“To talk much and arrive nowhere is the same as climbing a tree to catch a fish”

It's after two in the morning.

I went to bed earlier but couldn't sleep (plus I needed to go to the toilet!) So I'm just going to sit here for a while until I get very tired.
(I put this sudden insomnia down to going back to work later today, plus my melancholy over missing Barbara)

Let me tell you something of my trip to Vancouver.
I flew with KLM from Newcastle via Amsterdam. It was so much more pleasant than previous trips, none of that nasty bus from terminal to terminal, plus Schipol has some lovely shops and facilities (sadly my none existent budget meant I couldn't really sample any of them!) and a more cosmopolitan feel than Heathrow and Gatwick (which is blatantly untrue if you think about it - duh!).

It amazes me that although you are checked when entering the Airport , after that you are essentially on your own (and in my case quite literally - I did feel I was quite the solo jet setter, at least as much as economy class would allow anyway). Even though I was amongst thousands of people (remind me to mention the contrast with Vancouver later!) I felt completely alone. The thought of travelling thousands of miles to see someone, that although I felt I knew quite well, I had technically never met before, was a little frightening (let me assure you gentle reader, that any such fear was unfounded, and apart from an initial little problem with eye contact, I felt as though I'd known Barbara for years!)

to be continued...

glumbert - Canada Apologizes to America

“Man who waits for roast duck to fly into mouth must wait very, very long time.” - Chinese proverb