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| MY RIDE OVER THE POND |
It's lucky I'm awake enough to write this. I didn't get to bed until 3.30am and I was up again at 6.30am. Why? Because I was cutting, bending, drilling and filing metal. I had promised to fit some panniers onto Chris's pushbike but, without the additional metalwork I was making, they would have swung into the spokes and destroyed themselves, and probably Chris and the bike too. I was still finishing the job when the taxi driver arrived. He even waited patiently as I fitted a bell to the handlebars. This wasn't so much for Chris's safety as everyone else's. I hope she has a nice cycle ride in France while I am away.
My journey to Heathrow was uneventful but, looking out the window of the standby lounge, I did notice that the aircraft I was about to board has a huge fly on its nose (see photo). Obviously some technical feature to do with guidance or lift. Anyway, I'm on board now and, looking out of the window, I have just seen a leather jacketed guy with a pair of goggles perched on his head climb the rickety stepladder into the cockpit. The mechanic has just hand-cranked the engines into life and, with the cry of 'chocks away', the huge machine rolls towards a newly mown strip of grass. This is it!! China here I come?? Damn. I thought I was in the wrong queue.
