Getting from “a” to “b” nowadays can really suck.
The flight left at 8 p.m. giving the entire day to get ready which was great; no pressure to get out the door early in the morning. Even had time to vacuum the garage and discovered a wet patch on one wall complete with black mould… oh joy. Something else to deal with when I get back.
Plane boarded on time, and row after row of people poured on…it was a huge plane and nearly full. I had to buck the flow at the beginning to find a staff person as there was food plastered on my seat that hadn’t been cleaned up, and on the intake fan by my feet as well. The seat got spot cleaned by the stewardess and I sat on a blanket after but the intake fan did not get touched…Then we sat on the tarmac for an hour and half before finally taking off, due to a broken bathroom door that needed fixing. At least we were able to get off and walk around the bridge for the duration, which was kind. The meal served was far and above the worst I’ve had for decades on a plane…then we all thankfully settled down about 11 p.m. to catch some sleep…. The fellow behind me had been rocking my seat intermittently since the start – I was about to talk to him about possibly not jabbing the screen as it is a touchscreen after all but he was fast asleep by the time I got to it so snuggled down. Woken by vigorous kicking on my seat which ebbed and flowed for awhile – wondered if he was sitting up reading or watching again but it got worse so I turned to talk to him and he let loose. Apparently he was unhappy that the seat ahead was tilted, as it was apparently cutting into his legroom and he felt he was exceptionally tall (maybe 2″ taller than me?) so was entitled to more room. Buddy, we have paid extra for the tiltability in this section, and you can book a bulkhead seat if you need to; plus, reclining your own seat solves the problem. Eventually had to go find a stewardess to talk to him – at one point he also had his runner and foot between my seat and the window, alongside my arm rest. Oh my, some people. I agreed to reduce the tilt some to give him more room, mediated by the stewardess but apparently not enough for his comfort as the kicking started again as soon as she left, to get it to where he felt comfortable. Needless to say, not much sleep was had. And BTW had he asked nicely in the first place to reduce the tilt….Breakfast was equally dreadful with no coffee served… and this is premium economy. Never been so glad to get off a plane. What a boor. Apparently he and three other friends were going trail running in various places in the UK – one of his pals was sitting next to me and was quite lovely. He looked uncomfortable during his pal’s perturbations. I had listened to the boor in the lounge before boarding also (well we couldn’t help but do so due to the volume and number of things he had to say) so good luck to those who are travelling with him, maybe they’ll be able to run away from him on the trail…?
LHR was quiet, and got the oyster card topped up easily. Flat was easy to get to, albeit the two flights of stairs were felt after being cramped up for so many hours – the right hip has flared again thanks to it and going upstairs is very painful. A quick trip to Marks and Sparks, a shadow of its’ former self, and Tesco which can literally be seen from the apt., for dinner and it will be an early night tonight. It’s sunny and warm today in London. May it continue balmy!