232 EARN A GRAND, SPEND A GRAND...

Yesterday was a big day for us. Not only did Lisa and I get the 'glamour' shots with our little car, but we also managed to race past £1,000 in donations for New Start. A THOUSAND POUNDS! Amazing. It is no exaggeration to say that we are all blown away by the generosity shown already by friends, family and colleagues.

We only really set up the JustGiving page to link back to this website and to show New Start that we were serious about raising money for them. It wasn't supposed to start generating donations. Still, I'm not complaining; over £1,000 in less than a week is ridiculous...in a good way.

I've also started ticking off items on the Pre-Rally Checklist, starting with insurance. After an infuriating round-and-round with A.I., I finally found confirmation that I have comprehensive coverage across the continent. I found that I didn't have any breakdown cover, though, as it stops at the English Channel.

I'm with AA via a bank account, so I tried to add European cover to it. It turns out that bank account cover isn't the same as real cover. The long and short of it was that they wanted £170 for 10 days' cover. Jog on. A quick nosey around Money Supermarket and I found a company that would get me recovered or, at the very least, taken to a garage for just £65. No-brainer for me.

I then had to spend £40 on a year's worth of motorway tax for Switzerland, even though I'm in the country for literally one day. Sake. I found out that I didn't need a clean air sticker for Freiburg, as the city had confirmed the air was clean enough to waive the charge. Swings and roundabouts, then I guess.

I checked in my RAC European Driving Bag and confirmed I had a UK sticker, warning triangle, reflective jackets, headlamp converters, and our fancy breathaliser. Think we just need the mad Starsky & Hutch roof light as we are travelling through Spain.

We are getting dangerously close to being ready, you know. I'm getting the air con regassed in the morning, then it is just the Chunnel to sort out, and we are there. Well, I say we are there; we then need to sort all the normal holiday stuff like new t-shirts, toiletries, trainers and...and...and...