One of my dearest Florida friends, Mary Kuggleman, is sadly very ill. She lives at St. Petersburg Beach – twenty or so miles south of Clearwater. Kay drove me down to see her on Wednesday afternoon. Mary is suffering from cancer, and I fear this will be the last time I will see her. What a feisty spirit she possesses! Although her weight has gone down to about 85 pounds, she radiates goodness with a brain as sharp as a razor.
After my experience on American Airlines last week it was such a pleasure to board the British Airways flight home on Thursday evening. Mind you, the USA hadn’t entirely finished with me because, as I walked up to the baggage screening area, a big black hand was raised and the man behind it said “Whoa there Sir!” Had my complaints about AA reached his ears? No, I was singled out (yet again) for special treatment. Have a look at the red SSSS’s on my ticket:
They were stamped there for a purpose. I know there are random searches everywhere these days, but why do I always qualify in the USA? I must look suspicious. Anyway I was marched off to a separate room and all the contents of my pockets and bags were not only thoroughly searched, but a wet-wipe sort of pad was passed over everything (me included!) I’ve no idea what they expected to find, and as I don’t smoke, do drugs, and only really swear when I’m driving, eventually they found no reason to detain me further.
The eight-hour flight across the Atlantic was very smooth, and how pleasant it was to hear a friendly stewardess make the announcements, unhurried and with clarity, compared to the nasal automaton on AA last weekend. The meal was nice too - and piping hot.
Pat and Averil were waiting at Gatwick airport (now that’s a treat I don’t often experience) and drove me home in the pouring rain and spray along the M25 motorway, only making one small deviation when we found ourselves going the wrong way. Tracey had left a few groceries by my front door, so after unpacking, catching up on the news in the newspapers, (including the Daily Mail’s coverage of Paul and Debbie’s holiday in Barbados), answering all the waiting mail, emails and writing cheques, I managed a quiet evening watching last week's '
Eastenders' on TV. My recipe to avoid jet lag is to always keep to the time of the country I am in, so it was bed at midnight and up at 7.30 this morning bright and early. Now I’m ready for the Chinese Year of the Ox. Last year was pretty good, being the year of the Rat. I’m a Rat.