September

Date: 1st - 31st September DuK Kilometres: 0

Weather: Average 17oC, Light Showers and cloudy.

Funny how life is... We started planning this expedition in February 2002 and at the time we thought we would be all set and ready to depart by October 2002. Oh, how wrong we were. We seriously underestimated the amount of work, trials and tribulations that such a trip brings.

As October came and went we re-scheduled our departure for March 2003. Everything seemed to be going according to plan. We had a buyer for our house, our furniture was already shipped to Germany, the landie was coming on well, and the research and planning had revealed a good route. Further we had met Sandy and Michael of www.expeditionoverland.com and we had gotten on so well we decided to reverse our route and hit Africa first, leaving the "silk route" through Asia, Iran and Turkey as our route home. Kat even finished work in December and headed to Germany to prepare things there.

Then January arrived, normally an enjoyable month of birthday celebrations and skiing. Not this year though. A few weeks before exchanging on our house sale, the buyers pulled out. Without the sale our trip was on ice...AGAIN. We sat at work watching the days go by, and March soon arrived. Nothing had changed with our circumstances, our hearts and minds where ready to go, the planning and preparation had been done. The Landie was near completion, but the bloody house still had no buyer.

It was with such sadness mixed with real happiness that we travelled up to Nottingham for Sandy and Michaels leaving do. Happy for them that their dream was about to come true, sad and frustrated for us that ours was on hold. It felt so close, we wanted to just say screw the house, jump in the landie and head off into the sun with Sandy, Michael and Nyathi (their Landie).

We settled back into what life we could, difficult when you have no furniture in your house anymore!! Our only salvation was reading other overlanders web sites and living our dreams through them. Then just as we where on the brink of giving up in August we found a buyer, and what's more a buyer who wanted to move in fast!!. Yippee!!

Life is funny, there we were about to chuck in the towel and then suddenly we where back on. Quick re-calculations meant we would be on for a mid to end of October departure. All we had to do was hand in our notice, work our time and then we would be on our way. Except that is David's work got their before him, making him redundant in late August. We crossed our fingers tight and prayed the house would complete on schedule and sure enough on the 29th August 2003 Kat and I officially became homeless!! Wow what a feeling of freedom!!

So here we are, having done a quick run out to Jesteburg, Germany with the last of our belongings, it was off down to Devon to say goodbyes to David's family. Then back to London for a wedding and our London leaving bash. We will then head to Germany on 25th September for just over a month of goodbyes and final preparation, with a BIG leaving party in Jesteburg. Special thanks to all my family, Ray & Jen, the Partridge family, Gill and Neil, and Ruth and Gareth for seeing us off and putting us up during our homeless period.

On Sunday 2nd November 2003 our dream begins, we intend to live it to the full. Some words of advice to others who may be preparing to set off, no matter how near and how far the trip seems to come and go, just stick at it. It will happen!!! As long as you want it to, it will happen! 29th September 2003, Kat and my 3rd wedding anniversary. We enjoyed a very nice relaxing day, feasting on a beautiful Italian meal with Kat and her family and drank the bubbly to celebrate many many more. Our present to each other is our trip.  Bald hier neu-tagbuch