What goes round.....

Brighton's latest feature!

Tuesday afternoon: 37 deg C, and a bathe in the warm Arabian sea!
Wednesday evening: a blizzard!
In between a fairly unremarkable journey largely the same as last year! We were picked up at 4am IST and took a domestic flight which was full - mostly with a party of Indian tourists within which most of the men were wearing stetsons - inexplicable! At Mumbai we knew the ropes -and were delighted to find that BA have improved the check-in service and we could go straight through to Departures. It was then a long wait,and then Ruth got frisked again (4 times since Goa!)  but the flight was almost empty and on a new 777, so we got in some good films and TV.


At Heathrow we were ready for silliness in getting to the Central Bus Station, but we got straight onto a bus that was free, negotiated  an early coach to Victoria and were ready for the streets. We had only to walk for 10 minutes to the railway station. Out there it was ghastly! There was a dramatic snowstorm and it was freezing cold; and we had no proper winter clothes. We had a couple of pints in the warmth of a Wetherspoons at the station and then braved it again with a train to East Croydon, and another walk in the snow to the hotel.

The Wine Tower - too expensive for us!

It was a cold six days in UK! We did some business things in Balham, met up with Pete, and spent a day in Brighton. This was so cold that all plans for wandering round were dropped and after haircuts we did little else outside. We then met Chloe after she had cashed up, had a very pleasant meal and caught the last train back. Next day we went for Lois' 50th birthday lunch at our usual family hotel in Hampshire. On Tuesday we took ourselves to Stansted airport and as a treat (on Valentine's Day?) we stayed at the Radisson. Shocked by the restaurant prices we went back over to the Terminal and had a disgusting (and pricey) meal at the thing they describe as a pub! Avoid!

We flew at 6.30 or so and so were well and truly ready for Canarian sunshine. We had had enough of British February. We were in for a shock!