Another week has flown past, but I have not been idle. Oh no. Another brief trip to Spain to see Dad, with his planned operation postponed and the ever imminent threat of recurring pancreatitis, it does not reassure me that my decision to go earlier than planned in July was a good one. But he has good friends and a good woman looking after him. My birthday treats have continued long beyond the Big Event and I am now fully trained in ‘Delicious and Different Desserts’. However, in retrospect, the ‘Meat Glorious Meat’ may have been a better option, if only for the view, having seen the participant hunks and chef. 

A day’s  shopping is an art form which requires constant practice in order to update one’s skills and achieve real perfection and my friend and I are dedicated to achieving perfection in this respect. I can now confirm that Shrewsbury provides the perfect training ground. It is such a shame that most men have not learnt to fully appreciate this complex and varied skill set, which can ensure substantial cost savings on regular expenditure. That said, we are talking about a group of human beings who generally consider being able to chase a ball around a field a useful skill set, so enough said.

On top of all this activity, I took the plunge and bought a new camera  and am pleased at my decision to buy local and pay more than internet prices. These new fangled gadgets require you have completed a 4yr degree & Masters in technology and have more buttons than Cadburys, just to snap a photo.  Although, in theory, there is a fully automated button so that even a dimwit like me can take a decent photo of a charging elephant, I  am grateful to my local shop that they are willing to coach me in the limited stages my tiny brain can cope with. ‘Ah yes’ says Jeff, pressing lots of buttons to reveal the true depths of my ignorance clearly printed across the screen ‘The reason this picture came out dark and grainy, might be because the flash wasn’t switched on’. He smiles at me indulgently. My new  career in wildlife photography may be some way off.

Back home, I wonder how my family are going to survive another 4months without me. Who will fit a new toilet roll, reconnect the towels with the towel rail, iron clothes AND hang them in the appropriate wardrobe? Will the bedding survive 4 months without seeing the inside of a washing machine? Will the bedroom floor ever see daylight again?

I'm currently vacillating between high excitement & sheer horror at my decision to go overlanding in Africa.... in July. Why do I do this to myself? As usual, I have teetered  on the edge of a decision for so many months, then, as usual, I hurl myself, full throttle ,into the abyss and an urgent deadline, whilst trying to cram as much as I can into the limited time frame, as if I might never make it back alive, as I psyche myself up towards a nervous breakdown with all the planning and organisation.
Into the mix I have now chucked the fact that I suspect my lovely compact Fuji Finepix camera is unlikely to be up to the job in the unlikely event that I am suitably positioned to take wildlife shots bumping around on the truck. My limited research on the subject suggests that, as a budget constrained, photography novice, illiterate in photojargon I would probably be best served by something called a 'compact superzoom' . I have narrowed it down to the Panasonic Lumix FZ45 or FZ100, Canon Powershot SX30 or SX20 or the Fuji Pinepix HS10 or 20. I'm thinking the PanasonicFZ45 is the best weight/quality/zoom/cost but have no competence on this topic. I make a note to contact my amateur photographer friends.