Hello everybody,
After a couple of weeks' hard slog, I finally made it, intact in both mind and body (although somewhat sleep deprived), to the departure gate at Sydney International Airport. I'm sitting at one of the desks the airport owners (I presume there are such persons, even if they are corporate ones) have thoughtfully provided for those of us for whom a power source for our electronic gadgets is like the air we breathe. My laptop is plugged in and my Fitbit is charging and I'd have my other gizmos plugged in as well but some thoughtless git broke the USB sockets nearest me and all the others are occupied, but even so I'm feeling pretty smug as a ceaseless trail of fellow technophiles wander by, looking for electricity ... It's funny, we worry about how technology is isolating us from others, and in many ways that's true, but here at the airport, in our collective quest for a power socket, there is a lot of interaction as people ask if they can use unused sockets or tell each other which ones do and don't work.
I'm rather delighted to have made it to this point, the visualisation of which has been the only thing getting me through the last few frazzling days - the thought of 24 hours on a plane in which there is nothing for me to do but watch TV and sleep is a comforting thought for a weary mind (I finished defrosting the fridge and freezer last night at half past midnight and was up again at 4 to finish the last things on my to do list ... The sleep deprivation was worth it though, to be sitting here secure in the warm glow that comes with knowing that I've done everything that needed to be done, and I can travel with a clear mind and happy heart).
Most of you already know the route I have planned for this trip, but I'll mention it again here for those of you who don't: I'm flying to Zurich, Switzerland today and after a few days there to de-jet lag, have hired a car for an epic road trip through Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Liechtenstein and back to Switzerland. Although I characteristically booked flights etc at the last minute, this trip has been at least 10 years in the dreaming, and I'm so excited to taking it, and almost more excited to be able to share it with you all over the next few weeks.
I'll sign off for now though - it's time to go and be here, experiencing that strange state of suspended animation that I find myself falling into when waiting while travelling ... Strange and lovely, because in it many hours can softly go by without frustration, encased in the glass and steel of an airport terminal, or a train station, or wherever else I am compelled to wait with nothing more exciting to do than just that for long periods of time. I feel myself being lulled into it already - glancing over the top of my laptop I see the frames of what I presume are some kind of mechanism used to offload heavy cargo, soft in the hazy morning air, and collectively looking like a series of frames in a stop-motion film featuring the walking tanks from Star Wars.
Take care of yourselves, family and friends and interested others of the internet, will write again soon. xx