flying

Blogging this from the departure lounge at Gatwick as I prepare to fly up to Edinburgh for a few days. Anyone who can not appreciate the giddy pleasure of flying has surely lost their pleasure in life; it is tremendously exciting. At the check in desk behind me earlier a woman arrived, looking nervous, with her two daughters. One said "look mum, if you want to go to Prague or Inverness you had better get in that queue, the gate is about to close". Mishearing, their mother tore across to the other queue in a moment of panic, leaving her offspring clutching their heads in shame, hissing "mum, we're not going to Prague or Inverness". It was a good moment.

Flying is probably the most exciting thing we'll ever do. Attending academic conferences (which is what I'm about to do) is not. But it is a wonderful excuse.