We’re getting down to the wire. We fly to the Philippines on October 3rd. And today it’s already September 24. With just nine sleeps left, there’s still lots to do, people to see, things to sell. I keep telling myself it will all get done and there are rare, fleeting moments when I even believe it!

Here’s just a sampling of our timeline for our last two weeks in Canada … which probably explains why the blog hasn’t been a priority of late.

Date	Days to Go	Biggest Items for the Day
Sep 19	14	Take Nukaat to the vet for final vaccinations and the Health Certificate we need to import him into the Philippines.
Sep 20	13	Try to figure out if there’s another option to rebuilding the shipping crate because we didn’t use heat treated lumber (which Dwight politely reminded me I should have known after working for him for all those years). Fumigation is no longer an option with new environmental rules, but I finally manage to find a source in Duncan for certified heat treated lumber. Rebuild we must.
Sep 21	12	Get Nukaat’s Health Certificate certified by the Government of Canada’s veterinarian in Victoria and pick up Chris at the airport following his latest tour of duty.
Sep 22	11	Rebuild the shipping crate with help from Chris’ Dad.
Sep 23	10	Travel over to Vancouver to attend Sherry and Glenn’s wedding … a very special event. We were really pleased they chose to schedule their big day BEFORE we left!
Sep 24	9	Divide and conquer. Chris gets the shipping crate mostly packed. I go to the Philippines Consulate in Vancouver with the paperwork for our visas and Nukaat’s importation. Normally I wouldn’t dream of leaving this so late, but it was the first opportunity as Chris’ passport was overseas with him and the vet needed to see Nukaat within two weeks of travel. And nearly every Philippine national in Vancouver was there too, or so it seemed.
Sep 25	8	Finish packing the crate.
Sep 26	7	Take the crate over to the shipping company in Vancouver. Farewell party with friends on the mainland.
Sep 27	6	More appointments and errands in Vancouver. Return to the island.
Sep 28	5	Still more appointments and errands in Sidney. Put the finishing touches on our storage unit to get it ready to lock up when we leave. Farewell party with friends on the Peninsula.
Sep 29	4	Sandra’s Dad comes for a quick visit for a family farewell early Thanksgiving at Chris’ parent’s home in Nanaimo.
Sep 30	3	Clean the cottage and pack our bags.
Oct 1	2	Last minute appointments and errands in Sidney. Take our final bits and bobs to storage.
Oct 2	1	Travel over to Vancouver the day before we leave to give Nukaat a break before the long flight ahead.
Oct 3	0	Fly to the Philippines. Just like the royal family, we are travelling on different flights. I go direct from Vancouver to Manila with Nukaat and Chris detours via Hong Kong to maximize his Aeroplan points.

It’s been tricky to coordinate some of this stuff from the island. So, that’s meant quite a few trips to Vancouver this summer. Not least of which for me to squeeze in an Alaskan cruise with my Dad earlier this month. A quick taste of winter before we head to the tropics! At least the ferry trips back and forth provide ample time for blogging and catching up on email!

Somehow, we still have to pick up our passports and visas and Nukaat’s paperwork at the Philippine consulate, which won’t be ready until the 28th. Nothing like leaving this to the last minute!!!

This is pretty much what our entire last year has been like. I guess we can always sleep once we get to the boat!