We spend the day organizing ourselves for the trek. We had planned to do it on our own, but the Nepalese government has changed the requirements and now everyone trekking in the Everest region must hire a porter or a guide.
We just have a few more things to pull together - bus tickets, trekking permit... But other than that we're ready to go!!

We've arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal. The flight was great. We flew Qatar Airways (via Doha) - so much better than Virgin Atlantic. We had legroom, good food & wine. What more do you need??

It's a beautiful, beautiful thing.

, originally uploaded by ladyhedda.

Are we ready? Ummm. Maybe. We leave in 5 hours and Michael is out surfing and I haven't packed a thing. I guess I'd better start, but instead I'm here at the computer reading, writing and procrastinating.
How many pairs of knickers do I really need? What about t-shirts?
Shall I bring my knitting? Am I going to be painting my toes? Because if I am, then I'm going to need nail polish and nail polish remover.
What about books? Books are heavy. Maybe I'll stick with the knitting, at least it's light.
Must. Pack. Now.

So, did you know that October 29th was Thanksgiving? No? Well it was.
We had turkey, mashed potatoes, peas, gravy, brussels sprouts, pecan pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie and so much more.
The dogs were having their own party upstairs – Shackleton is so happy when Peanut is in town. Now he’s whooped. And snoring. And he smells like Peanut lick. And he wants to get up onto the bed. Uh, NO…. So many ways to say NO, YOU MAY NOT GET ON THE BED.

, originally uploaded by ladyhedda.

Yay! We saw a van today that is just perfect. So perfect that we’re going to buy it. Tomorrow we’re getting on the train (surfboards n all) and heading out to a tiny village just outside of Bath to pickup our new home. I am so excited , we’re finally off. Not sure yet where we’re going….. But we’ll figure it out when we get there.

Well, we’ve driven the length and breath of the country looking for a VW van and it’s not looking good. We saw 3 vans week. The first we found on ebay – it sounded perfect. The mileage was low, one careful owner. But yikes, the whole van had been painted by hand. Now I don’t know about you, but I will not be seen driving around in a van that looks like it was painted by a two yr old. The inside was a custom install - by Grandad. The second van was in a pretty desperate state. And, no – I was not interested in the portapotty that came with it. I swear it hadn’t been cleaned this century. The last one was just way too expensive. I mean, I get that it’s an automatic and all, but come on - I could buy a new car for not much more.
More searching will commence…

We arrived safely in at London Heathrow this afternoon. Dad was there to pick us up – I think he nearly fell over when he saw the TWO surfboard bags we were manhandling onto a trolley. All in all there were a total of NINE surfboards. Yes, nine.
We made it back to my ‘Home Town’ in one piece. I’m happy to say the sun is shining and it’s balmy outside.