinja has done a fair few kilometres around the UK already and so we are just hoping that it will be up to the journey over seas.
We have already taken her over to the launch party - which was a great event. We got to meet loads of the other people who are going to be doing the same route as us...... and some people who won't be..! We tried to win a few hearts by providing cider, and then making bacon sandwiches the next morning (courtesy of Cafe Victoria) and feel we have set our stall out for the trip now!!
Since then poor old Jinja has been the victim of a leftist attack as someone tried to rip both of her wing mirrors off. The RHD Fiesta down the road was left untouched!! Understandably she over-heated later the same day - oh dear!!
Now the count down is really beginning and all we have done is named the car - so no doubt a flurry of activity will follow shortly.
Fingers crossed!!!