Last night I took Heather to the airport for her flight to Nepal. She will be guiding a group of trekkers to Gokyo Lakes and Everest Base Camp and will get back only a few days before me.

Most of the floor space in our apartment has been taken up with her packing, but now it's my turn and at last there is room to move. Everything is packed and weighed and it looks likely I'll be up for excess baggage, but I'm pleased that my load is going to be around 20 kg as I predicted.

Bike bag: 20 kg (the bag weighs 5kg)

Checked bag: 16 kg

Cabin bags: 7kg

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

I had planned to save a few bucks by catching a train to the airport, as the station is only a short distance from our apartment, but now I realise the baggage is too heavy and awkward to manage on my own, so I'll have to part with some cash for a taxi. My flight leaves Brisbane on Saturday at 8:30 am, so it won't have to be too early a start.

I'll probably rationalise my load a little once I arrive in Tasmania and get the feel of the weather, but current forecasts indicate overnight temps of around 8 C and daytime temps around 18 C, so I will need to carry warm clothing.

Now only one more working day to face, and I'll be on my way.