Onwards and Upwards

Things are progressing nicely - thank goodness.

We have opened our Nationwide accounts so can spend freely on our travels and pay no bank charges. We have had quotes for the removal and are on the brink of confirming one that sounds very reliable and efficient. The cost will be about £2,600 including all port charges and taxes - that is for wrapping and packing everything, storing it for a month in the UK and transporting it from door in the UK to door in Peyia. If the company packs it we are insured for all damage and breakages so it seems the logical thing to do.

I have resigned from work and cannot believe the sense of relief. Steve resigned a few months ago to give his employers time to advertise and recruit a replacement for him - but have they? - what do you think? I am not being replaced as a result of reorganisation and cost cutting. I pity the ones left behind who will have to do the work of many. Our new life beckons with high hopes and excitement and we can leave the stress and pressure behind us.

We have set up our Skype telephone system so that we can speak to our friends and family free of charge through the internet - what a brilliant idea that is. I found out yesterday that some Sky TV programmes can be viewed online as well depending on the package. We just have to nominate a specific computer to view the programmes on. The other programmes and films can be viewed on a pay as you go system too. If we are in a wi fi hotspot on a camp site we can perhaps see a bit of TV - if we are not socialising or sightseeing that is. You never know - there might be the odd moment when we want to sit and chill with some TV.

The best news of all this week though is that we can put the car on a roro ferry from Piraeus to Limassol. I have emailed a very nice lady at Salamis shipping who has given us very good directions to the port, informed us of sailing times and prices and she has been very helpful. It will cost about £300 to send the car over and then we need to fly from Athens to either Paphos or Larnaca and collect the car from the port at Limassol. I am still waiting for the correct information on entering southern Cyprus through Turkey. Some say that it is illegal and we could be prevented from entering or even arrested if our passports have a Turkish stamp in them on arrival in southern Cyprus - that sounds a bit barbaric in this day and age. Our lovely friends in Cyprus are onto the case for us with the Embassy - that way we will get facts not gossip. The Piraeus to Limassol looks more favourable at the moment though - but next week may see us in a different frame of mind.

Planning the route is starting to be a brilliant form of entertainment. The RAC route planner is excellent - even giving a 3D vision of the route on the map with all road numbers and towns on it and very detailed directions from place to place. Steve wants a Satnav too though so I'll look around for the best one. There is also a brilliant caravan site planner that offers camping cheques at £10.30 a night - that is about half the price of some camp site prices. We purchase the cheques in advance (as many as we want) and pay the sites with them as we go. Their website is very user friendly too and there are lots of camp sites so we can move from one to another and base our trip around them. I am using the internet to find places of interest in each country so that we can see as many places as possible so it is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle at the moment fitting the journey around routes, camp sites and places to see. Also Steve doesn't want to drive more than 100 miles a day so that there is more enjoyment and less driving and I fully agree with him there.

Things are looking great at the moment - please let them continue that way........