The last moments of the last night before I get the hell out of Dodge and go on this planet’s ultimate trip to nowhere – a circumnavigatory excursion around the northern hemisphere, ending right where I began. (Yes, I could do the southern hemisphere too, but that’s being done by others, and I have to save something for the future.)

It’s been a strange week, laden down as it has been with farewells and dealing with the minutiae of travel planning. Part of that is down to my nature of being, well, prone to focusing on every little detail as if it were just as important as every other little detail. I still do that too much, especially when I get distracted. I’m getting better though.

As the past week has been strange, the past month and year have had their particular flavours. More on that later. I don’t want to delve into the philosophising too quickly. Right now, the basics remain: three hours tomorrow morning to finalise the packing and the last few tasks. Then, well, the rest of the world awaits. It should be epic.