Yesterday was hectic. Not just the packing, but also the many incoming phone calls. The phone didn't stop ringing and all of a sudden some of our clients realised that they needed a few things before we left. Typical. 

Three years ago I realised that a mobile office was my ticket to freedom. Since that moment, we've been setting-up a mobile structure and tested it out on every single trip. The first trip was a disaster; I wasn't able to concentrate on my writing from any other place than my good old desk. Paul told me that if I wasn't going to get my act together, I could just as well forget about travelling most of the year. Then, two years ago, I met Philippa Gregory, one of my favourite authors. When she told me she could work anywhere, in the lounge watching TV or sitting in a crowded train, I thought "If she can do it, I can do it too!" And so I did. It took us quite a few trips to get the technicalities right; running a mobile multimedia office is no simple task. Thanks to Paul's dedication and our satellite connection, I can now, from the bush, access our server at home,  use our website as a central platform of communication for emails, imagebank and all related storytelling. All footage (still photography & film) is being edited, filed and used on the road. Most of the multimedia, website and database work for clients can be done from wherever we are in the world. It took us three years to get there, but it was well worth the effort.

It's been pouring throughout the night and the morning. Some of the rivers near Heuningvlei, our first destination, are flooding the area. Abram, my local contact, tells me the mountain tracks are probably damaged because of the heavy rains and that the village isn't accessible. We have to wait another day to start our trip. Jack, my Jack Russel, can't quite understand why we have packed to hang around without a purpose. I have to bribe Enya and James to hold their horses.