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!