The Final Countdown

As I write this it is 31 hours until I board my plane; everyone keeps asking me if I'm excited but I think at this stage I am beyond excitement and just want to get going. The hassle over the past few weeks to get all the "little things" sorted has worn me out. I am currently on hold with Santander, the most irritating bank in the world, as they attempt to make a record of the fact I will no longer be in the country. At this point I feel I would rather pay the charges than have to have one more phone conversation with these people. I have just had to give the same information twice, tell the guy how to spell Canada and discovered that every three months I will have to phone them and tell them that yes, I am abroad, and yes I would like to extend this notice and I can apparently only ever have a note of three countries at once that I'm planning to visit. Well that should be fun as I travel around South America. Excellent... With Lloyds I rang up, told them I was away until 2013, told them where I was going and that was it, done and then he wished me a pleasant day and to have a lovely time. Now that is good banking. Plus I do love Lloyds for giving me a nice £3000 overdraft, the worlds friendliest, most helpful bank and then Santander... The differences are astounding! And I have also discoverd that to gain the "zero" benefits I have to have two DD from my account, ah yes, brilliant, not left that until the last second or anything have I?!
But that really brings me up to date with everything and all that is left to do is to have one final re-pack and check of the old back-pack, sort the papers I've just printed off and arrange the "day-bag". (and sort the DD!)
Today we are having lunch with the grandparents, visiting my childhood haunts and J.C says she has a surprise for me, which I am quite excited about, apparently a view not to be missed, she knows how I like the views!
I have been in contact with a couple whom I met a good few years ago (we're talking at least 6) in Morocco who live in Canada now - talk about the strangest of circumstances! They have been kind enough to give me pointers and offer me some company when I go a little stir-crazy and I am so grateful. It has been brilliant hearing from people and lovely that they are so welcoming and soooo helpful. A girl I met in Barcelona now lives in Hawaii and has offered to show me around and take a snorkelling trip with me when I eventually get out there, a woman who worked with my Dad and I haven't seen since I was two has given me her address and said to "pop round" while I'm in California, It is incredible the amount of people willing to help you out while you are away from home, despite not having been in touch for a long time. I think that's what's making me look forward to this trip, (obviously I am looking forward to it but this is like the icing on the cake) that all these people would make this effort for me, it's good to be loved :D
Right, enough procrastinating - organising time (or should I say re-organsing time!)