Busy Little Bees

Well since the last blog we have both been busy little bees. Whether we've been busier eating turkey (or nutroast) or busier preparing for our trip we haven't quite decided. One thing we do know though, and that is the eating has to STOP, and hence we are both back on the soup diet. Ollie is back off the fags (for those who can't keep up it was just a Christmas visit back to the world of nicotine) and Ollie is also back in training for the marathon. More of this later..... bet you can't wait ;)

Jollyfolly Christmas

We had a great Christmas together eating drinking and being merry. Our thoughts did go out with, and still go out to, Jenny's sister, whose roof was removed by the tornado in Kensel Rise!! That you just don't expect in the UK.

On Christmas day the majority of our presents were trip related. Mostly we got lots of small camping related items, with our fav being the Potje that Santa brought Jenny. For those of you who don't know a potje is mini cauldron, made out of cast iron, that can cook in any way you can think of - baking, frying, roasting, baking, frying and er boiling. And it the same colour scheme as Jenny's hat and broomstick.

In the first picture you can see the potje in the background and the Kelly Kettle (or volcano kettle) in the foreground.

Lets Off Road!

On Ollie's birthday we both took ourselves off to Bristol to learn to off road, with Bristol Off Road. We had both been a bit nervous regarding this aspect of our trip, but a day in expert hands has certainly helped out on this front. Although the day was not as formal as a lot of the driver training we have seen (i.e. no class room stage or set itinerary) we both enjoyed our day and felt we got lots out of it.

The morning started off with a a session of learning how to drive in extremely muddy and treacherous conditions. We both had a time at the helm, and learnt lots about high and low ratio, central diff locks, engine breaking and most importantly how to have safe fun in a field (Normally Ollie is arrested whenever he has fun in a field!).

The afternoon was spent enjoying some of the local green lanes and tackling some of the more difficult maneuvers. By the end of the day we were both dog tired, but feeling really positive about taking Dino anywhere in the world. Our next task is to go off with our Land Rover club in about two weeks, and then start exploring some of the local green lanes to us.

Mechanical Animal - Blood transfusion for Dino

We are about to embark on week 4 of our mechanics course at Eastleigh College. This has been great fun, and we've already learnt how to change Dino's oil and check his breaks. Both of these things are incredibly simple, but without someone showing you and checking your work, it can be very daunting. Each week our confidence is growing regarding what we can do ourselves, and by the end of the course we should be able to do a DIY MOT ourselves.

There are 16 people doing the course, ranging from a mother and daughter who want independence from men, to a girl who is about to embark on the Mongolian Rally. Everyone there is very friendly and we would certainly recommend to anyone to do a similar course if they want to learn about their vehicles. And at only £100 a head for 11 weeks, you won't get more bang for your buck!

The Running Man - or rather limping man

Well, the marathon training has been affected by Ollie having a totally knackered his left knee. This is is the knee that was reconstructed in South Africa 7 years ago, and it seems as if, for the first time since the surgery, there is a price to be paid. Whilst training for the Grim 8, Ollie took a fall in the forest (but with no one around to hear him, did he make a noise? You bloody bet!). Ever since then his knee has been giving him a lot of pain each time he runs. In fact this weekend was the first time he has run without pain. Unfortunately this has meant Ollie hasn't really kept up with his training regime- a new one is calculated almost on a daily basis.

But on a more positive note, we have so far raised pledges over £800. Thanks you to everyone who has pledged and donated so far. You have all make it all worth while. And remember if you do want to donate just follow this link, not forgetting that for every £1 that is donated, we will donate 50p, until we have reached our initial target of £1500. So just another £200 till we make it :)

Finally, for those of you reading this via the subscription email, we've added another video to the bottom of this page, which you will only see on the blog, so surf back if you want to see Dino being put through his paces in Bristol!