Ruth Carr

Landy love

I love my mini cooper but as far as I'm concerned it may as well run on positive thought and pixie dust.  I press a button to start it, I put petrol in it when I remember and the rest is magic.  If there is a problem a light comes on, I ring the nice people at the garage and go and drink coffee until its ready to drive again.

So it was with a certain amount of trepidation that I peered into the guts of a Land Rover - on tiptoes - to do a safety check.  But now I'm all over it. We've learned how to change tyres, do jump starts, get out of ditches  - and even some driving tips that mean that we're less likely to end up in a ditch in the first place. I've learned all about gears and diff lock, and I don't call the tyre pressure gauge a "doodah" anymore.

There was a moment where we realised that the 3 big blokes were crawling around on the floor trying to attach the jack, and the four girls were standing back talking about hair products.  But that was only a fleeting moment where we fell into gender stereotypes - it wasn't long before everyone mucked in (although interestingly the boys didn't join in the debate about hair products).

Now when I'm out on roadtrips I'll be able to help out with the driving - onroad or offroad.  I'll let you know how it goes and I won't relying on pixie dust any more.

 

Roadtrip!

Just how is it all going to fit in the rucksack?

At our Raleigh training weekend there was a very important section about all of the kit that we will need in Costa Rica.  It took a good half hour to go through everything, before we'd even got to what to wear.

There was an awful lot about avoiding mosquitoes, and even more about staying dry.  So the upshot is that I'm expecting it to be bitey and damp for most of the time.  I now have my mosquito net, DEET insect repellent, malaria medication, waterproof jacket, waterproof rucksack liners and covers.  If anyone thought that I was throwing a bikini and lipstick into my handbag for this trip then think again. 

At the moment everything is lying on the spare bed, a rainbow of brown, khaki and navy blue - colours that will blend with, rather than show up, the mud. 

Now I just have a few hours to fit it all into a rucksack...