Looking forward to a 10 hour flight??

Yesterday when I left the office I forgot to put my "out of office" on for when I'm in China. Today I was switching it on, and it dawned on me that I won't be back in the office in Felling properly until the 31st March! That's a whole month away! It seemed too long, so I put that I'll be back in the office next Friday. I imagine that I will pop into the office for a couple of hours that day in between recovering from jet lag and unpacking!

I do feel like I am almost sorted with everything now though, which is quite a relief. Because I've been so busy running around doing things I've not felt as though I had been achieving very much. But now that I have most of my equipment, I feel as though I can breathe a little bit easier. I'm almost looking forward to the 10 hour flight to Shanghai so that I can have some time when I don't actually have to do anything. I can sleep, read or watch a film and not feel like I need to be running here there and everywhere!

I'm only going away for 5 days, but when you travel long haul, it always feels as though you are going away for ages. I'm looking forward to this trip. I'll only have 3 days in the office, but the work that I'll be doing when I'm out there I really enjoy. Plus I get to meet up with some colleagues who I haven't seen for a while. I'll be back on Thursday and then the real countdown will start!

Google me!

I've made it into Google!!! Yesterday a friend mentioned that he'd found my blog by searching on my name and Akzo Nobel. So I wondered if I could find it with just my name. And there I was!! Ok, it was on page 2, but even so, I was still just a little bit chuffed!!

Yesterday when I arrived home there was a card behind my door to say that a courier had tried to deliver a parcel. Today, after a number of phone calls I managed to track down the parcel - it had been delivered to my next door neighbour. It was really exciting, because this was the parcel I had been waiting for! When I opened it, it was full of socks, gloves, thermals, trousers and lots of other bits and pieces that will serve me well in the cold continent! I think I am finally ready with all the equipment I need.

Tomorrow I'm off work to get myself ready for China, and also try and get myself a bit more organised for Antarctica - after all, it's only 11 more sleeps!!

Hitting the ground running

I can finally sit back and relax after 2 hectic days in The Netherlands. But I sit back knowing that the past 2 days have gone better than I could have ever imagined. Before I set out I wasn't sure how the conference was going to go. I guess there's always a risk associated with putting together such a diverse group, but it really worked! And I know that this project will be a success because of their diversity and the enthusiasm that they bring with them. It's an enthusiasm that the whole project team share for making a difference both within our business, and in their every day lives. One of the critical success factors for this project was getting the right team together and I am 100% confident that we have achieved this.

So now I'm back in the UK, but not for long. I have 2 full days at home before I head off to China! I sometimes wonder how I manage to fit everything in! In the next 2 days I want to get as much sorted for Antarctica as I can, even if it's just a case of making lists of things to do. That way, when I get back from China next Thursday, I can hit the ground running - I'll only have 4 days at home in between China and Antarctica!!

When I arrived home this evening, there was a card behind my door to let me know that a courier had tried to deliver a parcel. I'm hoping that this is the big parcel I've been waiting for with the majority of the things I need for the expedition. I'll collect the parcel tomorrow, and it'll be like Christmas again!!

The beginning of a successful project...

13 sleeps to go and this one I'm really ready for! It has been a fantastic day. All the project team met in reception this morning and I knew straight away that it was going to be a good day. Once we were settled into our meeting room, we started the program with some words from Andre Veneman, Akzo Nobel CSR Director, delivered by Jaap van den Akker our BU CSR Manager. This was followed by introductions by each of the project team members and also our consultants from T&E. Next was the start of the program that was to take most of the day. It was a series of presentations and group exercises delivered by Kjerstin Ludvig and Karin Sanne from T&E. The program went really well. Our project team really engaged in the subject and during the group exercises it was difficult to limit our discussions to the 20 minutes allowed. Everyone has a lot to say on the issues of sustainability and this project will benefit from the enthusiasm that was displayed during these discussion exercises. We completed the program today with a short presentation about Robert Swan and his organisation, and a couple of film clips about Antarctica.

To continue the theme of sustainability, we visited a restaurant this evening in Amsterdam called De Kas. It is an organic restaurant and grows its own produce locally. The restaurant offers only 2 menus per day - a meat / fish menu and a vegetarian menu. Jaap had arranged the evening a few weeks earlier and we had decided that a vegetarian menu fit perfectly with the theme of the day as it takes significantly less natural resources to support a vegetarian diet as opposed to a carniverous diet. The meal was fantastic. We even had local Dutch wine to complement the local flavour! Overall it has been a very successful day, and I am very much looking forward to tomorrow.

Sympathy vote

Lots of things have happened today that are worthy of note. The photographer for the North East Journal came to the offices to take some photos. So, I got dressed up in jacket, trousers, boots and rucksack for the occasion. I even borrowed some walking poles so that I really looked the part. He got some great shots of me in different poses. It's a shame there wasn't snow on the ground, but the grounds of our site are quite nice in parts, so the pictures will be good.

This afternoon, I flew over to The Netherlands for the start of our 2 day conference to kick off my project on sustainability. When I arrived in the hotel with my colleagues from the UK, our colleague from China, Jason Cheng, was already in reception about to go for dinner. So, we quickly checked in so that we could all go to dinner together. Then, as we were half way through our main courses, Guillem Torner from Spain came into the restaurant to join us. It made me realise what an incredibly diverse project team we have got. That can only benefit this project as sustainability is a global issue and together we can look at the issue of sustainability not just from a western perspective, but from the perspective of different nations and cultures.

The other thing that happened today was that I woke up with a streaming cold. Not what I wanted when I have to host a 2 day meeting. I have to say that I'm notoriously pathetic when I'm ill, so any sympathy that you'd like to send my way would be gratefully received!! The real downside though, is that it's unlikely now that I'll get much excercise done between now and departure, so I just hope that the hours I've already spent at the gym, and walking up mountains, will be sufficient. But, it's better that I got this now, than in 2 weeks time when I'm heading off to Argentina!

Photo shoot

For me this is when the countdown really starts. It is 2 weeks tomorrow until I set off and the next 2 weeks I know will just fly by as there is just so much to do between now and then.

Tomorrow I am meeting with a photographer from the local press who will take some photos to accompany the article that will appear in a local Newcastle paper. I've had to gather some of my "expedition gear" to take in to work tomorrow, as the photographer wants me to look like I'm just about to head off into the great white wilderness.

Then tomorrow afternoon I head over to Sassenheim for the start of the 2 day meeting which kicks off my project. I'm really looking forward to meeting the project team, and making a start on the project. I had a message this week from one of the other expedition participants, Frank Bakkeren, saying that he will be in the offices in Sassenheim next week and will pop into our meeting to say hello. I hope he does as it would be good to see him. Also, one of the consultants from the Akzo Nobel Sustainable Development department, who will be presenting at our meeting is also going on the expedition, so it will be like a mini reunion.

But before I can do any of that, I have to make another visit to the dentist chair tomorrow morning. Hopefully it won't be quite as traumatic this time, as I am just having the stitches taken out and a check to make sure the treatment has worked. Well, fingers crossed!!

This is going to be a short one....

.....it's late and I've only just got in after a night out. I've been out with some friends who I've not seen properly in quite a while, so it was good to catch up with them. We talked about my impending trip to Antarctica which just heightened my excitement about the expedition even more! The whole thing seems to catch everyone's imagination. It's also remarkable that in most people's minds, Antarctica is inextricably linked to questions on the environment. The more I talk about it, the more privileged I feel that I will experience the continent first hand.

Well, 16 sleeps to go, and I'm about to fall into one of them!

Robert Swan on YouTube

Today I decided to have a day off work and try to relax a little bit. The past few weeks have been really hectic, sorting things out for the expedition and work, in particular the travelling. And it's not going to stop any time soon! The week before I go to Antarctica I'm travelling to China for 4 days, then 10 days after I get back from Antarctica I'll be jetting off to New Zealand on holiday, and won't get back until the beginning of May. So, I'm trying to organise the next 2 months of my life before I go to China. That gives me about a week, and considering the diversity of the things I'll be doing, it is no easy task!!!

So, I thought a day at home to get a bit more organised would be just the thing. This morning I spent most of the time sat in bed surfing the net, to see what else I could find out about my destination. And I came across a couple of film clips from the Robert Swan Organisation. These are definitely worth a watch and will take you no more than about 10 or 15 minutes. The URLs are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7TEkMFuORA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH7PFNdbTt4

(you might have to copy and paste them if they don't link you directly). They really show how passionate Robert Swan is about the environment, and especially the Antarctic environment.

This afternoon I was back to running around like a mad woman trying to get things organised! I did manage to achieve a couple of things though. I picked up another parcel from the Post Office, and found a pair of waterproof trousers inside - something else to cross off my list. Plus, on the list of kit that we need to take with us are ski goggles and wrap around sunglasses. And I've managed to find a pair of sunglasses that convert into something akin to ski goggles - 2 for 1!! Result!!

Counting sleeps....zzzzzz

One of the things that we do in our family when we're looking forward to something is to count how many sleeps it is until whatever it is happens. And, as I've just been reminded by my cousin, I should be counting the sleeps until I go to Antarctica. So, just for you Clare, it's 18 sleeps until I board the plane to Argentina!

The strangest thing has started to happen. As my departure draws nearer, I'm bumping into people who I won't see again before I go. And saying goodbye feels like I'm going away for a really long time. In some respects I think I am. I'm going on a journey like I've never experienced before, and it's going to be tough. And I expect it's going to change me. The physical challenges are going to be hard enough, but I expect the mental and emotional challenges will be even harder. I've been trying to imagine what it's going to be like but I have nothing to compare it with. We will have the challenges you would associate with any kind of personal development, but add to that the cold, the rough seas, the physical exertion and it takes it to a different level. The nearest I can come up with is studying for my professional exams at the same time as doing the Coast to Coast walk!! I wouldn't want to repeat either, let alone both together!

Well, I'm off to have one of those 18 sleeps, and to move me one day nearer to this adventure!

"See you in Buenos Aires"

Today has been really good. I managed to speak with Chris Knox, the journalist who I’ve kept missing for the past couple of days. It was great to talk about the expedition to Antarctica, where we’ll be visiting, and the things we will see. It really brought it home that in less than 3 weeks I will be in Argentina and about to meet up with all the other people who I will be going on this great adventure with.

He also asked if he could use this blog as a feature in his newspaper. This prompted a visit to our Corporate Communications department to make sure there wasn’t any authorisation process I had to go through, and as I’m currently in Amsterdam, all I had to do was walk up a flight of stairs to their department! The best thing about visiting Corporate Comms, was that I could meet up with one of the other Akzo Nobel participants, David Lichtneker. It was like meeting an old friend who I hadn’t seen in a while! The strangest thing was when I said goodbye, followed by “see you in Buenos Aires”….. how cool is that!

Tomorrow, another participant, Delando Hawthorne, will be visiting Amsterdam, so I will get to see him too. He’s over from Canada for a meeting. And he’s bringing the Akzo Nobel team jackets with him, so I’ll be going home with a gift!

Less than 3 weeks to go and counting! Hope you’ve all had a go at whacking penguins! Don’t forget to register your score then I can see how many of you are addicted!

Stepping out of the comfort zone

As part of the selection process for the Leadership on the Edge program, I was required to come up with a project proposal that could be implemented within our Business Unit. Now that the arrangements for the expedition are coming together, I can start to concentrate on working on my project.

Over the past few weeks I have been putting together a project team. All our Sub Business Units across the globe have nominated a team member, so we really do have a multinational representation on the project. The project team come from different work backgrounds and different cultures, so we have a wide spread of expertise. Because of the cultural differences in the team members, we will also be able to get an insight into what the sustainability issues are in different parts of the world. Next week I will be hosting a two day conference in Sassenheim, The Netherlands where we will all meet together for the first time. I have arranged consultants from our Sustainable Development department in Sweden to give us some more information on sustainability and the related tools, such as eco efficiency analysis, carbon footprinting and carbon offsetting. We also have another consultancy involved, who will give us an insight into how sustainability is managed within other large multinational companies. The outcome of the two days will be that we have a basis upon which to start developing training material for our Business Unit.

It's great to be involved in something that's totally different to what I normally do on a day to day basis. I feel as though I am a little out of my comfort zone so it is quite challenging - but I'm enjoying every minute of it!!

Penguins, postcards and publicity

A new game has been launched on the Akzo Nobel Mission Antarctica website (www.missionantarctica.com). Just click on the "game" link on the website and it'll take you to "the penguin whacks back". But beware, it's just a bit addictive!!

Today, when I've not been working, or whacking penguins, I've been trying to sort out some publicity for the expedition. We've kind of got internal company publicity sorted - the expedition features in our bi monthly People News, quarterly Interpon News, annual Review magazine, and we are also doing a weekly "Postcards from the Edge" feature, which will run for the next 6 weeks. But up until now, I haven't managed to arrange any external publicity. But, I think that's about to change. During a meeting with our Communications Department this morning, I mentioned that it would be good to have something in the local press, and national press if that was possible. This afternoon I got back to my office and there was a message on my desk - a journalist from the local newspaper had called to find out some more about my expedition. I thought I'd be quite nervous about speaking to the press, but actually I'm quite looking forward to it, and being able to tell a wider audience about what it is that we are doing, and more importantly, the reasons why.

Apart from that, today has been about sorting out some of the little things that need doing - sorting out insurance, buying blister plasters (just in case - you never know) and getting some advice on sea sickness medication.

Every day, I manage to tick something off my list. And every day brings me a little bit closer to Antarctica!

Boots

A couple of weeks ago I bought a new pair of boots. My old ones have never been particularly comfortable, and I reckon they're the reason why I trip up so much when I'm out walking. So I decided that to stop all the tripping, I would buy some new ones. But new boots means just one thing..... they need breaking in. For the past few weeks I've been planning on going out into the hills, but when you set the alarm for 6.30 am on a Sunday, there's always something more pressing that needs your attention. Eg. sleep. It's now only 3 weeks away from setting off, and the weekends available for breaking the new boots in are becoming less and less. Today I realised that if I wasn't able to do a big mountain walk then I should do something locally. So I set off this afternoon to get a few miles in the boots. And they were great! Only a tiny little blister on one of my toes, and I bet we did about 7 miles. I'm not sure if the last mile really counts though. On the way back we decided to call into the local pub for a pint. That pint turned into 3, and we also had dinner whilst we were there, so the final mile was somewhat delayed. And a little warmer and easier than the first 6!!

Shiver me timbers

Today feels like Christmas!! I was woken up this morning by a knock at the door, and when I answered, there was a delivery man laden with a number of parcels! Happy days! So, I've spent most of the day unpacking and trying out all the new gear for size! I'm glad to finally have some things, as it's only just over 3 weeks until I set off for Buenos Aires. I can start ticking off items from my list of "things to buy before I go to Antarctica". My lounge now looks like an outdoor equipment shop. Plus, as I am not the tidiest of people, there is also some resemblence to an explosion in a packaging factory! Which means I've had to add something to the list of "things to do before I go to Antarctica".

One of the other items on the kit list was fancy dress costumes. Apparently at the end of the expedition, we will be having a fancy dress party on board the MV Ushuaia. This morning I received an email saying that the theme for the party is "Pirates of the Antarctic". It made my eyes light up! For someone who observes International Talk Like A Pirate Day (19 September for the uninitiated) this is quite exciting! Avast...... I'm off to find a parrot!

Dental torture

Today I have mostly been feeling sorry for myself! On my list of things to do before I go to Antarctica was dealing with a tooth that has been intermittently giving me problems for the past couple of years. I've had a variety of treatments for it already, but all to no avail. So, at my last visit to the dentist I was told that unless I wanted to carry on having trouble with it, I had two options - have some of the root removed, or have the tooth extracted. Given that I'd put up with it for quite a while now, I was in two minds, especially as there is a whole list of unpleasant things I would rather do than voluntarily sit in the dentists chair. But, then the thought occurred to me - what happens if it flares up when I'm 2 days over rough sea away from a South American dentist. My overactive imagination sees me being held down by 2 people whilst a third comes at me with a pair of pliers to remove the offending item from my mouth which would be held open by a fourth!! So that was it, decision made - I would have the treatment. I'm not going to go into detail about what the dentist did, but lets just say I feel like I've been through a couple of rounds with Mike Tyson, and have 2 stitches in my gum as evidence. Let's just hope the procedure has worked!

Wishful thinking?

So now I am pretty sure how I'm going to keep warm on this expedition, my attention has turned to some of the other items on the kit list. Some of it is just what you would expect to take on an expedition to Antarctica - waterproofs, walking poles, ski goggles.... But 2 of the items really have me at a loss - swimsuit and talc. I can't imagine that I will be doing any swimming whilst I am out there, so the only thing I can think we would need a swimsuit for is that there must be a sauna on board the ship. Or is that just wishful thinking?? And talc, well, answers on a postcard please!!

So, those 2 items aside, I think I'm doing ok with getting kit together. For most of it I've made use of that wonderful tool, the internet. Some of it I already have, and Akzo Nobel are providing us with 2 team jackets - one waterproof shell, and one warm parka. The remainder, I imagine I will pick up over the next couple of weeks, things like batteries for the camera, photo cards etc.

Well, that's the kit sorted, flights are booked, hotel reservations in Buenos Aires are made, so I guess I'm all set to go.

The magic of merino

I find myself constantly thinking about the cold. Sat here in my office with its central heating radiator and a little portable oil filled heater tucked neatly under my desk, and I shiver at the prospect of what awaits me when I travel South. So my efforts at the moment are very much centred around what to take with me. My first reaction would be to take the warmest of everything, and enough so that I could layer myself up into some kind of Antarctic Michelin Man. But something that Robert Swan said when I met him in January still rings in my ears. He said that you have to be careful not to get too warm, as then you start to sweat, the sweat will turn cold, which will make you cold. The only solution once this happens is to take everything wet off and put on some dry clothes. And I really don't fancy doing that at minus anything, let alone the -30 degrees Celsius that it could be down there!

So, you see my dilemma. As a person who feels the cold quite easily, it's my natural reaction to opt for the "you can never be too warm" route, but it appears that in Antarctica being too warm can cause as much of a problem as being too cold.

Anyway, I think I may have a solution - merino wool! I've been lead to believe by the marketing hype that it has some kind of magical properties that will keep me toasty warm, wick any moisture away from me (to where I'm not sure) and with the added bonus of it having anti bacterial properties, which to you and me means that I could wear it for a week and you'd still all be talking to me!!