Having stayed with Kathy overnight on the 9th, I flew to Longreach on the 10th. After more than half an hour of smooth travelling the captain announced that we were returning to Brisbane at the behest of the Qantas engineers, because of a bird strike on take-off. The unknowns were whether we would have to leave the aircraft, whether it would be cleared for onward travel, and if not, when a replacement aircraft was available. On landing, we were told to remain in the cabin. An engineer came onboard immediately. I could see that one of the port engine propeller blades was slightly grazed, which was presumably the site of the strike. The blades were made by Doughty, based in the UK. One of their two global support facilities was located in Brisbane. Long story short, we were cleared for take-off and departed some three hours late. Our arrival in Longreach meant that Simon and Nicole could meet me after work. Pepper barked when we got to the house. She barks at other dogs and people walking by. Once inside I was smothered by licks. Nicole is enjoying her new job with Queensland Health and Simon was on the… Read Complete Text
My annual visit to Longreach in late March had to be postponed because Simon and Nicole were getting ready for their ambitious round the world overseas trip, comprising a week in England, a week on the Queen Mary sailing from Southampton to New York, and a week in New York, before returning home on a 19 hour non-stop flight from New Jersey to Singapore and thence to Brisbane and Longreach.
In my constant experience, the Qantas website is the least user-friendly of all. I tried to book a return flight to Longreach from Brisbane, taking advantage of one of their red-e deals. Somehow, I was prevented from finalising payment until, against my wish, I became a member of their frequent flyer programme. Having done this, I found myself timed out of the transaction and tried again. By now, the return flight had almost doubled, so I gave up in disgust. The travel agent in Barcaldine I regularly used because their prices were competitive, had closed earlier in the year. To be fair to Qantas, they redeemed themselves by sending me an email saying that they were holding my booking at the original price. This had happened once before…. Read Complete Text
LONDON
I was away from Sunday July 7 until Friday August 2. I flew premium economy on Singapore Airlines, enjoying the extra room and better meals on offer. Cousin Sue again met me at Heathrow and I bought a sim card for my smart phone at a shop almost adjacent to where I emerged into the arrivals hall. I was fearful of checking in at my hotel in Belsize Park because of the fifty per cent increase in cost to stay for a day less, at a very run-down property. I was relieved and delighted to discover that I was in fact paying for a complete refurbishment as well as for booking in the peak Summer holiday period. The for me hard to use bath in the bathroom, had been replaced by a spacious shower. The bedrooms benefited from new furniture and décor. The old warn carpeting had been replaced throughout. The public areas were smart and tastefully styled. The one redeeming feature about my last stay was the breakfast, which was good and reasonably priced. It was still good and marginally more expensive than two years ago.
The focus of my time in London was… Read Complete Text
I at last heard from Clive after more than a month of silence. He has confirmed my stay with him and is about to fly to Finland to conduct his retreat. I have booked dates to see the family in and near London. The train journey from Frankfurt Airport to Rot Malsch, was too tenuous, given the limited time to change trains at Frankfurt Central Station. Peter and Gabi Silver offered to meet me at the airport and I reluctantly, but gratefully, accepted.
Today I collected my Galaxy Z 5 flip phone. I had to wait a month and a day after buying the Samsung A 15, which I found too bulky and unwieldy. The Z 5 is lighter and more compact and a better fit in my trouser pocket. It is as easy to use. All the info on the A 15 was successfully transferred to the new phone. I contemplated roaming, but the way I use my phone, it makes more sense to buy a sim card in the UK.
Popped into Gina’s travel agency so that Jodie could transfer the QR code for the West Highland line ticket.
With the post-op debrief out of the way, I was happy to make the final payment on my UK/Europe trip for hotel accommodation in Scotland and Singapore. Meanwhile, I decided to book a ticket on the West Highland line, the day before my Waverley cruise. It amounts to another long day of travel, from Glasgow to Mallaig and back.
Jodie, Gina’s administrator, transferred the Britrail pass QR codes to my smart phone. There isn’t a single code for the pass, but a code for each day of travel. The tickets are located in the phone’s gallery.
Years ago, I stayed with family friends who had a farm north of Inverness near Tain, on the rail route to Thurso. It’s magical country and I just fancy the idea of going to the northernmost station in Britain. I discovered that the Waverley, the last ocean-going paddle steamer on the planet, will be doing a full-day cruise on the Clyde on July 20, so Gina has booked a ticket for me. In 1985, when Simon was four, he and I went on the Waverley from Tower Pier to Southend Pier. We both remember it well. Today, I paid for the rail pass, the hotel in Glasgow and the Waverley cruise.
When it became clear that a Britrail paper pass wasn’t available, I caved in to decades of resistance to acquiring a smart phone so that I could store the QR code containing the rail pass ticketing information. Today, I bought a Samsung A 15 phone at the nearest Optus store. The phone is large and heavy. Texting is much easier than on the dreadful Nokia flip phone which the smart phone replaces.