Safely here in England - was a long flight - particularly the second leg which was 12 hours - I had a sleep in Singapore in a transit hotel where I got 5 hours good sleep and it was interesting being in a window seat ( next to young lovebirds) for 12 hours. View from the window was incredible some of the time when the clouds parted - the flight headed up from Singapore over the top of india Afghanistan etc - so brown completely barren for seemingly hours as we flew - then I think we msut have gone over Netherlands - very watery looking! sort of in a big arc. Plane circled for a while before landing in heathrow, so got lovely view. heathrow airport was bedlam - wait in the immigration line was over 45min and it coul dhave been longer if we had joined the queue 10 min later. Big flight from PAkistan came in just before us and they took forever to get checked. My friend Natasha , ex student, met me and took me home to her place in Reigate Surrey - they are on the outskirts of London so drive past lovely old English homes, "meadows" and lots o
f trees. Tash is pregnant with third child, little girl apparently after two boys, and it was great to have a couple of hours to catch up. Her 15 month old is a bundle of smiles and he knew all the songs I sing to Samantha - his hands started making circles as soon as I sang "The wheels on the bus go round and round...." let alone "If your are happy and you know it clap your hands..." . Her husband Liam and eldest Flynn had been out at Goodwood motorsport track for the day, so they had had long day - I thought Brett and the boys would have loved it! TAsh dropped me off at Gatwick House, English B&B hotel - in a house that was rebuilt after a German parachute mine destroyed the original very old house in 1941. The church next door is 14th century and next to it is a restaurant "Ye Olde Sixe Bells
" that also comes from 14th century. The roof is old slate with heavy moss growing on it -very pictureesque but I quail to think of the maintenance. Out here, I think the local village is called Horley, in what is Surrey, it is like an English chocolate box scenery - quiet and peaceful but Gatwick is apparently only 5min drive away.It is the beginnings of summer here and England is at its best. All the trees are leafy, flowers are out, and weather is about 24 deg so lovely. I will be dropped off shortly to the GAtwick Airport station to get a train through London up to Birmingham. Then I am officially "on duty" from tomorrow.
f trees. Tash is pregnant with third child, little girl apparently after two boys, and it was great to have a couple of hours to catch up. Her 15 month old is a bundle of smiles and he knew all the songs I sing to Samantha - his hands started making circles as soon as I sang "The wheels on the bus go round and round...." let alone "If your are happy and you know it clap your hands..." . Her husband Liam and eldest Flynn had been out at Goodwood motorsport track for the day, so they had had long day - I thought Brett and the boys would have loved it! TAsh dropped me off at Gatwick House, English B&B hotel - in a house that was rebuilt after a German parachute mine destroyed the original very old house in 1941. The church next door is 14th century and next to it is a restaurant "Ye Olde Sixe Bells
" that also comes from 14th century. The roof is old slate with heavy moss growing on it -very pictureesque but I quail to think of the maintenance. Out here, I think the local village is called Horley, in what is Surrey, it is like an English chocolate box scenery - quiet and peaceful but Gatwick is apparently only 5min drive away.It is the beginnings of summer here and England is at its best. All the trees are leafy, flowers are out, and weather is about 24 deg so lovely. I will be dropped off shortly to the GAtwick Airport station to get a train through London up to Birmingham. Then I am officially "on duty" from tomorrow.Part 2 to follow
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