- Eating lots of chocolate. Generous souls sweetened my turning 30 with a lot of edible gifts, including some chilli chocolate from Mexico, Hotel Chocolat truffles and a range of mini Green & Blacks bars from which has come my new favourite, cherry.
- Attending a barbecue to celebrate our friends’ engagement, complete with those things all British barbecues are never without – Pimms and torrential rain. Despite a month’s worth of rain falling in one day, you cannot stop us Brits in our quest to eat charred meat al fresco. We just put a gazebo and get on with it.
- Hanging from a rope attempting to do moves like hip lock and catchers, and getting some very achy arms the next day as a result!
- Finalising the details with our friends who will be house and cat sitting for us when we’re away. Olivia’s going to be in good hands but man, I’m going to miss her.
- Being made redundant from my part time job. It sounds a lot worse and more dramatic than it is in reality, however, as I’d known it was on the cards for some time.And given that I’d been wanting to leave anyway, walking out the door with three weeks’ tax free pay is rather nice.
- Downloading a shedload of books onto my new Kindle in preparation for the trip. And then trying not to gorge on them before we leave!
- Changing the final piece of official paperwork, my driving licence, into my new surname. It’s only taken 20 months!
- Getting our visas for India. After a somewhat tortuous process (especially when compared with the ease at which we got our US and Australian visas) involving a trip to Cardiff, a frantic dash to Boots to get special 2″ x 2″ photos before the visa office shut, and the surrendering of our brand new passports, I am pleased to report we are now legally able to visit all the countries we have on the itinerary. Only seven weeks to go!
