First day

First pictures of my sister's garden. Daffodils and green, oh so green, grass; one of the ponds, but you can't see the koi.

The flight from Phoenix was a little delayed . . . and delayed again. Darkness. I fancied we flew over the White Mountains and the lights down there were Show Low . . . Slept fitfully; glimpses of the Canadian tundra as the light strengthened; Atlantic obscured by clouds; landfall southern Ireland, Inch and the Kerry; the Irish Sea and the Wales; adjusting to the changes in air pressure as we descended following the M4, Windsor Castle, final approach over Houndslow and then touched down and taxied to the infamous Terminal 5 at about 14:25 local time. I felt a little like I was an extra in a sci-fi movie - shuffling along with the crowd (er . . . fellow travellers) in this disorienting building: upstairs, down escalators, whisked along in driverless shuttle train (mag-lev?), finally to the border and baggage claim.

Is England shrinking? Don't answer that; it's only my perception after being gone for so long. Green grass, rape in bloom, and the blackthorn! Hedges where I didn't remember seeing hedges before. The M25; the A12. Roads so narrow; the speed limit is what?

Each visit to England becomes a little more exotic, and me native born. I hanker to do the things familiar to me in another life, catch up with good, life long friends . . .