Right! That’s a Plan (sort of)

One big worry I have about this two weeks in purgatory (actually I suppose that’s a worry in itself) is the planning, and my complete inability to plan something to the point where it works, rather than the point where I get bored and just go with whatever fragments of a plan we may have shuffled together on the kitchen table at the time.

I know it makes sense to plan to the point of perfection, plan to the point where not even an tinsy winsy rogue factor can undermine the grand scheme, but I’m simply not capable. I think it must be a genetic disorder...

Take the route planing for example. No sooner had I started plotting the big adventure, day by day, than I lost one! A day had gone missing. The two week trek had suddenly and mysteriously become a 13 day ride. Despite ‘extensive’ hide and seek with a big pile of maps and website print outs the missing day was nowhere to be seen. A Saturday I think it was. I’ve had problems losing Saturdays before - but that’s often explained by the events of Friday nights.

I probably should have stuck at it because that missing day could be crucial. But did I see the planning through to a satisfactory solution - did I ******* . No, I called off the search, settled for lucky 13 and headed to the boozer. “And here’s to planning,” I could be heard to bellow three pints and a bag of salt and vinegar later.

I believe that for some people the Internet and on-line shopping has done much to hone planning skills. Battle plan goes something like this; research outlets, swat up on technical detail, compare prices and finally make a purchase. For me it has just brought out an inherent impatience which typically will see me begin with the best of planning intentions, but I’m only just in to the initial technical detail-gathering phase before it starts to go all ‘google’.

Internet’s too slow, fuse too short, and patience too thin. Before I know where I am I’ve hit the panic button - otherwise knows as ‘Checkout’. All thoughts of correct size, right colour, competitive price have been trashed and trampled, but I have bought ‘something’ and that was my initial plan. So that’s a success then? Well at least for a few days until the parcel is delivered.

I acknowledge that I have not made a particularly accomplished start to the planning part of my end-to-end adventure, but I fear worse could still be to come...

I still need to work out what clothing to take and, based on previous holiday wardrobe planning escapades, there is potential for a problem or two. On one occasion my top-half attire for a 10 day stay in ‘beautiful sunny’ Spain consisted of t-shirts, a polo shirt and t-shirts. When ‘beautiful sunny’ failed to show its face I ‘layered up’ and went through my shirt selection inside three days.

And what equipment and spares should I be planning to take? That was actually a question - help me - what equipment should I be planning take?

At the risk of becoming Baldrick - I have another plan, and that is, given my previous convictions, to excuse myself from all planning duties and leave future planning to my favourite project manager - Lady Luck.

Jez