A quick visit to Cee and Jays and then Tesco to buy waterproof map bags, water bottles, a spur-of-the-moment 2-in-1 bum bag/rucksack, toothpaste, travel clothes washing liquid, Sudocream, Johnson's Baby talcum, Pampers wipes, Anadin (oh, for Askit Powders...)and doubtless there will be more to add before I head south from Shetland on Wednesday.
I've all but abandoned the idea of cycling up (and back down) the island of Yell (nasty northerly blowing all weekend)and that means that on 19th after the show it's drive to Toft, bike on the ferry, and then cycle to the Unst ferry, then to to RAF Saxa Vord. I may have to leave the bike in Unst and hitch a lift back to Lerwick for the show, but we'll see.
I've not been practising my cycling much, but I have been preparing, and really that's been the problem with the Mull2Muckle.
It incorporates two performances of something loosely labelled
Tom Morton's Fairly Good Show (11th Glasgow, 12th Edinburgh)which amounts to about 14 songs, and two poems at the moment. I'll obviously be nattering away nonsensically, and picking up (I hope) tales on the road. But researching, writing and trying to learn all this stuff, while doing normal work and preparing to cycle 400 miles, has been difficult, to say the least. Also, my ultra-short attention span (why I'm a hack/broadcaster)isn't helping...
Nevertheless, I think there's some good stuff in the show and besides, there will be a wine tasting and ace comic
Susan Morrison on both nights. Still, it's weighing on my as much as the thought of cycling up the A77.
Wednesday I get the boat overnight to Aberdeen, do the show from there, then take the train to Glasgow. Overnight Thursday in Glasgow, Lift to Ayr Friday, do the show from the Beeb studio there, and then a lift to the Mull of Galloway and it all begins. Saturday night Girvan, Sunday night Ayr/Troon. then Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth, dundee, Montroase and Aberdeen, before the boat north.
Oh, and many thanks to
Edinburgh Bicycle, who are supporting the trip and will sort out the Surly if anything goes wrong. Which I hope it won't...