New boots and pastels

I'm gearing up for the outback adventure:

The excellent Robin Boustead of Trek & Travel has equipped me with these top (sorry, that should be taupe—and stone blue) boots. They're comfortable, supportive, and waterproof so that they'll also do for the Tarkine in January. Will let you know how I go on West MacDonnell rocky bits. The boots are called Chameleons, so there may be times when it's difficult to find my feet, haw, haw.

Robin also sold me two pairs of the very latest in women's endurance sock technology, Irish Bridgedale Trail Lights: 42% Nylon/polyamide, 38% New Wool, 19% Endurofil (TM)/polypropylene and 1 % Lycra(R)/elastane. If I lose one of these babies in the outback, it will be making good hopping-mice nests for about 10,000 years, I should think.

Eckersley's art supply shop sold me a noice set of 24 pastels that looks to have the requisite number of ochres for the job.

Now, what book should I take?

And then, an even more crucial decision: which notebook? I have a large pile of possibilities there. Many hours of pleasant dithering and notebook-fondling ahead.