Minding the Green Apple "Chapple"

We talked a bit over the last few months about searching for someone to stay in our GAC (more about that later). Our real estate contact came up with a couple who were about to start building and needed a roof for some months. Well, the day they came to look over the house, who should turn up, at exactly the same time, but Leonie and Geoff, Leonie is an ex workmate of mine from my Rangiora days and they heard on the bush telegraph that we were were going "cycle-about" again. They are about to start building in Whatamango Bay, just round the corner from Picton, and dropped in to see if we wanted someone to look after the GAC.

Val has somewhat of a track record for serendipitous happenings around her house transactions in Plimmeron, and obviously the shift over the water to Picton has in no way diluted this wondrous gift, the first couple decided it was not for them, so Leonie and Geoff will be living in our house until August while they manage the project of building their place.

Counting Down

We've stripped Jindie (the bike staying at home) of pannier racks and accessories, cut things to the bare minimum in clothing and camping gear. Then clutching armfuls of all these items, plus panniers and Ginger, (Val's bike), I step onto the bathroom scales, while Val peers through graduated lenses at the tell-tale weight. We've got it down to 42 kilograms, hey, we'll carry that extra in our cabin bags (our limit is 40kg's).

Then friends come to stay for a couple of days, they have recently traveled to UK, and regale us with the news that cabin bags no longer run to two or three items, cram packed with all the overflow items, one under the seat, one in the overhead locker and the other in someone else's overhead locker space. These "new" rules now have one standard sized bag that needs to fit through the metal frame and weigh no more than 7ks. Hey, maybe there'll be a nice person on the check-in, they've been saying that for years now!.

Two weeks to departure but Val has left already, she can't put up with me in the last week before a big trip - feeling guilty about all the jobs left undone and the mopey thoughts of not being in our lovely house for months on end, missing all the machinery and tools in my workshop, as well as all the angst about only speaking English (and buying a bike in Barcelona). So she's gone to catch up with Gwil and Merla in Wanaka leaving me to annoy, only me.

The Excitement Mounts

I have spent a lot of time online trying to work out the best way to buy a bike in Barcelona. When it has all boiled down, there is still nothing in the pot. Someone offered me a near new Surly, but they were in Madrid and did not get back to me when I asked how much they wanted, not sure what they were up to.

Registering with Warmshowers.org and Cyclo Accueil Cyclo - Le CAC
we have made contact through CAC, with a cyling host in Barcelona, who, even though he will not be home when we arrive, will leave his key with a friend for us pick up and use his flat. This will be a great opportunity to crash for 12 hours and dispel the jetlag fog that is sure to be surrounding us.

Then it will be out onto the street searching for the bike that will carry me across Europe for the next 3 months. The only familiar thing about it will be the seat, I am bringing the seat off my old faithful Jindie, who sadly will be left home owing to our lean luggage allowance of 20kgs each.