And so it was still quite wild when we got to Gatwick but we landed thankfully.  We were told to speak to the customer service folk at the connections desk, but it was empty when we got to it as we entered the baggage reclaim area. 

What to do?  I don’t know if my bag will get dropped here or where it might go and there is no one to ask. I see a phone on the wall and chat to a voice that assures me that my bag will not appear here and to go on through. 

Once through I look for one of those friendly customer service people that you see when you watch the TV program,  but alas I never saw anyone. When I finally found BA and explained my problem to the young ladies,  they sent me to the long queue in the corner so that they could help. The next flight to Venice is less than an hour from now and I don’t know if I will get on it. I ask someone for help at the Special Assistance desk, but then demarcation kicks in and she can’t help. I finally get her to rise her fat arse off her chair and we go to the front of the queue and tell them that I need to be dealt with quickly or the next flight will leave. I was told to get in line and wait.

Then fat arse turns and said to me “Your backpack is quite large,  in fact too big to carry on” I just looked at her and turned away. I really do feel that some people are a bit racist down here and just don’t like us Scottish folk, or maybe a bit stupid.  If I had more time for some banter with her I would have had some fun but alas I had more important things to take care of. 

So now I’m on the plane for Venice and I could eat a scabby headed horse even although I managed to grab a quick sandwich before boarding the plane. So I’m hoping I can find some pizza and some wine when I arrive in Venice. 

I shall keep you posted. 

LANDED. ………..

My 9.30 flight left Glasgow on time despite the gale force winds that have been blowing for hours.  The worst of the weather has passed by the time we left and the flight was a little bumpy. As we approached Gatwick the winds picked up because the low pressure system was still causing problems in the south. We tried to land twice and got as low as 500 feet before the pilot sank the welly and climbed out of trouble. Apparently the plane had detected wind shear and so it was impossible to land. 
We are now on our way to Manchester and should arrive in about 20 mins and at this stage I’m not too sure what will happen in regards to my connecting flight to Venice which will have left London by the time we reach Manchester.
So at this stage I have no idea if I will arrive in Venice this evening but I hope the airline can sort something out and get me there tonight. 

How good is this,  I’ve only been home a couple of days and it’s snowing, what a difference a day makes. 

Went down to Largs yesterday and the sea was flat calm and with the snow on the hills it looked magic.

We went for a walk along the front and nearly went on our arse because of the black ice. The sun was shining and it was a great winter’s day. Largs was quiet which made it even more enjoyable.

We had coffee at Nardini’s, the very famous cafe ice cream parlour that’s been part of Largs for over 100 years.  We had coffee and scones and I’ve never eaten scones that were so heavy. 

After brunch we headed south and followed the coast south towards Troon.

The seagulls were happy when it turned out we couldn’t finish our fish n chips. 

We flew right down the Thames last night and London certainly put on a show.

You can see the Shard, The Eye, Tower Bridge and more. Not in this picture below but see if you can see it further down. 

It was a lovely clear night and you could see for miles. 

When we flew over Germany it was very different but I was wondering what the large square light sources were, if you have any ideas then let me know….

Last night I flew into Glasgow around 10 pm. I’d flown from Chiang Mai and I’d been on the go for nearly 24 hours and so by the time I landed here in Glasgow I was a little tired. Ken was picking me up at so I headed to the Holiday Inn Hotel to tap into the free WiFi so I could call him. We confirmed the pick up point and in my haste I did not pick up my lovely bottle of Jura single malt.

I did not realise this of course until we had returned home. When Ken returned from checking the car and said it wasn’t there I really thought he was taking the piss. When the penny finally dropped that I had lost it somewhere I felt very sad and very pissed off.

Today however I am in a happier mood because I returned to the scene of the crime and asked the lovely young lady at reception if a bottle of a very fine Single Malt had been handed in and she said “YES” 

Woo Hoo 

I’m going to buy a lottery ticket today too!!!!!

What more can you say about Black Pudding and chips especially when outside there is sleet. It’s been over 18 months since I have last had such a delicacy and it’s been worth the wait. 

And then for dessert I had ginger bread. What a day of calories I have had 😆

I’m flying Qatar Airlines and I must admit I’m very impressed.  The air hostess just asked me if I wanted two glasses of red and I thought here is a girl that knows her job and her customers.  I’m on the second leg of my trip from Doha to London and I intend to get a snooze so red wine is always on the agenda.

But you know I feel very lucky that I can sit here 40.000 feet above the world tucking info my beef curry, red wine and dessert and below me on the map I see places like Baghdad, Basra, Damascus and all those other places that you see on the news when they have the latest bombing or suicide bombing. I’m not sure how I manage to do what I do but in very grateful that I can. 

18 months ago or so I decided to escape the rat race and I’m still not in it and that is bloody marvelous and long may it continue. But every so often I stop and I wonder how the hell is this working.  And as I look down over what looks like snow covered mountains I feel very humble indeed. 

Got to love technology when you can blog from 40,000 feet, 10 mins free WiFi. 

😆😎😅😇🤗🙂☺😚😙😱👿👾👽👻💀👺👹😈😵😨😧😡😬

Yesterday I was in a restaurant that is near the “Smith Residence” in Chiang Mai where you will find many foreigners living and dying by the look of it. The Smith Residence is just one of the many places that offer long-term or short-term rentals for furnished apartments. They are small studio apartments but quite adequate. The location is also perfect because you don’t have to walk too far for medical, food or anything really. You can get a place here for about $800 a month plus electricity. Many old people from many western countries are finding it more and more difficult to survive financially and so many are packing their bags and coming here to Thailand. To be honest it’s something I have considered myself, but the difference between myself and many of the single men that come here is that I don’t feel the need or want to drink everyday and recapture my youth by going to bars and picking up some young thing a 3rd of my age, but in saying that maybe I might just fall into that category . Of course the other reason is that if I did do this then any money I had would quickly disappear, these girls are in business not charity. If I did come here then I would need to find a life similar to the life I have in China where I have been lucky to meet many people and have been given opportunities. to try new things

Many folk are content with the really simple life and they also need company, in fact they crave company and they can have that here very easily. I on the other hand like my space and every so often I will venture into the real world. I like a simple life on one level, I like an easy uncomplicated life, a stimulating life where you can discuss complex issues or at least have your brain challenged, you need to exercise your brain just as much as you need to keep your body in shape. By completely judging the books (people) by their covers it looks like many of the men I see here are really just coming here to die, but they have also decided to go out with a bang, they’re going to drink and party till it kills them.

I’ve been in Chiang Mai many times and for the last 3 years I have passed through here on an annual basis. There is a guy that I have seen many times and I don’t know if we have had a conversation or what but I know his face. I saw him the other night in Chiang Mai and he looks really old and haggard. Yes he might be ill I don’t know his circumstances but he was floating around the bars in the red light area and he was wearing all the correct hippy clothes that many expat locals will wear after a while. He looked sad, fat and lost and that seems to describe many of the old men that you see and I will not be joining their team any time soon. Of course not every foreigner comes here to die, some come and set up a business and create a new life for themselves just like they do anywhere else in the world. But Thailand makes it very easy for you if you wish to retire here and this of course is why so many older people come here. And you know there is no stigma if and when an older person craves the company of a younger one whether that is for pleasure or simply company,

I enjoy going for a massage when I’m here and I can have an hour-long relaxing oil massage for $10. I can then go and have some lunch and I will pay around $3 or less and then I will have tea or coffee for about $3 also. Life here can be simple and very cheap. You don’t need to cook anymore, you can just get on with doing what you want to do. The climate in winter is very pleasant although the summer heat can be oppressive and you will need air conditioning. It’s easy to buy a car, driving here is easy but I would not travel outside the city after dark because on the open road in Thailand it can be quite deadly.

So maybe one day I too will come to Thailand to die, I could think of worse places to do it.