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"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though chequered with failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows no victory nor defeat" Theodore Roosevelt

If your wondering why there's a picture of a loo bucket here, read on and all will become clear

Like most great adventures it started in the pub, well that’s not true, alcohol as usual made me say what I’d been thinking for a while

“I’ve been thinking it might be fun to buy a 4x4 and drive to Capetown!”.

It went quiet as they looked at each other.

" You know I thought you said you were going to buy a vehicle and drive Europe to Capetown. You must be bloody mad. You can’t even find your way to ASDA without getting lost!"

The others nodded in agreement; I looked hurt, they didn’t notice.

“ In Greek mythology there was this bloke, Sisyphus, who was condemned to continually roll a stone up a hill only to find it rolling back down again”

“ Oh well that makes total sense then, this imaginary bloke Syphilis..”

“ Sisyphus”

“ Pushed a rock up a hill and that made you want to drive to Capetown…yes I can see that it’s obvious now…. err ...No sorry I don’t follow!”

“ Well don’t you see we’re all like that in life pushing rocks pointlessly up hills, the best we can hope for is another hill and another rock!”

“ Right!. I think!”

“Listen, whatever you do for a living you have to keep starting from zero again, each new job, each new project, each new day..”

I looked around, hoping for a nod of agreement all I got were blank stares

“ Look its obvious.. If you’re a chef each new meal you cook you start from the bottom of the hill, if you’re an accountant each new set of accounts you start from zero, if you’re an housewife it’s the same..See??”

“Aaaaaah now you explain it like that…..”

“It’s obvious isn’t it?”

“No!”

Time for another pint, I headed for the bar, got lost, and finished up in the ladies loo (“Its Ok don’t stand up! But could you tell me where the bar is”?) when eventually I found my way back to the table, they shook their heads

“..and he thinks he’s going to drive through Africa…………...”

*************************

I’m not sure where or when the idea started; perhaps it’s always been there, festering away. We’d started camper-vanning many years ago. At first a trip to France was exciting; then we traveled further, Spain, Portugal Italy, even overland to Greece, until suddenly we realized it wasn’t exciting; it wasn’t challenging; it wasn’t dangerous, although in truth danger is an ever present when I’m driving.

Jean was the same and, both having a love of Africa and of travel, it seemed inevitable that the idea of driving to Africa would be conceived, (with my bad back it’s about the only thing that will be conceived) that, and the fact that she wouldn’t trust me to go on my own

We all need something to kick us into action, with me it was a letter from the Pension Company whose records obviously are in need of audit as they seem to show that I was nearing my sixtieth Birthday, an obvious and unforgivable error which should be brought to the attention of someone, the amount they charge in fees you’d think that they could at least get peoples age right. Look I was born in 1943 that makes me 50 doesn’t it?

“60”

Nooo! 2004 minus 1943 is..4 minus 3 is 9, carry 1 take 0 from 4 that makes me 32..no ..Where’s the calculator..2003 – 1943 60.. Blimey you’re right.

Where the hell did 60 years go?

“Well you were drunk for many of them!”

“That’ll be why I don’t remember them!”

So that’s what decided me! Enough of this daily work earning more money than I was worth, (and I wasn’t paid much!) sitting at whatever desk I had found myself at, peering earnestly at a computer screen with an expression which, to an untrained observer appeared to be intense concentration but which was in fact complete bewilderment!

From now on it was time to fill the rest of my life with action, albeit arthritic asthmatic aching action (in case you never noticed that is the current world record for an alliteration!) but action nevertheless and if you think action is an overstatement, lets agree on activity.

When I tentatively broached the subject to Jean she reacted exactly as she has reacted to most (no! not most, all!) of my harebrained schemes, by nodding and waiting, waiting for the idea to go away, waiting for me to forget what I had suggested or waiting for me to make all the arrangements and then correcting them and making the idea work

"of all the words of mouth and pen, the saddest by far is what might have been"