Almost time to go

Finally I managed to collect everything I needed in one place and I started to pack it all ready to load into the van. As you can see I put everything in the living room of our guest accommodation which this year is not a problem. Since I last posted to this blog all of the items that I needed from sponsors have either arrived or been collected and have been checked off on my packing list. I took my canoe down from its storage rack and fitted the barrels and boxes in it to make sure they would all fit. Much to my relief, it all fitted - very important when you have to pack and carry everything you will need for a minimum of 28 days. Now that I have packed my two barrels and two boxes I have loaded them into the van along with some loose items such as an axe, a large tarpaulin, paddles......... Two days ago, May 23, I spent the whole day glueing pieces of bedroll foam onto the bottom of the canoe just in front of my seat so that I will have a comfortable place to kneel when I need to negotiate any rough water. As well as that I glued D-ring patches to my new spray deck so that I can secure my solar panel and my map case to prevent them from disappearing over the side. Real progress which has brought home to me that this trip is really going to happen.