Time to pack

It might sound like it's a little early (departure date is 12 days away) but I don't want any nasty surprises the day before we leave, like finding out not everything will fit! Plus I hope to avoid the 36-hour packing marathons my son describes in his Confessions of a Serial Packer. Now, admittedly, he's describing packing up a whole houseful of stuff for a move, but at times I feel like I'm doing that, too. (Not to mention that I do have some household organizing to do, since I'm leaving the house to Henry for the better part of 4 months!)

At any rate, I got most of my packing done today. Given our 90's and higher temperatures here, there's little if any overlap between what I'll be using the next two weeks and what I'll need in London. So why not get it all packed? The good news is I was successful in only having to use one large and one small suitcase (both of which weigh in under the magic 50 pounds limit), and a stuffed backpack. The bad news will come when I inevitably discover a large, important item left off my list!

The picture above is of my full-to-the-brim books-papers-vitamins small suitcase, which I plan to empty more than halfway for my return journey, to allow space for souvenirs and gifts. Vitamins will all have been ingested and papers will no longer be needed, leaving only the books to come home with me. The unpictured big suitcase is even more stuffed with clothes, shoes, trekking poles, and a rolled up air mattress for extra guests in the flat, but thanks to Rick Steves' great vacuum bags, I'm able to [just barely] get it to close. The backpack, my carryon and not yet completely put together, will hold entertainment items and sleep aids for the flight, light outerwear for the cool London breezes, emergency rations and my trusty computer.

Whew! Now, if I can just avoid the temptation to keep unpacking every day in order to be sure everything's included.....