Very funny

Jo and I have been giggling inanely at a blog we found which takes the piss out of our venture. For cheap laughs you really must read it:

http://armedtechnician.blogspot.com/

Thanks Mr Armed Technician whoever you are, you are keeping two grubby tukkers highly amused. I think Ting Tong might be a bit upset at being called The Dyke-Byke though. I think you owe her an apology...

Life on the road is hot and happy

Day 4 and I apologise that the blogs have been slightly lacking, particularly from me (jo). We are now in Phimai and I really need a good wash. I am grubby all over, particluarly my feet which gather dust as we zip down the highway at 60mph (yes, Ting Tong is very fast). Because Ting Tong is exposed to the elements on three sides, you get full access to the environment e.g. dust, sand and copious exhaust fumes from other vehicles.

Just arrived from Khao Yai National Park, which was pretty chilled with the worst food I have ever tasted. Last night we ate crisps, raisins and drank beer- that was supper. Dad bought some Thai crisps, but didn't realise they were cuttlefish flavour and he looked quite unamused. I fed a deer some raisins and gave it a good head rub- my hands were black afterwards. We also visited the waterfall where the scene from The Beach was filmed, although it looked far bigger in the film- I guess clever Hollywood editing.

It was quite high up in the Park (over 1000m I think) and we encountered all kinds of bugs, but no mozzies. It was cool enough not to need fan or air con, but the showers were cold and therefore it wasn't the most relaxing wash I have ever had.

Newsflashes

Internet cafe, Phimai, Thailand


We're taking advantage of the fact that we've come across the internet for the first time in a few days so are doing not one but two blogs.

We drove from Kai Yao National Park to Phimai today, just over 200 km's, and have dived into the nearest internet cafe to check our mail and update our blog. The drive here was fairly amusing. People were pulling up level with us on the freeway, winding down their windows and waving and taking photos. And when we stopped for lunch at a tiny roadside cafe the owner rushed out brandishing yesterday's newspaper with Jo and I and Ting Tong on the front page. More photos were taken, lunch was free and a crate of water were loaded onboard before we waved and tukked off up the road.

The main purpose of this blog though is to put links to all the random press we've had in the last few days. Some are quite amusing.

BBC News, Monday May 29th

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/5024812.stm

Yahoo UK news

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/28052006/46/photo/twenty-seven-year-old-britons-jo-huxster-brighton-antonia-bolingbroke.html

Deccan Herald, India. May 29th, 2006

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/may292006/gallery_thumb.asp

Daily Times, Pakistan. May 29th, 2006

http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\05\29\story_29-5-2006_pg9_1

This has got to be the funniest....

http://armedtechnician.blogspot.com/

And if you understand Japanese then try this:

http://forum.news.yam.com/disingle.php?tid=0&newsid=20060529763531

More cheese..

http://www.khaosanroad.com/


That's about it!

One final point, Jo is currently reading an email from her ferrets....

LIFT OFF!

The River View Hotel, Ayuthaya and Khao Yai National Park.


I can’t believe it, the Tukathon has actually begun. At 11.49 a.m on Sunday morning Jo, myself and Ting Tong, under the watchful eye of Queen Victoria, turned left out of the British Embassy in Bangkok and set sail for England. After so many months of planning it’s extraordinary to think we have actually embarked on our 12,000 mile journey and that for the next three months we will be slowly heading home, each day inching a little closer across the globe.

Having only come out of hospital on Friday with flu, pharyngitis, a viral infection and a throat infection - according to the hospital medical report – I was unsure whether I’d actually be able to go with Jo for the first few days. But after a shaky day on Saturday and a few green, wobbly moments on Sunday morning we were off and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

On Saturday night we took Ting Tong to the Khao San Road and got a taste of what the next 12 weeks might be like. Even in Bangkok, where tuk tuks are ubiquitous, people stopped, stared, laughed, took pictures and shook their heads in amazement when we told them we were driving our pink bomber all the way to England. Jo drove her into the Khao San and we parked her up for a few hours while we did a few interviews, people took pictures and Jo clambered on the roof rack and risked her and Ting Tong’s life for some photos. They’d better be good. Ting Tong went down a storm and although we might be a little bit biased she really must be the most supersonic tuk tuk this planet has ever seen. Everyone who sees her definitely goes a little green around the gills. Thanks Anuwat, you are a total star and Jo and I are both very, very happy that we found you and your amazing tuk tuk factory.

Sunday morning was an early start as we had to load all our kit on to TT and be at the British Embassy by ten. After a rigorous security check at the gates we cruised up to the front door of the Ambassadorial Residence to find a pack of photographers and TV crews waiting for us. When Nuttanee, the Embassy’s press officer, had said she would be able to get some press along to the launch we never expected such a good turn out. Maybe it was the lure of a morning at the Ambassador’s residence, where they do make exceedingly good cakes.

The next two hours were a blur of interviews, photos, smiling till it felt like our faces might crack, hanging off the side of Ting Tong for more photos, giving the Ambassador and his wife a lift in the TT, and hurried bye bye’s to cousin Bert and our friends Hannah, Jess and Andre. Then in we got and off we went. We could never have dreamed our launch would be such a grand affair and we owe a very big thank you to Mr and Mrs Fall for their amazing hospitality. Even better – Mr Fall might get a tuk tuk from Anuwat to drive round Wiltshire in his retirement. Spread that tuk tuk love!







Since then we’ve been speeding north in Ting Tong, eliciting smiles wherever we go. Jo was at the wheel for the first two days, cursing everyone’s slow driving and bombing past astonished drivers at 65 mph in the fast lane. Despite the floods in the north of Thailand, the terrible Indonesian earthquake and all the strife in East Timor, we made it into seven Thai newspapers on Monday morning and 2 TV stations. We’ve heard back from Blighty that we’ve also been gracing the airwaves on Radio 2 and Five Live, and have also been on South Today and are on the BBC website. Even weirder, Ting Tong also appears in papers as diverse as the Indian Financial Times, The Herald and The Pakistani Globe today. Why on earth would someone in Karachi want to read about a bright pink tuk tuk?

We’re in Khao Yai National Park now, where The Beach was famously filmed. Our hut is surrounded by jungle and I’m hoping we wont get eaten by a hungry tiger in the middle of the night.

200 miles down only about another 11, 800 to go.....

A night in a Thai Hospital

Ugh, just returned from a brief 24 hr sourjourn in the Samitivej Hospital in Bangkok.
I'll write more tomorrow as feeling too feek and weeeble now and need to get horizontal again and get my strength back before we start..in two days.

Nothing serious, just a high fever, the shakes and sweats - viral infection, throat infection and flu apparently?! But my temp is normal now, amazing as I was a human radiator last night - 103 degree temp. Just feel a bit steam rollered now.

More tomorrow - can not believe its two days till D-Day.

Ants

Busy busy busy....

We are having quite a week of it over in Bangkok. The time is flying by and every minute is filled with things to do.
Ants has been ill and has been put on antibiotics, so I hope she feels better soon. I am fine and seem to be in good health on my very poor diet of fags, coke and the odd grasshopper. They are actually quite tasty- a bit like a geasy kettle chip. I got a leg stuck in the back of my throat though and this induced a little wretching episode. I am happy to say that I did not throw up.
Yesterday we spent the aftrenoon in the tuk tuk factory and I was learning all of the mechanical skills that will hopefully keep Ting Tong in tiptop shape. I also had a little drive, recahing a top speed of about 10mph in second gear. Shit, if I go on like that it's gonna be a hell of a long journey back to blighty.
I am very happy that we have now reached the 17,000 pound mark for Mind, which is a third of the way there. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated- the money is going to a great cause. Only 33k to go until we reach our target of 50 thousand pounds. If we don't get there I will be driving Ting Tong around the country naked to get more publicity- only joking, or am I??????????
Got our visas for Laos this morning and I am going to get on the case this aftrenoon to try and get prior permission to cross into Laos at The Friendship Bridge- at the moment this is not allowed for Thai registered vehicles without prior permission. I will have to use what little charm I have to try and succeed. Coming back form the embassy I took a motorbike taxi. Perhaps not the safest method of transport, but by far the quickest. I got there back to the hotel in nearly half the time and was so happy that I was still alive that I gave the driver a healthy tip. The traffic in Bangkok has got to be the worst in the world- think permanent rush hour in the UK and you are still not even close.
Two days till tuk off and my dad arrives from the UK today to spend a week travelling with us. It is very exciting and having half a parental unit with us will certainly help to calm me down when we get lost or can't find the right gear i.e. anything above second. Having siad that, we will be travelling a little slower with dad in the back! Perhaps the next challenge would be to do the trip in reverse-I am pretty nifty at reversing Ting Tong.
Anyway, better go now before a power cut wipes this blog and sends me Ting Tong (crazy in Thai).
xo

The true meaning of Ting Tong

So much to write and so little time; its 10 pm and Jo and I have just got in after another hectic day in Bangkok. I want to write a megablog but I also need to lie down and chill out...so I'll just include the highlights of today.

We had a very amusing lunch with Jim Short, the political Secretary at the British Embassy today. Poor Jim was subjected to Jo's usual barrage of questions - How old are you, how long have you been here, where is your wife from, do you earn much, what size are your shoes??? (is she mildly autistic I wonder? - but still managed to be a paragon of charm and British cynicism. Thanks Jim for your words of wisdom and amazing tolerance to the Spanish Inquisition.

Having had lunch with Jim we eventually got in touch with Mrs Fall, the British Ambassador David Fall's wife. She, and her husband, have very kindly agreed to let the Tukathon begin at the Embassy on Sunday morning and Nuttanee, their press officer, is going to rustle up some press interest. Hopefully some of the Thai press will have nothing better to do than wave off a pair of 'Ting Tong' farang in a pink tuk tuk.

Which leads me to my next point. We've discovered that Ting Tong infact means 'crazy' or 'nuts' in Thai. Whilst we were careful to ascertain that it didn't mean some vile Mandarin obscenity, we omitted to check its Thai meaning. Oh well, it seems quite fitting really. Although, when our tuk tuk driver last night laughed, and exclaimed 'ting tong' whilst gesturing at a blatanty mentally unhinged individual banging a stick against a tree, we did begin to wonder whether we might be creating the wrong impression.

As for Ting Tong herself. Well, she's PINK, hot PINK. And she really is the most rocking tuk tuk in the world. We got a bit of a shock upon arriving at Anuwat's factory on Monday morning to find a bevvy of Anuwat's workers swarming round her and no roof, seats or wiring. But they've done wonders and tomorrow she's ready for us to test drive. We later learnt that Anuwat thought we were leaving NEXT Sunday, not this one, hence the uber-chilled approach to finishing her. Anuwat is a diamond though, and has been giving Jo and I the five star treatment, chauffering us around sticky Bangkok and kitting out Ting Tong to perfection, down the the latest MP3 player.

Tomorrow morning its breakfast at the Four Seasons Hotel then a visit to the Laos Embassy to get our visas, then mechanical training at the factory in the afternoon. We've also managed to find a cameraman to come and help us out with the filming so they'll be with us for the next few days capturing the action.

More news and schnews tomorrow....

Grasshoppers for supper

We're in Bangkok, its hot and sticky, we ate grasshoppers last night, Ting Tong is PINK..and we wrote a massive blog last night which got wiped by a power cut at the last minute. So after we've done all our running around today we'll write a proper update tonight as there is lots and lots of news. But for the moment take a peek at this:

www.travelfish.org/feature/52

More later...

Technobabble

I'm sitting here in Jo's garden whilst she deposits her 12 ferrets around various parts of East Sussex, tapping away on the web with the help of our new Inmarsat BGAN. That's a satellite modem in lay terms. All this technology is beyond me. Basically our BGAN means we can hook up to the net anywhere, as long as the unit can 'see the sky' and talk to the nearest available satellite. And to think a few years ago I could hardly send an email.

Neither of us have really started packing properly and there is equipment strewn all over the house - GPS units, BGAN's, DV tapes, digi cameras, water filters, maps, guide books (I think we need a special bookshelf in Ting Tong to accomodate our fleet of weighty travel tomes), insect repellent, WD40, Ultraseal, solar panels....its amazing all the weird and wonderful things we have to take with us. Luckily Jo's Pa is coming to see us off in Bangers so we can give him some of our equipment and thus avoid being stung for excess baggage.

Apart from that its time to say bye bye to all. There are loads of people I want to say goodbye to properly but there just isn't time - Charlie, Ruaridh, Carrie, Bella, Pom, Nicky, Kate G, Hobbit - haven't had a chance to have a proper chat for ages, so sending a big kiss to you all. Carrie I am so sorry to be missing the wedding of the year, and you setting off to cycle to China for your honeymoon. And people think we are mad!

Wednesday was possibly the maddest day of my life - here's how it went:

7.00 Drag ourselves out of bed (Jo and I are both rubbish in the mornings)
7.30 Live interview with BBC Southern Counties Radio
8.00 BBC breakfast reporter / cameraman rock up to do a piece on us and Skype
10.30 Meet Colin Cameron from the FT for an interview - he's doing a piece in the Augiust 'How to Spend it' FT magazine on people who take time out to do amazing journeys.
12.00 Hair cut...essential!
5.30 Get to Cobden Club for Skype Press launch. Jo's forgotten to wear a bra and they want us to wear white Skype Tshirts....
6.00 Press launch
8.00 Out Tuk Off launch party starts...
2 a.m Bed.....yawn

And I'm still feeling grotty and have a filthy cold, good start....

We'll send reports from the road but if you haven't already got it, get Skype to keep in touch with us. Go to www.skype.co.uk and download it. Our skype id is tuktotheroad and we'll be holding skypecasts and all that jazz.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped us, you're all amazing. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICHARD x

Tuk Off..

A very quick blog before I fall into bed to say a big thank you to everyone who came to the party last night. And a disapproving wag of the finger to all those who had their names on the list and didn't show...having been turning people down all day as the list was full, it was a real shame that some people didn't come and hence cost us, and Mind, money. Ah well, your loss - it was a ball and The Egg played a stormer. As did Alice and October - you're all legends guys.

In 48 hrs we'll be on the plane. Had to say bye bye to several special people today and feel really sad about leaving everyone behind. But we will be back - promise!

More tomorrow - time for much needed bed now.

In need of a holiday....

Could things get any more hectic I wonder? With 5 days to go till we finally leave for Bangkok Jo and I are running round like the proverbial headless chickens. This morning we've been getting the final things together for the launch party; organising the sound checks with Santi the sound engineer, talking to the singers and bands, finalising the guest list... then there's the Skype press launch to think about and the horrific thought of having to stand up in front of people and talk about what we are doing. I guess we had better get used to it.

Quite apart from the launch party there's equipment to be ordered and bought, insurance of the satellite modem to sort out, raffle prizes to be blagged, embassies to be written to, travellers cheques to be ordered. And to top it all off I've had a temoperature for two days and have been lying in bed feeling utterly rubbish. Good timing immune system.

If you're coming to the launch party then be prepared for not only excellent music but exxxxxcellent raffle prizes - a night and dinner for two at The Victoria Hotel in Norfolk. Lauded by every broadsheet out there this has to be one of Britain's best boutique hotels, and is beside the most beautiful beach. Then there is a week in Romania (summer 2007) at my Ma's gorgeous pad in the Trannsylvanian mountains. If you're one for nature and wide open spaces then this is for you. Next up is a fabulous killim from Uzbekistan, worth £500 - very kindly donated by my favourite sister Zara who's an interior designer. I'll be buying lots of tickets as I am desperate to get my mitts on that killim, it really is yummy. Plus there's some booze and a few other very special prizes tbc. Tickets will be £5 each.

Other news - Jo and I did an interview for www.gapyear.com - check it out on their home page. Thanks Nik and Tom for all your support. Plus we are gracing the home page of www.khaosanroad.com - thanks John.

Back to bed with me now for more echinacea and super vits - need to get the old strength back for the rigours of the week ahead. See you on Wednesday....x

Fairies amongst the bluebells

If you look at page 41 of The Eastern Daily Press today you’ll see a picture of Jo and I and an article about our imminent departure (http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED10%20May%202006%2018%3A16%3A54%3A163) It seems a few people do read ‘Britain’s biggest selling regional paper’ since both BBC Look East and BBC Radio Norfolk have got in touch already. The former might be interested in us sending back rushes to edit into inserts for their news programme, and the latter are interviewing me tonight for their ‘Drive Live’ show. How funny. I’ll have to try not to swear.

With Mind week and our lift off just around the corner it seems that the press are suddenly interested. Hannah, our PR guru at Skype, has been doing sterling work and it looks like our press launch on Wednesday might even have a few people there. Even The Sun are doing a piece (no, Not Page 3, although I’m sure Jo would happily agree to any removal of clothing requests) in their health section, and Radio 5 live apparently want to interview us via Skype once we hit the road.

I hit Norwich yesterday in a bid to equip ourselves…and came back with tripods, digital cameras, mobile phones, a cushty hoodie and some combat trousers. So lots more technology to get to grips with. I’ll be trying out the camera tonight as I’m going on a picnic in the Bluebell woods at Salle. Norfolk is looking so beautiful and verdant at the moment I’m loathe to leave. The cuckoo is out, the meadows are lush and the sky seems to get bluer by the day. It feels like the calm before the storm; in a week's time Jo and I will be in the maelstrom that is Bangkok – a hooting, sweating, filthy melee of people and traffic. Norfolk will seem a million miles away.

Last Russian lesson at 5.30 this afternoon. Thanks Toniks and Vanda – you’ve been brilliant and I know that my lessons will be invaluable.

Here’s a bit of Russian for you..

Если вам случится оказаться в Бангкоке 1 июня текущего года, вы сможете стать свидетелем необычной картины: 2 англичанок, лавирующих в машинном потоке на ярко розовом Тук Туке. 3 месяцами и 12 странами позже эти двое прибудут в Брайтон(Великобритания). Их путешествие пройдет по наиболее удаленным уголкам мира и будет самым длительным наземным путешествием на 3 колесах. Более того, они надеятся, что данное турне поможет собрать 50 000 фунтов стерлингов для Британской благотворительной организации "Разум" (помощь для лиц с психическими заболеваниями).

Bizarre eh?

That’s all for now – I’m off to find a fairy in the bluebells.

PS Did anyone hear Melvyn Bragg’s ‘In our Time’ on R4 this a.m? - it was about fairies!

I feel sad

I should be in bed getting a good night sleep to prepare for the hectic week ahead, but I am feeling sad right now. It is starting to feel quite real and this next week is going to be a rush of acquiring more kit, fundraising, press conference, leaving party etc..... I feel like there's too much to do and not enough time.
The reason I am feeling sad is because of my ferrets. The hardest thing for me is going to be leaving my 12 darling babies behind, knowing that if there is a problem mummy won't be there to kiss and cuddle them. You might think I'm crazy, but if you're an animal lover you'll understand. Two of them are unwell at the moment; Zac has kidney failure and Pebbles has suddenly lost the use of her back legs and can't go the loo properly. It is quite likely that Zac will not be alive when I return and Pebbles will probably have to be put to sleep next week if she doesn't improve. Just writing this is making me cry.

I am at my mum and dad's right now and am going to spend the day with them tomorrow, as it will be the last quality time I get to spend with them before we leave.

Things seem to be taking off with regards to PR now, which is encouraging. Have done a couple of phone interviews today and was being asked loads of questions about my depression and self-harm and how it used to make me feel. It was strange to drag out old memories that I hadn't visited for years- why would I want to think how I felt when I used to cut myself or how my depression might have affected my family and friends. I didn't expect it to bother me, but it has a little.

That's another reason why my ferrets are so special to me. When I was really depressed they honestly were my lifesavers. Mum said that if I ever did anything e.g. attempt suicide, then she would give my ferrets to the RSPCA. I know that she didn't really mean it, but when I couldn't handle any human affection, my ferrets were always there to lick away my tears and comfort me in the middle of the night when I felt so desperate and scared. God, this is probably the most depressing blog to date, but it is just how I am feeling right now.

Anyway, I hope it is a sunny day tomorrow so that I can take all of my clothes off and indulge my naturist tendencies in the back garden. Then mum and I will go to Waitrose to get Ants some vegetarian delights for her stay next week.
Now, I am going to go and have a fag and a cup of tea. Goodnight.

The power of cyberspace

Apologies that the blogs have been few and far between recently, with only 10 days to go till we hop on a plane to Bangkok its all been a bit manic. I feel like I have written a thousand letters recently, telling people about our mission and asking them to support us and, more importantly, Mind. And luckily the response has been great and more and more cheques arrive daily. We've still got a massive amount of fundraising to do before we hit our £50,000 target, but I think a lot of people will donate when we are actually on the road. I guess our mission has to be begun to be believed. I still don't believe its happening so why should anyone else.

The last few days have been astonishing testament to the power of cyberspace. A few weeks ago Jo got in touch with a guy called John who lives in Bangkok and runs www.khaosanroad.com. John then put our story on his site's homepage and within 24 hours we've 3 more potential sponsors contacting us and several travel magazines and websites. One of these is www.travelfish.org, a brilliant site all about travelling in South East Asia. Ting Tong is now going to be sporting a Travelfish sticker and our story is going to be gracing their pages. www.gapyear.com also contacted us and are going to be following our progress, as are Untamed Travel, a Thai based travelzine. Suddenly it feels like its all happening.

Mind week starts this Saturday and then its our launch on Wednesday. I'm vaguely terrified about the latter since between 6 and 7.30 Skype, our main sponsor, have arranged a press launch at The Cobden for us and apparently there are journos from The Mail, The Sun, The FT, Handbag.com and various other publications coming along. Yikes. I used to find it hard enough saying anything at The South Bank Show departmental meetings, let alone open my mouth in front of an assortment of journalists.

We were meant to be in The Eastern Daily Press on Monday but it seems our tale was usurped by that of a rave that kept half the sleepy county of Norfolk awake on saturday night. Those filthy ravers - how would they feel if we kept them awake all night with that pounding bass.....

Jo's car boot

I am bloody knackered. This morning I was up at 5.30am and nearly fell down the stairs carrying a box the size of a large child. Why? I went to my local car boot sale at Brighton station. Now my tummy is rumbling and I am tired. I am quite tempted to have a little doze on the sofa, but knowing me I will then wake up in about 5 hours time.
I was selling a whole load of crap (not literally) that I have accumulated over the last 20 years. I made a profit of about 30 squid, which is better than a kick in the head. It makes me laugh, because people will haggle over fifty pence, while holding a fag (25 pence), drinking a cup of tea from the cafe (100 pence) and eating a minging greasy burger (250 pence). To me, that doesn't make any sense whatsoever (bunch of tossers- not everyone at the car boot, just the pikey hagglers).
Anyway, it is a lovely sunny day and I am now going to go and string up some hammocks for my ferrets.
2 weeks to go now and everything in my life revolves around tuk tuks- so much so that I forgot my god daughter's first birthday. So, belated happy birthday Hope, love you.

Sponsorship and naked marketing

We seem to have been a bit slack with the old blogging recently, but then with only 16 days to go till we leave for Bangkok there are a million other things to do. The main things we've been concentrating on are fundraising and sponsorship. Letters have been flying out of Tommy's Cottage beseeching individuals and companies to part with their hard earned cash. Subsequently I come down to breakfast most mornings to find a pile of cheques which I rip open in anticipation; £790 came in one day last week, and over £200 this morning. So I'll have to tot it all up before we go and send them on their merry way to Mind. Mental health is something that affects so many people and almost everyone we speak to about our trip and Mind has been affected by it either directly or indirectly. So no wonder the cheques are flowing in. We're up to about £10,000 now but I am sure that once we get on our way and show people that we are really doing it, really driving 12,000 miles in a pink tuk tuk...then more people will donate. They had better do because otherwise Jo, being a naturist, is going to tour the country naked on our return. And 'they' thought the Naked Rambler was bad.

The last few days have been frustrating in terms of sponsorship. Although we have been consistently bowled over by the kindness of individuals, when it comes to dealing with big corporations the matter is very different. One particular company, who shall remain unnamed, have led us up the garden path. Over three weeks ago they replied enthusiastically to a proposal to sponsor us our flights, saying what dates were we looking at, they loved the idea etc etc. Now, 16 days before we leave, they say No. Grrrr. But have no fear, Malaysian Airlines have come to the rescue with some cheap flights via KL on the evening of May 19th.

However, we have had some luck on the sponsorship front with www.liftshare.com and www.activair.com. Both have kindly provided us with financial sponsorship in return for logos on Ting Tong. The great thing about having Liftshare on board is the fact that they tick the Big Green Box. The next thing to consider is how we can make our trip carbon neutral - perhaps Future Forests could sponsor us by planting enough trees to negate the effect of our trip on the environment.

On a rather different note, Jo and I would like to send all our thoughts and love to two very special people's families; Rose's and Livs'. Both girls were great friends of ours and tragically are no longer with us. I know that they would have approved of our madcap three-wheeled adventure, and we will be thinking of them often over the next few months.

That's all for now. More to follow soon. And if you haven't already got your tickets for our launch on May 17th at The Cobden then get in there.