My Second Handwritten Post

Well I'm back in London. There are stories to regale you with aplenty, but there's also a large pile of paperwork that I need to get through. So, for now I'll type in the post I wrote in my journal on yesterday's flight.

It's part stream of consciousness, part journal entry and part blog post. Like before, if I had better handwriting I'd just chuck the photo up on its own. Sadly my scrawl is something that even Doctors can't read. I'll type typos, I'll include any crappy sentences and dodgy metaphors that I normally would edit out (hopefully). Here we go:

"17th March - 1.23 PM (London Time) My 2nd Handwritten Post

The London bit is relevant as I'm onboard an aircraft, an A380, on the way back to London from Singapore. At the moment we're over Turkmenistan and close to the Caspian Sea, five hours and seventeen minutes away from Heathrow. You'll no doubt be surprised to know that I know thsoe things from the Krisworld travel centre in the onboard entertainment system, not from careful scrutiny with the stopwatch and my great geographical knowledge.

This is another one of those handwritten posts, again my plan is to take a photograph of the pages tonight, to chuck the photo on my blog, then type it word for word into the body of the post. I wonder if there is anyone who would bother reading the typed text and comparing it with the handwritten text to see if they're identical.

The time in Singapore was great and I have a list of several blog posts I may write, many of which were inspired by things that happened around and to me during that time.

I've noticed how long haul air travel is becoming my friend. It's not that I'm highly experienced in many different long haul routes but, by anyone's standards, I reckon I've got to be a bit of an expert when it comes to two specific routes; the Sri Lankan airlines flight from LHR to CMB and the SQ one from LHR to SIN.

Leaving London last week and sitting in the departure lounge I watched many excited middle aged tourists looking at the spectacular sight of the A380 parked outside waiting for us to board. They took photographs of the beast, stared at the big floor plan on display and all had childish grins and expressions of excitement on their old faces. I could work it out but I've honestly lost count of the number of times I've flown on one now and I may well be the air travel version of a spoilt child. The last voyage to and from Lanka, on the Sri Lankan A340, left me feeling like I was Jeremy Clarkson after being forced to go and front a programme about bicycles in Sri Lanka.

It's not just the joy of the plane itself either. I've become accustomed to sitting in a whole row of seats with no other occupants too. After I finish this piece of handwritten blogdom I'll stretch out on my three seats and get a bit more sleep before landing. It's only a small step down from flying Business Class. I'm one of thier Gold card members now so my luggage gets a nice Business Class Priority label and is normally on the belt at the other end quicker than the time it takes for the flowers in one of those white Kuoni "Bon Voyage" boxes to wither and wilt.

There are some exciting and stimulating things to come in the next couple of weeks in London. It's a very criss crossing and small global village that I'm living in these days. The last time I saw my parents was at the CR + FC at Jazz Unlimited on that first Sunday in February. I left Lanka that night to arrive back home in the cold and snow, since then they've travelled around the island and also been to Singapore. There'll be much catching up to do and, from a plane which is now above the Caspian Sea, it feels like it will be fun. The reality is that, within about twenty minutes, I'll want out. That is the reality because I think it will be so, perhaps if I changed my mindset then things might turn out differently. Hmmmm...... interesting.

We're flying with the daylight now, going West so the night is chasing us but probably won't catch up until after we land. I'll be tired and the constant pace of a constant life means that I'll be sat at my desk at about 6.30 in the morning with that ritualistic first cup of PG Tips tea. In the evening I'll be seeing the girls and I find myself already looking forward to that. To them it's just a normal evening of hanging out with Dad. to me it's a huge event I anticipate eagerly, just being with them. I sometimes wonder if they'll ever understand how painful it is sometimes that I'm not with them.

The apartment viewings must be kicked up into another gear in the coming days too. I intend for a big burst of activity and hope to find the perfect pad in the next week or two. The market knowledge I have learned in recent weeks has been plentiful and I sense that I'll attacking the situation from a powerful position of strength.

And there are two gigs and a band practice next week with the Breaks. Here's the timetable for the next 10 ish days:

Weds (tomorow) - Girls Fri - Girls Mon - Band practice Weds - Girls Thurs - Gig

Sat - Gig

So it's good, it's busy and it'll be fun. That's it for now. Hopefully a photo of these 2 pages will come out okay.

Will anyone actually try to read my appalling handwriting?"