Tuesday 3rd January 2017

And here we are again, the great back to work, back on the treadmill, nose to the grindstone, earning a crust. And so on.

Which does explain why the alarm went off at half five. But only in par, seems like waking up and getting ready requires an extra half hour up in the morning. Anyway, the alarm has gone off, and we get up.

Needless to say, it is dark outside, but as I have an evening flight for a change, I can mess around drinking coffee, watching football before the rigours of the day begin.

Just before seven, Jools leaves, and means we won't see each other until Friday. It is this part that makes travel so difficult. Anyway, no avoiding it for now, just get on with it. But I do have to work part of the day, all morning in the end, to make sure I am up to date.

The morning passes and all seems well with the world, which is nice. But then all my Danish colleagues ask if I have all my fingers and thumbs. I wonder what is going on until I am told it is a tradition, especially after drunken blokes mixing with fireworks on New Year's Eve. No need to worry as I am a trained explosives technician and failed to blow himself or other up; even after the incident with the faulty exploder pocket. Ahem.

Anyway, at twelve, I stop, have dinner and pack ready for the taxi to come at two to run me to the station. Sadly, the driver was more concerned about his lost sunglasses than getting to the station on time, but as I had left 40 minutes, he managed not to be late. So after buying my ticket, I was able to sit and people watch, with many people getting on the train to Deal and beyond which arrived first.

Its perhaps easy to imagine the shady looking people hanging around puffing on rollies dressed in hoodies as being drug dealers, but maybe they're just vampires in training and don't like light. I don't know. Is this the train for London asks one of them as the train clearly showing its destination as being London St Pancras rolls in. Yes, this goes to London I say.

Always willing to help.

I have to admit, I chose to travel at quarter to three rather than quarter to four as it would be daylight, and I wanted to look out the window. It meant that once in London I would have an hour to kill before i could check in, but that was a price worth paying i thought.

You know the route by now, but this time the landscape was lit by the setting sun away in the west, finally getting dark as we crossed into Essex.

I have a coffee at the cafe in the station at Stratford, eating up twenty minutes of the 90 I had to kill. I take the DLR to the station and go for another coffee and eat up another 20 minutes, then read some of my magazine until it is 5, and time to check in.

The through security, to find a place to sit, then read some more, whilst waiting for the 90 minutes to pass before boarding starts. Of course all this waiting suggests I could have left home later: indeed I could, but what with delays, computer systems crashing, always best to leave time so not to fret.

We can go to the gate to do some more waiting. Incoming passengers get off, it is refuelled, and so we can get on. It is two thirds full, not bad, but with the time creeping towards seven, and the hour time differene in Denmark, it was going to be a late night.

We wait in line to taxi and take up, but once in the air we are treated to the whole of London stretched out below us and into the west, all lit up and looking glorious. Not sure if my camera could have done it justice, or the compact one I had with me, so there is no shot to share, but with just the tower blocks of the City and around London Bridge rising, London looked low rise. And beautiful.

We soon lost Britain as we enter a cloud, and from there get just a glimpse through the low cloud of the ground below. Over the sea the clouds clear, and looking back I can see the coast of East Anglia stretching away north and west.

We are served a small cold meal, fruit juice, offered spirits, ice cream and tea of coffee. Looked after well, but I can't drink as I have to drive. Oh well.

In Denmark, it is blowing a hooly, andlanding is "interesting" to say the least. As we turn onto final, we catch side winds, and are thrown and bucked. Landing takes place apparently sideways, meaning the plane whips round as the wheels touch down. I am tempted to sink to my knees and kiss the ground as I get off, but don't.

After getting my case, I get the keys for the ire car, a BMW 420i coupe, which is a blast to drive. I get stuck behind a nacelle being transported, but on a straight part of the road, put my foot down and get past with no trouble.

Roads are mostly empty, and the car seems happy at 100, 110, 120 kph, even if the speed limit is lower. I try to slow down.

I reach to hotel at ten, ten fifteen or something. I am whacked again, and the night porter just wants to talk, I want a shower and lie down. But am polite.

So just before 11, I am in my room, and my brain decides to wake up. But I try to sleep, and in time do.