Packing the car - Take one

Our first attempt at packing the car was on the agenda for yesterday. It was pretty successful in that we seem to be able to fit everything in - except things we forgot to actually bring to the packing session, such as our large eight-person tent that we plan on sleeping in every night for the next year. Amongst other discussion, we admired Denner's great job at installing a metal grid between the boot space and the back seat so that things don't topple onto our heads when we're driving. The whole evening was going swimmingly and we were just about to finish up and go inside for dinner, when Ben locked all the car doors - because that's what he does, without realising that Denner had left the keys in the ignition - because that's what he does. Suddenly the metal grid was no longer appreciated, as this was now the difference between being able to reach in from the boot, and not being able to reach in from the boot. Between Denner and I - the two daintier and more flexible members of our team - we tried various tools and devices and positions to reach the inside lock of the back door. We eventually succeeded, after much toil and strain, with scratches and wounds all over our arms, by poking long BBQ tongs through the gaps at the side of the grid. At least we know that the metal grid doubles up as a security device and we've learned that spare keys are more effective when distributed. Long BBQ tongs are now on our equipment list.