Friday 13th November 2015

Thursday

On the day when I am to return to the UK, I always worry that I will oversleep and miss the flight. Therefore, I I wake every half an hour or so to check my phone, with the upshot being that I don't feel like I had any sleep at all.

There was no change in this yesterday, but the alarm did go off at six, I felt OK having woken at least four times during the night to make sure I would not be stuck in DK. Another round of dressing, packing then checking out and what passes for breakfast at the Zleep. It is not that bad, fresh rolls, the usual mix of cheeses and cooked meats are on offer, which is all the expectant traveler really needs. Outside there is the hint of dawn in the east, so I pause and take a shot, because, you know, I have a camera and that.

The terminal is crazy busy, with dozens of Danish families queuing to check in for a flight to a place I had not heard of. In the rush, it took me 15 minutes to get through security, but once in the departure hall, there aas plenty of space, so I find a table below the business lounge so I could use their free wifi, and get some work done.

Outside the sun had risen, so by the time we walked to the plane it was hidden behind a cloud, but the light was pretty spectacular. I snap it.

And the plane we are boarding, with the dick in front who refused to move, he wanted to be the last on the plane for some reason.

And once the plane was in the air, the low sun cast a wonderful golden light on the land below, casting long shadows. I snap that too.

In fact the light all the way back to Blighty was stunning, I snap the sun through the clouds as we fly over one of Denmark's outlying islands and again as we pass over Holland.

I see another causeway stretching across the Ijsselmeer, so snap that as well. It really is amazing things these wonderful Dutch engineers accomplish. And then over the sea, crossing the coast right above the hotel in Ijmuiden, and then the sea was obscured by cloud, so no chance of seeing the 43 turbines of Luchterduinen.

And finally over Essex, and through the clouds I spy the mudflats of the coast, all marked with the patterns of retreating water. Those patterns and the wonderful light made it look rather wonderful: I snapped that too. Down we go, along the river, no grand tour of London for us this trip, the wind was in the west, so a straightforward landing from the east. There is some worrying side winds, but we bounce down safe and I am nearly home. A walk along the terminal to the immigration scanners, my case is waiting and as I walk up to the DLR station a train for Stratford is pulling in. Now, I look at my watch and I have 20 minutes before the quarter to ten train is due to leave. I might make it, but decide not to fret.

I have chosen my carriage on the DLR well, and we pull in opposite the escalator, I am first up it, over the road and see that I have two minutes before the train is due to leave. BUT, it is delayed by a minute, so I grab my case, run down the escalator just as my train pulls in, I take a seat. Phew.

Yes, in Dover at a quarter to eleven, my taxi is waiting so I am entering the house just before 11, some six hours after I got up in Denmark. Really quite amazing really.

I have a brew and lunch before starting my work laptop up and crack on with work. It never ends. But like last week, I am shattered for some reason, and at four I finish and sit on the sofa with Molly and watch a recording of Sunday's football. This is the life. Even better, I have a glass of wine too, just to be a little more decadent!

I cook meat pie for dinner, and not having any gravy, I mix up a fine batch of cheese sauce to go over the vegetables. It really was very nice indeed. And then we have the evening to ourselves, but due to the fact we are both shattered, we end up heading for bed at nine.

So it goes. So it goes.