7th October 2007, continued

At Singapore Airport

Bitter disappointment on two fronts. Slide film? What is that? No, not here, try there. No, not there, try over there. No, not here at the airport anywhere. What is slide film? All the assistants were in their twenties, but the complete incomprehension showed the way of the future. I think the film era is just about over. But I LOVE slides. And one of the things I love about them is that you don't need any software at all to make them work. You can even see them with the naked eye.

Disappointment Number 2 is the Airport Lounge. Once before when I was lucky enough to fly business class, which gets you into the Lounge, there was a darkened section, which had sleeping benches and blankets, and big massage chairs. Mmmmmm. I was sooo looking forward to those. All gone. No dark area at all. No sleeping benches. No massage chairs. No oriental splendour. Just crowds of people, almost down to the United lounge at Los Angeles level... Sigh! Where are the glory days of yore? At least the seats on the plane will allow a bit of sleep, I think.

Much later. We eschewed the next meal at 3 am our time. It took a long time to push back as there were electrical problems. By half past we were ready. My seat refused to recline and I approached hysteria, but the crew member fixed it for me. Ah, the wonders of being able to lie flat (almost) and sleep in one's cocoon. (Sorry, people, but I have done the hard yards of economy for years and years and years. I'm over that!) The arrangement isn't quite long enough for Michael, but he appeared to sleep. Time passed. I dreamed of Alex's (my neighbour at home) milkweed trees and clouds of small monarch butterflies and bicycle riders riding into them in the morning sunshine. So I knew I had slept. We are anow an hour or so out of Athens. We had our breakfast. Fruit, including a Cape Gooseberry. Eggs with hollndaise, spinach, tomato, potato, chicken sausage. Good coffee. It is just over eleven hours from Singapore to Athens. Local Sydney time is 1.30 pm so we have been on the go for 24 hours. It is beginning to get light outside - dawn is dawning. We feel rested. Ready for a new day.

And what a struggle it was to talk Katester into going Business Class, but I prevailed. Yes, almost flat, but about two inches too short so pressure on my feet. Yes, I did attain unconsciousness but no sweet dreams of the Tour de Herbert Street with bicycles among the monarch butterflies and neighbor Alex's crops.

The only hitch was the delayed takeoff from Singapore while the power was turned off so a light bulb could be changed. Maybe 45 minutes of sitting. Yet the landing announcement says we will be early by 5 minutes.

I must remember to tell Julie that Waterpipes (the computer game) was on KrisWorld - it was where we first encountered it years and years ago - 1988?