Tour countdown

The big 'kick-off' approaching fast now. Second week of August and spent great couple of days with friends Reena and Steve at their lovely cottage on North Pembs coast with fabulous view of Strumble Head and Irish Sea. Reena's daughter Celyn and our youngest Emma joined us. Sunny afternoon spent swimming in 'Blue Lagoon' and evening walking on coast path to Porthgain. Built up good thirst and appetite and felt we owed it to ourselves to call into The Sloop for Guinness, Felinfoel and some excellent fish before returning to cottage for wine and Van Morrison's Astral Weeks and a good night's kip. Next morning breakfast on the beach at Abereiddy cooked in the camper van - smashing bacon bap with black pudding. Top grub! Next up came Steve's tour of North Pembs, including John Knapp-Fisher's art gallery at Croesgoch and the unspoilt village of Llanwnda with breathtaking views out to sea, before lunch at cottage and farewells. Thanks R & S for your hospitality. We had super time. Currently counting down days to August 25 and first stage of tour in Vancouver.

Tour countdown

Three weeks to go before out world tour kicks off. Feet have hardly touched ground lately with so many loose ends to tie up. House has been let and Chris's mum, Pauline, is putting us up and putting up with us! First stop beautiful Vancouver where sea, sky and mountains collide. Staying there for a week with our great friends Malcolm and Anita and their daughters Sophie and Laura. Hope Malcolm's wine cellar hasn't run dry before our arrival. Heading south from there across the border and into USA, down the spectacular Oregon Coast and then across to Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona where canyons great and small await. Spending a couple of days with some more buddies, David and Gill, and their boys Jamie and Alex, in Scottsdale, Phoenix, and then it's on to Tuscon. Hoping to catch some live music around there, as well as Ryder Cup highlights, in the local bars. Back to the ocean then - to sunny San Diego and finally LA - not Lower 'Afod, but Los Angeles - for flight to Fiji where we hope to chill out for a week before embarking on the rest of our adventure taking in New Zealand, Oz, Bali, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Hope you will enjoy sharing our trip. Please join us here for regular updates. Watch this space.