Preparation

Here I am, trembling on the brink of an Exciting Trip. Venice on the Orient Express, I hear you cry? Cruising in the Greek Islands, perchance? Better, my friends. I am going to Brighton (UK) to be my sister's au pair and dogsbody. Yes, nephew A has been joined by nephew D, and I am abandoning my own children for the dubious pleasures of looking after someone else's.

Perks include a soujourn in London at either end of the trip with my sister K and her husband, my first chance in 15 years to enjoy the divine icecreams of Mssrs Ben and Jerry (when will they come to NZ, when, when?), and tickets to a new Harry Potter exhibition (http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/en/). Also, fingers crossed for a side-trip to Corsham and Bath!

Anti-perks include the travel (me being the sort of person who is motion sick in cars, planes, buses, trains, boats and fast-moving escalators), leaving behind the family (worry number one: they will fall apart without me to organise them; worry number two: they will overthrow my regime and institute their own into which I will be forced to integrate when I return), and the fact that I will be sharing a room with nephew A. I have not yet managed to get a straight answer out of my sister about what time he wakes up in the mornings....

My suitcase is packed. Well, mostly packed, owing to the fact that I packed it three weeks ago and have had to keep unzipping it and ferreting round for things I still needed. Hope I remembered to repack them all! I am taking one camera, one ipod (thanks Dad! Also thanks to Pat who gave me some music for it) and headphones, and about sixteen different cables/chargers.

I have returned all my library books. There really is no further preparation I can make. Except to start this blog, at the pressing insistence of my colleagues, and hope I can work out how to upload photos so you have something beautiful to gaze at while reading my - and I can say this now light-heartedly, knowing that by this time on Friday I will be deep in Aeroplane Hell - tedious accounts of the Joys of Travelling.

Comments welcome, though I will not be reading them until next week when I arrive in Brighton and settle in to my new job. I'm pretty sure my contract allows me free internet access while I'm babysitting....