Well I thought so anyway. After travelling half way around the world and back on my own, something I said that I would never do. I hate flying, although that may surprise you, considering the amount of travelling we have done over the last 20 years or so. My fear of flying probably stems from my first trip to the UK in August 1995.
While somewhere half way between Bangkok and Amsterdam I had a bad asthma attack on the plane. Luckily I was attended by a doctor who was a fellow traveller and I consumed two tanks of oxygen. On arrival at Amsterdam I was rushed off in a wheelchair to the medical centre at the airport that would put many hospitals to shame. Two hours later after being visited from a specialist from the city who wanted to admit me, we managed to persuade them into letting me continue on our flight to Norwich as we had a wedding to attend the following day in Peterborough. Promising to take the medication supplied and get more in the UK on arrival, I was allowed to go. We then had a mad rush across the airport, me in a wheelchair pushed by an airport attendant to catch our flight. Doors slammed behind us and we were off to catch our departure slot from this busy airport.
On arrival in Norwich, to my embarrassment, there was another wheelchair waiting here for me too and they wouldn’t take no for an answer. The big plus, if you could call it that, was customs were bypassed as we went to meet our friends picking us up, shock horror on their faces on seeing me in the wheelchair. Once outside I discarded the wheelchair and had a fantastic time promising that I would return. This was just the beginning of our narrowboat adventure.
To all of you who have sent kind wishes my way and to all our friends and family in New Zealand a big thank you. Despite my Dad’s serious condition on arrival I am pleased to report that despite his aging years (92) he has now improved dramatically and is looking better each day. On Tuesday before I left I managed to have dinner with him and my step mum, June, before flying north to Auckland on the first leg of my return journey.
4 comments:
Good to have you back Dot, maybe will get some blogs now
All the best D & C
Welcome back Dot, we've missed you and well done on your solo journey. Glad to hear that your Dad is on the mend. Hope to see you before you go back to NZ for good. xxx
Glad you're back safe and sound Dot and that your dad is doing better. It must be very difficult worrying about him from so far away.
Elly and Mick
To Derek and Carrie,Pip and Roger, and Mick and Elly thanks for your kind words, we knew it would be challenging being so far from family, nine months and we will be home for good but I will miss all the friends we have made while here.
Dot
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