Post 26: 'April Fool,... or not?'

'Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood'. ........ Marie Curie

Well, .... I understand that with one week to go before departure, I'm bricking myself with fear. In 5 weeks time when we've just blagged our way across the border and into Russia (Still no Visas) I'll be telling you how confident I've been from the very beginning, ... but until that time I think I'll remain in fear mode. If I'm rational about it then there's actually very little to fear, but then If I was rational I guess I wouldn't be buggering off around the world in the first place. Alan's hacked off because I've already finished work and he doesn't leave his job until next week. Come the weekend he probably wants to morph into a sofa but he knows that there's still too much left to do. At least now he understands how I used to feel when I was dispatching all week and then frowning at the suggestion of a weekends 'Pleasure Ride'.

We've both had problems with the Triumph alarm systems this week. Alan's alarm was sounding all day while he was at work and he came home to find a flat battery and some very angry neighbours. After charging his battery things returned to normal but it's still a worry if that happens again when we're in the middle of nowhere. For me, I stopped for a brew in Croydon and the Datatool system wouldn't disarm. Hopefully it was just a dogey battery in the alarm fob which I've now replaced. Triumph were very 'Helpful' with their advice (if not with their discounts, ... non-subtle hint) and once we get out of western Europe, we're seriously thinking about ditching the alarms completely. It's a weird thing, but we worry more about crime in the countries with the highest standards of living, .... but then I guess a stolen Triumph Tiger in Mongolia would stand out a little more than it would in central London.

Ever the optimist, I decided to get a new MOT certificate on the bike this week. The current ticket is valid until July 2008, so I guess I'm working on the basis that I'll eventually get the Tiger back to England and be able to ride it legally. The fact that the Tiger and it's luggage will represent the sum total or my worldly goods means that I should pay it a little more respect and at least bring it home in one operational piece, ....... so I will at least try. Apart from the bike and my tent, I'll be homeless when I return, but that's not really a Big Issue at the moment.

We still haven't worked out how to cross the Atlantic for our triumphant return but I'm sure we'll find a way. There's no point in even trying to plan that part of the trip now as things keep changing on an almost daily basis. This week two of the three weekly ferry crossings out of Vladivostok have stopped operating. Thankfully, the service we intend to use in the absence of direct flights to Alaska is still running, .... so fingers crossed we'll be OK.

On Tuesday I got a telephone call from a television production company who claimed that they wanted to film Poor Circulation as part of a documentary for ITV. I checked the diary, ... and yes it was April 1st. However, ... they've been in touch since and apparently it is a serious demonstration of interest, .... so I'll get my people to talk to your people and we'll keep you posted.

www.justgiving.com/poorcirculation