No wheels on my wagon (yet)

It would be nice to see two gleaming bikes with two orderly sets of luggage laid out near them, demonstrating progress with all the physical preparations, and decks beginning to clear for our departure. In fact, the table where I'm writing is still cluttered with the detritus of incomplete chores, the bikes are still untouched, and we haven't even done the gardening and allotment tasks that will enable these modest plots to prosper in our absence.

Not that we've been watching football or anything. No, Barcelona and Manchester have had to get by without us. To be honest, they always do. Instead I've been drawn, quite eagerly, into the role of communications officer for the expedition. All right, that's a bit grandiose, but the fundraising aspect of the ride, coupled with a plunge into social media Twitter and Facebook (not to mention this blog), have generated new projects undreamt of as little as fifteen years ago. Where once there was a private holiday, there is now public commitment to an 'expedition', complete with media statements, photographic and written reportage, and the expectations of an elusive but real audience. If I ever wondered what it would really be like to be Chris Bonington setting out for Everest Base Camp with his South West Face expedition, the eyes of the world upon him, this gives an inkling of what it must have felt like. Maybe I delude myself so as to live out a youthful fantasy. However, just as nowadays we can all be front-line reporters, so we can all be expedition leaders if we care to throw ourselves upon the mercy of the social media communities. And I must say, I've found them as friendly and supportive a bunch as one could hope to meet.
My Twitter username: @proudride
Jennifer's Twitter username: @carpediemgarden
Milestones Ride Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Milestones-Ride-2011/164750010251049
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16609214@N05/ in batches at intervals, when we have a spell at a wireless hotspot. Uploading photos might necessitate multiple coffees ;-). They will appear in the main photostream in reverse chronological order (newest first) and will also be organised into the collection folder on the right of the screen called 'France', within a set called 'Milestones Ride'.