Etihad staff on the first leg - from Sydney to Abu Dhabi were awesome. We felt so lucky to have 2 seats on the bulkhead (extra leg room for the 6 footers), a baby bassinet and also the row of 4 seats behind. It did mean we could stretch out. Excitement meant we probably didn't take enough advantage of the potential for sleep!
As I write this, I am definitely feeling the effects of the long flights!
The second leg - from Abu Dhabi was definitely more trying, if a little shorter. This started with a very long delay on the runway before we took off - which did not please Indi! She definitely did not want to be in a seat belt. So she did what any nearly 8 month old faced baby with this situation would do - led a protest chorus from the choir of 6 - 9 month olds. She has significant leadership potential, as well as determination! But the crew would not be swayed, and despite us just sitting on the tarmac for 30 mins or so - we were not allowed to stand to try to comfort her. Millie joined her out of sympathy on a few occasions.
Some short snatches of snoozing were caught over the next 8 hours - in general, what can only be described as brief! It was a relief to touch down at Heathrow, and perfect timing for a 2 year old tantrum from the now very overtired Millie saw us whisked through the process of immigration. We even managed to successfully retrieve all baggage for 6 travellers - including the 2 carseats plus the pram! Quite an achievement for the sleep-deprived! And still only 9am!
Tara and Dave will spend the next few days in Bristol with family, while Bill and I hired a car and have driven to Brinscombe in The Cotswolds. A hour or two wandering around Cirencester on the way, with mandatory lunch of fish and chips then enjoying the scenery off the motorway. Perfect. Picture perfect weather, and the final challenge - up Briscombe Hill (signposted "Not suitable for vehicles" - well done Bill in managing this in a rental car after all this). Our home for the next couple of days, "The Bank", sits oerched high on a the Brinscombe View hill, with sweeping views of surrounding hills and villages.
A perfect place to just relax, so after a quick food shop in nearby Stroud, home we went for a bath and the inevitable 4 hour nap. We swore we were only going to sleep 1 hr, and set the alarm. I do remember hearing it - amidst my dreaming.
No comments:
Post a Comment