5am @ LHR .......

So this is a random little blog post and it breaks with my usual blogging style, well it's not every morning you find yourself sat in Pret at 5am checked into a flight to Delhi! I'm not really what I would call a 'diary blogger' and my style is a bit more, well unique but whilst I have a long 4 hours to kill and no one in the UK is awake for me to natter to I thought I'd blog my thoughts and ramblings before I trot off to India (and you thought there would be peace and quiet!!). Before any one panics or starts jumping up and down don't worry, I'm not going all narcissistic on you, promise!! I don't want to bore you with the mundane minutes of my life, I am aware I am not that important and you are not interested in what I ate or what shade of nail varnish Im wearing (OPI passion incase you were wondering!!) Nor am I going to start 'modelling' pics of myself in the toilet (classy) to bulk out my droning on about rubbish. It is more a collection of my thoughts, feelings and maybe reflections as I start this adventure. Oh and some pics of the things I've seen on the way......


05.15 - Checked in via my iPhone, which they just scanned! Clever stuff! the adventure begins...

05.20 - Cleared security with nothing more than a frantic grope from a security guard, progress on my normal security/ check in traumas!

05.30 - Look for my flight on the board, no flight to Delhi is there. Mini moment of panic, realise as I'm flying via Vienna I need to look for there! Flight found, calmness resumed and the search for coffee begins...


05.45 - No Starbucks in T1 at LHR so make do with Pret, hell at this point coffee is coffee! Start thinking about Vienna. I read somewhere that Vienna was the second best city in the world. Wondering now where the first one is, have a sneaky suspicion it won't be Delhi..... Or Hull for that matter....

06.00 - Duty Free (officially known as world wide shopping or my biggest down fall....) has opened. This could be an epic fail. Resisting temptations of duty free isn't my forte. The MAC make up counter is winking at me, whispering my name, urging me to spend all my money. I'm standing firm, distracting myself with thoughts of butter chicken, kohl eyeliner and henna body art. It's not particularly working. A little look won't hurt, will it ...?

06.30 - Enjoyed a whole half an hour playing with pretty make up and chatting to a make up artist swapping tips. Resisted buying anything. The motherships parting shot as I left last night was 'avoid the Chanel counter in duty free Kate please. You DO NOT need another lipstick....' As I opened my mouth to reply I was an adult, I would buy what I wanted, she then followed it up with 'don't forget what happened in Prague, the plane won't wait for you, you know!' I abruptly remembered the incident involving a flight home from Prague, the Chanel counter and a nail varnish that I *NEEDED!* Even now when I look back I'm not entirely convinced that I needed it that much and it was worth the hassle it caused! Lesson learnt, I must depart duty free at least half an hour before my flight.....

06.45 - Beginning to wonder at what point I thought it was a brilliant idea to go to India. Alone. Whydo i think these things up?!! Dad's words of 'I will expect to get you back in a box' rattle round my head. Consider doing risk assessment on the situation. I wouldn't want to see the answer. Start to rationalise crazy thoughts via a support plan in my head. Distraction techniques are needed here. Realise I need to switch off form work. Head back to Pret in search of food for a distraction.

07.00 - Munching and pondering why I couldn't be happy on a nice 18-30's to Ibiza. But aweek in the sun, with barely dressed people copping off all over the place isn't my thing. Life would be easier and the motherships stress levels lower if it was. No, I'm heading to an impoverished 3rd world country, rife with crime and (I imagine) a hatred for small blonde English girls they may want to put in a box....

07.15 - Still in a total panic about if I packed the right clothes. Not in a 'I'm so vain and want to look fabulous way' more off a 'I don't want to be arrested for indecent exposure by inadvertently wearing the wrong thing' kinda way.


07.25 - Spend 10 mins worrying about dad getting home ok. Get a call announcing he is at McDonalds eating breakfast. He makes me promise to not tell the mothership he is having a double sausage and egg mc muffin but to say he is having porridge and fruit.... I agree knowing I wasn't destined for heaven anyway and hell is warmer. I'd probably also know more people there....

07.50 - Mad group of ladies dressed in full Victorian attire arrive. Can't work out if they are some strange hen weekend or if they just dress that way as a style. Totally intrigued. Trying to find a table to people watch as I'm not sure I'm pulling off nonchalantly leaning...

07.55 - Smile nicely at one of the crazy Victorian style ladies. She smiles back. Take a risk and ask politely why they are so wonderfully dressed. Barely able to contain my excitement at her answer my mind runs at a million miles an hour, had I found a cult vintage couture following...? Were they wearing original, restored garments...? We're they a walking exhibit from the V&A.....? My heart and smile sank when she politely explained that they were the 'Sherlock Holmes Society of London'. Fixing my smile in place, I listened intently (thank god for a BA in Perf Arts, occasionally comes in useful) for 10 whole minutes whilst she gushed about the group and what they did complete with an offer for me to join. I politely declined, explaining I was off to Delhi but maybe another time*......

*on the never ever

08.10 - Think about the friends I have currently dotted across the world and contemplate switching flights. Suddenly I'm wondering why I didn't choose Hong Kong, Thailand orNew Zealand. Even Florida or Holland. Some where I would at least know one person. Try and work out the time differences. They might be awake for a a chat....

08.30 - Start thinking about food (what's new) it's an odd thing but the moment I leave the uk I start to crave food you can only get here and that I rarely touch on a day to day basis. Ribena is a great example, can't remember that last time I bought some over here, put me on the East Coast of America and I all wanted some of the purple stuff! From vendors in Italy that sold hot pizza slices to eating pigeon crossed leg on the floor in Morocco to sushi in Shanghai to fresh caught bush beast ( NOT roast beef as i thought it was!) in Africa I am quite happy to try anything. The Chinese family sat opposite me appear to be eating dried fish skins, think I will stick to coffee this early on.....

08.45 - Flight gate finally appears on the board inducing a mini moment of excitement. 30 minutes to go!!!

08.47 - Sitting outside gate 16 when I realise I should be at gate 47. A nearby sign informs me that's a 30 min walk away. F**k!!

09.10 - Appears the running i have done has paid off, thrust paper work at the boarding officer, smile nicely, board the plane with crossed fingers I'm sat next to some one nice else it's gonna be a long few hours....!

Right I'm off now (really this time!!) love to you all and will keep you updated as I can :D xX