June

** updates are in blue text - Last updated 15 December, 2007 **

Friday 15th

I'm heading home to bonnie scotland today - which apart from the 26 hours sitting in a plane seat I'm really looking forward to. Lots to see and do and squeeze into just under 2 weeks!

Sunday 17th - touchdown!

11,208 miles later we finally touched down in Glasgow. Flight was okay. Flew with Emirates, on which the best thing is their TV system which has a couple of hundred channels of movies, cartoons, radio and TV shows, CD compilations and lots of decent games (including old favourites like space invaders and centipede!)

Monday 18th

At night, caught up with Big Al and we went out for something to eat and then we had our traditional cup of tea and biccie (as he likes to moan about how fussy I am with my tea, and like to show him how to brew a nice strong cuppa - I did this once about 10 years ago, but he's got a long memory!)

Wednesday 20th

Went into town to see a man about a dog, and get some essentials that you just don't get in Oz - like Marks and Spencer's biscuits, eh I mean, some shirts and ties!! After a pie, beans and pint for old times sake, and fate would have it, just as I came out of there I happened to bump into a couple of guys from my old work in Abbey, and even although we were due to meet up for lunch tomorrow, I tagged along for lunch and a blether. After that did some shopping and went to see the old dentist about a checkup while I was here (albeit privately) just to double-check the Oz dentists who give me the heeby-jeebies! Went over to see my folks for the rest of the night, had my dinner and got treated to plenty of cream cakes!

Thursday 21st

Went into town to meet the boys from the old work. Had a good time catching up and having a nice lunch in one of the old haunts (Indian restaurant!) we used to go to for a lunchtime treat.

Friday 22nd

Met Wendy and Eleanor from my old work, and (again!) stuffed my face full of pizza, coffee and buns (you can probably see a common theme emerging here!) I think I'll be putting on some extra pounds while I'm here! Had to split by 1:45 and catch the train back home to my brother-in-laws house for my niece's 1st birthday party. Had to try really hard to resist jumping on the child-sized bouncy castle! Had a barbeque - which made feel right back in Sydney, including the big thunderstorm which was brewing, as the weather here has been similar to the winter back in Oz... Sunny spells, with rain, wind, floods and thunder in between!

<I'm going to try and remember what I did in between - it all went so fast!)

Friday 29th - Fly "home" on the Yellow Brick Road...

Got to Glasgow Airport at 12ish for the flight at 14:05 as I had checked-in on-line, which avoided a huge queue. Plane was delayed for half and hour anyway. Not a gas canister in sight anywhere - all quiet ;-) The airport was mobbed with people going away for the summer holidays. Had to join a huge queue for going through security.

First leg of the journey was to Dubai - taking just over 6 hours - got there about half-past midnight. Then it was an 8 hours wait until the next flight, but luckily they put you up in a local hotel. However by the time you get to the hotel it was about 1:30 or 2am local time - and the wake up call was set for 6am. Still, its better than sleeping on the floor in the airport!

Saturday 30th

Flight from Dubai to Bangkok left about 9am Dubai time (6am UK time). Another 6 hours or so, so due to get there about 7pm - have to add another 3 hours onto my watch for Thai time. Leaving again in an hour.

Still on the plane, although I read on the plane's teletext that some nutcase had driven a car full of gas canisters into the front of the terminal building in Glasgow about 24 hours after I checked in - which was just as well I flew out yesterday!

Its been all over the news in Oz too - which is a change, as apart from perhaps the war in Iraq, or Wimbledon, there seems very little international events which make it onto the news here, let alone the lead news item.