A journey to the homeland

  Hello. I’m writing from 30.000 feet. I’ve been on board for almost two hours, waiting for the Aegean Airlines pilot to land me on Crete in another two hours. The journey is long; more than four hours in a coach, four hours on a plane and two hours in a car. And I’m not counting the waiting time in-between.

From this height, it doesn’t really count whether the weather in Britain has been awful today. I’ll soon be in a brighter and warmer place, and I’m going to stay there for 20 days, before my tutees check in. I’m sitting alone in my row, by the window, of course, (with my clutter here and there, as always, ha) and my escort is a bright moon. It reminds me of the nights in Crete, spent outside in the garden with my family, when things were a bit better for everyone. I look forward to sitting in our porches and garden under this bright moonlight, which only the Mediterraneans can enjoy and appreciate!

I’m sipping now a mug of warm filter coffee, the second one. I aim to drive to Ierapetra when we land, to give my 67-year old father a chance to rest after a two-hour drive in the early hours. I haven’t seen him for almost a year.

I’ve made a new friend apparently; Carlo, from Italy, who is married to a Cretan lady and is flying to Crete to take her and their baby to Britain. It’s going to be their migration journey. I met Carlo on the bus, while we were disembarking. He was kind enough to reach my whip from the shelf, and also carried my hand luggage around. I hope I see him again someday, as he’s lovely.

With me I have copies of the Horse & Hound magazine. I read a little from last week’s issue, but I the engine noise and the inappropriate light made my eyes and brain go exhausted too soon. So, I decided to blog. I don’t have signal, of course, but it will be on as soon as I arrive home!

Today I’ve been the weird sight of the airport and bus station, as I’m wearing equestrian clothing! My boots, my full-seated breeches, my horsey jacket, everything! The reason was practicality; my tall equestrian boots did not fit in my cabin bag so wearing them was the only sensible way to carry them. But riding boots, tight as they are to embrace the leg and foot, can only be worn with tight breeches, so there we go, my full-seated breeches, matching, by the way with my red cabin bag and my whip (OK, the whip is hidden in the package I’m carrying around). Combined with my pearl bracelet and earrings, my overall appearance is indeed funny!

Tomorrow I’m going to the equestrian club, certainly! I don’t want to miss a day! And, of course, there will be a lot of daily adventures to blog about, so stay tuned!

Safe trip home to me –bye for now!