One step closer

Last week we took our beloved cat (Vic) to my Mom who will be looking after her whilst we are away.  This was very sad for us; we love our cat dearly but this trip is something we have to do.  Thankfully Mom and cat get on very well (we normally plonk Vic at Mom’s when we go on holiday’s).  It is just hard for us as we can’t explain to the cat, like we can to humans, that we are going away but will come back for her.  We just hope she will still remember when we do come back.

Our London flat is also let out; we move out at the end of November and our tenant moves in.  All very fast and efficient.  This bit of income will certainly be of use next year whilst we are away and not working.

Once we do move out of the flat we will be staying at my Mom’s during December, with a short trip planned to see our very good friends Joe and Laura in Cornwall.  This should keep us busy and keep us from getting over excited.  It’s like when we were kids, waiting for Santa to come on Christmas Eve – but for us we’re waiting for 4^th January when we fly out.

Not many steps now to go.  Pretty much everything is sorted.  We have a few more bits and bobs to buy (water bottles, strap for binos, new clothes for me as nothing fits anymore LOL) but all the bigs jobs are now sorted.  We're now in the quiet before the storm.

This is our lovely cat Vic, whom we'll miss alot!!

Support from Safaritalk

A little plug here for a website / forum that I joined about a year ago called Safaritalk ( www.safaritalk.net ).  The people on here are so knowledgeable about all things ‘safari’ and have helped us along the way with various questions etc.  If there is anything you need to know about Africa, African holidays, conservation etc etc, make this your first stop; unbiased views, up to date news, and they will point you to the best places to go in Africa for your holiday of a lifetime.

Ok, plug over :)

Meeting Peter Allison

In mid November we had the pleasure of meeting the author Peter Allison.  He was at a small book reading in Notting Hill (actually held in the book shop made famous by the Hugh Grant film of the same name).  Peter’s books were a bit inspiration to us to do this year in Africa and train to be safari guides, so it was great to meet him and hear some of his stories first hand.  The night really made what we are about to embark on seem so much more real (it still seems a bit surreal at times still).

End of work, start of something new

Rachel finished her work at the end of August, and I’m due to finish mine at the end of November.  As an IT contractor I had an obligation to a long standing client to work on a project that went through to that date, which I was happy to complete.  I will miss the people I have been working with over the years but something new and exciting calls.

Both Rachel and I are city slickers; you could say we’ve never done an honest day’s work in our life!  Apart from a stint on a building site for me when I was a student, and Rachel doing Christmas cover at M&S, we’ve always worked in offices.  This year in the bush will for us be so far away from our norm than we could ever hope to go.  Scary? Yes.  Excited? Hell yes.

Help from South Africa

In our research on Entabeni we joined their Facebook group and on there they had a number of people who would happily be a reference for the course. One such person, Janice, has proved to be more than help regarding the course but has also given us loads of hints and tips generally about South Africa.  She did the course a few years ago; she is a Brit but found love in Africa and having married a local, I guess is there to stay for good.

Talking to Janice has been such a help.  She has also been an inspiration that a city Brit can go there and not be too shocked by the cultural change from city to bush!  Clearly we will have a massive shock (I mean, where will I get my double, chocka, blocka Mocha latte from?!?) but we are confident we can survive the bush.  Hopefully these are not famous last words J

Getting Fit

We (well me anyway) always knew that the pounds had been put on over the last 10 or so years, and middle age spread was taking hold.  Losing the excess and getting fit was therefore a necessity for us.  The last thing we wanted was for others on the course being annoyed as they were being held up by the old fatties.

Back in July I joined a gym and Rach started to use the treadmill at home.  My target was to get from 15 stone 8 down to, well anything starting with 13 would be nice!  Rach’s target was mostly fitness as she is already slim, but in the 4 months she has managed not only increased fitness but also lost over a stone (which in my eyes makes her doubly fit !).

For me, July was the start of my obsession; and in the 4 months since then I’ve lost 2.5 stone and gained massively in fitness.  Pity none of my clothes now fit me, but this in itself has shown how much I have lost.  Now when those lions charge, I may not be the slowest and become the meal ;)