T minus x : How am I feeling?

Departure date is getting so close! I have set a revised departure date but am keeping it quiet as I don't want to jinx it - it still depends on the weather and a few other bits coming together. All I can say is that it won't be much longer now, and that I will be here for my husband's birthday ; ) 

A few people have asked me how I'm feeling so I thought I would have a go at trying to describe it. The words that come to mind are: excited and confident.

Excited: who wouldn't be! The trip up there and back is an adventure in itself. Catching the Glory would take my breath away and leave me speechless, I'm certain. Although the Glory cloud is the main attraction, there are so many others along the way. Highlights include the incredible scenery that awaits. All the rain is said to have transformed the dusty red and brown outback. To give you an idea of how different it will be from the 'normal' countryside, the Birdsville races, which have run for the last 10 million years (give or take) have been cancelled due to flooding (see http://www.birdsvilleraces.com/). There are also some great things to see along the way, like the Cosmos Centre Observatory at Charleville and the Qantas Founders Museum at Longreach. I'm also sure to meet some fantastic characters along the way, with some great stories. And of course, there are the big fat thermals and the quiet... aaahhhh.

Confident: confidence in myself really took a beating with my health issues and with losing my job. The original idea for the trip came about in part by looking at how I could rebuild this confidence. I knew it was there, that it was part of me - it had just gone into hiding and needed something to 'snap out of it'. I think confidence comes through desire, capability and trust. The Morning Glory cloud and the fundraising for Stand by You provided the desire. The capabilty and trust part came through research, consultation, meticulous planning (a list person's heaven!). A big part of it also comes from the amazing support and encouragement I've received from so many people, expecially my husband, Phil, who stood by me all the way and steered me in the right direction every time. Thank you Phil! Thanks also to my mom, Denise,

pour m'avoir encouragée du début et pour avoir confiance en moi malgré les risques de cette grande aventure. 

I also wanted to take the opportunity to recognise  many who have helped me prepare for the trip is so many ways: Geoff Beutel for letting me take his motor glider to the Gulf and Mike Burns for helping ensure it can get me there and back safely. Chris McGough for telling me I should just go by myself  (duh?), the midweek trips up to Wahring and the navigation tips. Ian Patching and Andrew Rigby who did the trip last year and helped me with everything from the route to the loan of essential gadgets and moral support. John Fawcett for his instruction and encouragement. From the Goulburn Valley Soaring Club: Geoff Beutel, Garry Sharp and Brendan English for their encouragement and assistance. Sue Carroll and Ian Lillie from Secure Air Aviation for all the work in the Technam. James Courtney for the moral support and the mud depth updates. Matt and Roger Richards for the loan of the backup GPS. Thank you to Cici, Robyn, Michael  and the others from the Stand by You Cancer Foundation for allowing the funds raised by the trip to go to help those in need. And THANK YOU everyone for all the phone calls, emails, SMSs, comments and donations. Keep 'em coming!