The near future is slowly becoming more clear; I will typically be leaving early on Monday mornings for work, and returning on Thursday evenings.
We talked to the children tonight - to make sure they understand what is about to happen. Our 9 and 5 year olds understood - little miss 4 was more interested in telling us she had eaten all of her dinner.
This weekend will therefore be taken up with organising the things I will be taking with me - packing my bags!
What do you take with you? How much is too much? I’m inclined to travel light - given a netbook and an internet connection, I really need very little else to amuse me. The iPod Nano will probably help to avoid me strangling anybody on the train journey, but I may well end up travelling back and forth with colleagues.
It’s the little things that are going to be annoying to get ready; toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hairbrush, shower gel, shaving gel, razor, shampoo… the list goes on and on.
One part of my daily itinerary has already been set in stone; calling home as soon as I arrive back at the hotel each evening via Skype. My netbook and my work laptop have webcams… I’m going to be using them; we are going to try it out from the work laptop tomorrow at home with the kids, so they know how to do it too.
I will also be writing emails to our eldest - she has a gmail account that she never uses - it will do her good to have a reason to use the computer more (we have somehow pulled of a feat with the computers in the house - they are just one more thing to do as far as the kids are concerned - no doubt that will change as they get older and want to keep in touch with friends).
I should probably get my hair cut in the morning too - it’s at that “not quite tidy, and not quite a wreck” stage…