(Part One of 'The Tripping Up In Scotland Tales.') Are We There Yet? When you've scraped and saved up all your pay How your heart soars as you fly up up and away, Ever so ready to embrace that longed for holiday. How gleeful were we three to be sat by the bulkhead, So conveniently next to the galley, so, first to be fed! Inconveniently near to the wee room, it must be said. But why must every relieved facility user be a door slammer? And must the cabin crew prepare each meal with such clamour? Long haul travel is all perpetual motion, not glitz, not glamour. Between the crew's solicitations, verging on the intrusive- Punishment inflicted behind closed doors, sounds abusive- After all these comings and goings, sleep remained elusive. So, how slowly, grumblingly, tediously the hours pass, As oneunravels travels in jam-packed Tourist class, 19 hours sat on your butt is a proper pain in the ass.
Theme song for this blog has to be Wilco’s ‘Red Eyed And Blue.’
(Just back down to earth (and the blog) after a fantastic month in Scotland with our daughter, her husband and our now 8 month old grandson: Not only Scotland, a few days in London at the beginning and butt end of of our journey too. To see our grandson in person, see and receive his smile, to feel his strength as he gets a grip on your fingers and pulls himself up, it brings a tear to my even now. Especially now that I'm waaay back here at home. So many things we've seen and experienced, so many things to blog about, the so many happy and good, but a few sad, bad and mad.)
©Obbverse.
Obbverse 
Welcome Back, Ob! The flight does sound like a real pain in the azz. But a month with your daughter and grandchild well worth the inconvenience. I bet you had a good sleep when you got to their place. Looking forward to the tales from your walkabout.
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I had a wonderful time. The flight left this dumbass with a numb ass, for sure. When I got there I did sleep like a baby- after waking at 3 am, 5 am 5.30 am for the first couple of nights. Then the jet lag hit in and I had a sleep that deep nothing outside of a bomb exploding outside would have roused me. Good to be back, and I’ll be back and perusing soon.
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8mm the is a great age, changes happen quickly. Great trip but I would not want to be in a plane these days—too claustrophobic 🤓
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It is more mind numbingly boring than claustrophobic- but it is was interesting to see the fluctuations in countries in dealing -or ignoring- the ever present virus. Mask wearing in Scotland and London was minimal, only a few obviously ill people or fresh tourists masked up, flying out of Dubai mask wearing was required. And as for the grandson- the changes we saw in a little over 3 weeks was amazing.
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Yup. Glad you had the chance to see them. Mack’s here in Wyoming are practically non existent
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unfortunately, here in Texas, crowds are getting bigger and mask use seems to have bottomed out around 10% I think , with me being one of those. I did see back in Ontario the , gonna say ‘head doctor’,I forget his position, said they should expect more mask regulations this winter. Even if Covid was gone, I think I’d be wearing a msak in Christmas crowds…last two bouts of flu I had 4,5 years back were pretty rough.
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Yes, as I say, mask use overseas is at near pre-Covid levels. You see people masked up around the airport, everywhere else it is a rarity to see. I think I’ll be wearing one in crowds too, that evil little bas- bug keeps mutating.
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Glad to hear you’re back; missed you much.
I see that you haven’t lost your touch.
I hope you’ll be sharing the memories you ‘keep’
As soon as you get caught up on your sleep.
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Ah, to quietly nod off, to drift off in dreams;
But three rows back, a toddler lustily screams,
Despite his mama’s words, soothingly spoken
My red eyes fly awake, dreams of sleep broken.
(Many a tale to be inflicted on those willing to be fellow travellers!)
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Good to see you back, and that you had a great time over here with family.
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Thanks, it’s good to be back. Just enough time away to start getting a bit itchy to write something, just long enough to enjoy the break away from my babbling and enjoy my self-imposed silence.
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Glad you’re back and had a good time- once you were there! Was that a nonstop flight? I didn’t know they could go so far on one tank of gas, so to speak. Bet your posterior didn’t either!
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The first part of the flight is to Dubai via one stop in Kuala Lumpur for about an hour and a half, no leaving the aircraft. So all you can do while on the ground is jostle around the aisles with all the other cramped up shoulder hunched cattle class miserable wretches for ten minutes or so before you stumble/kick back into your seat with at least one trodden-on toe for your troubles. That stint takes up 19 hours. Then theres a stopover for a few hours in Dubai including plane changing, then a quick 7 1/2 hour jaunt to London. You basically write off thirty hours. But as my wife says, she’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Yep, my sit-upon was almost the shape of a bucket seat by the time I hauled ass outta there at Heathrow. Economy class is a real bum deal?!
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Echoing all previous posts and pleased to see your writing brain is undamaged by its brief life in a sardine can. Good to see you’re back (and front).
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Thanks Doug. The mile high life is not what it’s cracked up to be. Breathing the rarified re-refined recycled air hasn’t affecte- impugne- impacte- effette- changed my thunking at tall.
It is good to be back to front up again. Seems your writing is taking off too, congrats, it is always good to get it out there. Now I’m back I’ll try a few of those outlets you recommended a while back. Nothing submitted nothing gained?
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As someone who flew 250, 000 kms in my final year of working for an international charity, these days I need chloroform and two burly attendants to get me into one of those tin coffins. 😉
Yes, it’s good to be getting some reinforcement from seeing my work published occasionally and I’m sure you will too, once you get the hang of it. Growing a hide like a rhinoceros is essential for the first few forays but I have no doubt you’ll find a home for your best work.
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Thats way too many frequent flier miles to rack up unless you’re a pilot!
Thanks Doug, I’ll send some off with a bit of hope and little expectation. Landing flat on my face at the Wergle Flomp comp for the last half dozen or so years has given me the a taste of rejection, and I’m sure I’ll have to swallow more…
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Good to see you are back safely. I am in the middle of a week long visit to see two grandchildren who are only three time zones away but this travel thing gets harder the older I get.
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Preaching to the converted about the age/travel thing. Nowadays its unfold myself out of the unforgiving seat and unflex each vertebrae one by creaking groaning one. But now you’re there enjoy the visit; it is so worth it.
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