Monday 24 April 2006

This one's for Candice

My packing list for today:

Ticket, passport, keys (for both houses and car!), money; all these items are essential. Everything else is optional.

Bedding - pillows, sleeping bag and extra blankets.

Cooking equipment - gas ring and refills and large filled water container (in case there's a problem with SAUR), emergency rations, tea bags, marmite, comfort foods. Half a pack of green scrubby sponges bought in bulk in Tesco. Most other essentials like pots and pans are already there from the Irish house.

Tools - I must take allen keys. Manda's tool kit (that is, not Paul's tool kit) Phone chargers (car and mains). Camera. Binoculars. Torch.

Administrative - Bank details, utility provider addresses and telephone numbers, contact details for roofing contractors. My telephone/address book. French/English dictionary. Maps. My EHIC lives in my wallet with the money.

Gardening - seed potatoes, some herb plants, I still haven't decided what, the garden mulch strips bought in Lidl this week, some netting and old cds for scaring wildlife and some trees. Paul thinks I can take them all but I wouldn't get anything else in the car if I did.

Personal - t-shirts and knickers for five days, my industrial boots (as well as my worn out driving shoes) two pairs of jeans, soft trousers, sponge bag and hairbrush not that I expect to wash much, ew. Warm woollies, hat and gloves. Books. CDs for when the electricity is turned on!

Would be nice - to remember to take the little candlestick I bought for the house several months ago, also maybe some other candlesticks and candles. Who knows when the electricity will actually connect?

Could this be the most essential bit? - SOS Help is an English language crisis and listening service. If you are worried, anxious or confused... If you are feeling lonely or sad... If you are suicidal... It may help to talk things over, call 01 46 21 46 46 between 3 - 11pm every day.

It's a branch of SOS Amitie, a sort of French version of the Samaritans and it also has links with that well known British charity.

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