UK360 DAY8 : Testing Times

Steve Moore : A test of patience and motivation today. After the rollercoaster day we had in Dublin yesterday, I was hoping things would get a little easier. Life is never that simple I’m afraid. After 8 days of hitting the road hard and visiting all the charities, my body and mind have seen better days. It is truly an eye opener to what 9 months on the road will be like. Trying to function when completely exhausted is always a challenge I enjoy, but I must admit, even with my childish optimism, I wanted a lock myself away from the world and have a good sleep. So when heading to the port to catch the ferry from Dublin to Hollyhead, I was very excited about a little sit down on the crossing.

We did however manage to rock up at the wrong port! Ah man. Everyone  we met in Dublin directed us to the wrong port, hopefully the Dubliners weren’t having a bit of fun with us. Anyhow, the next boat was 5 hours later. We docked in Hollyhead just before 1am and begin our tired journey to Liverpool. Again thoughts turn to the world expedition, of driving through the night to hit stage transitions.  There is a strange satisfaction in achieving anything when feeling shabby and not too happy with the world. Uncle John and Tony, along with Ailsa, did a world class job of keeping the chat and tunes coming as we drove across Wales in the middle of the night. At one point, one of the songs played was one we chose for dad’s funeral wondered what he would think of seeing his son and best man driving through Wales at 3am in a fire engine! All very odd but inspiring. Seeing Liverpool at 4am was amazing. What a city !! We decided to do a couple of laps, how many chances in your life do you get to wizz around Liverpool listening to the Beatles with not a single soul on the streets? Get in. Louise and Michelle were already at the fire station, where we were staying for the night. One of the funniest  sights I have ever seen is arriving into the yard of the fire station being greeting by Louise opening the doors in her sport style PJs. The boys at Liverpool Fire Station left a bay for Martha, so for once she was having a nice rest indoors. The six of us bunked up in their hospitality lounge, for a cheeky few hours. Lovely.  Things always work out, will try and remind myself of that when stuck  in ditch in Mongolia.

Steve

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