How Long is a Fortnight?

Two weeks to go.

Two weeks to go.

I’m well aware I just wrote that twice. But it still hasn’t really sunk in that i'll soon set off on my journey from the UK to South Africa. I thought repeating it might help. It hasn’t.

Two weeks to go!

So I suppose this is a time to reflect on just how long two weeks really is.

A magazine in the supermarket screamed at me optimistically in the summer that I could get ‘beach fit in 14 days.’ This leads me to believe that two weeks is long enough for me to chisel out a six pack and, as a result, to deduce that two weeks must be a very long time indeed.

On the other hand in the film ‘Two Weeks Notice,’ which stars the floppy haired Hugh Grant and the gorgeous Sandra Bullock, the whole story – and romance - is played out over the period of two weeks. This takes just 101 minutes. In months of filming, writing and producing however, no one managed to find the apostrophe they had managed to lose, hence the film’s title.

Two Weeks is also the name of a song by the New York based band Grizzly Bear. At 4 minutes and 3 seconds, this makes two weeks seem an unusually short amount of time.

Fourteen days should be enough to sort out all the final bits and pieces which I have put off until now. I have my final rabies jab, my yellow fever jab and my bike to sort out. Of these three things I am most looking forward to collecting my Qoroz Mountain Won as this won’t leave me tired and ill for the rest of the day. I also need to collect my malaria tablets – essential in almost all of the countries I will be visiting – and hope that I will not suffer from the potential side effects of ‘rectal bleeding’ or ‘feelings of persecution.’

In all seriousness, I am starting to realise what I have got myself into. In May, when I planned this whole endeavour, the end of October was well out of sight. It almost seemed as if it would never creep up on me. I’m excited about leaving; I’m sure it will be the trip of a lifetime. But I’m scared, apprehensive, nervous... worried about letting people down. But I have no doubt, none, that going through with this will be the best thing I have ever done.

I still have 14 days left though and in the next two weeks I hope I have time to find my inner Armstrong (Lance or Kristin) but to be honest; it might be more plausible to get the beach body!

I’m leaving from Cape Cornwall on the 31st at 10am and would very much welcome any company so feel free, road.cc readers, to come and ride with me.

www.ridingouttherecession.co.uk