Does Time Fly When You're Flying ?

In 12 hours time I'll be setting off to Leeds/Bradford airport to get a flight to Heathrow and then on to Miami.  Yes Silverback, for that is me, is off to Florida for the next 6 months.  Well 177 days to be anal about it as I don't want to overstay my Visa welcome.

So 12 hrs.  I've most things packed and my carry on case is stuffed with the items I just could not afford to lose.  My medication, my laptop (well not quite packed yet obviously !) and my photographic gear.  It's been quite a challenge to fit those in, I can tell you.  Damn Leeds/Bradford airport for their pathetic luggage rules.

12 hrs.  I think they are going to fly by.  The last hours before you set off on holiday always fly by. So much to do and many things can only be done at the last minute.  Like turning off the water and draining the system.  Turning off the gas.  Those sorts of things.   I'd like to get in a few hours of sleep but I doubt it.

The flight from London to Miami will take 9.5 hrs.  Those hours will NOT fly by even though I will.  Be flying that is.  They will be the longest hours in the whole world......ever.  It's not that I dislike flying.  I just dislike crashing.  But seriously I hate airplane seats. And I know I'll be sitting beside, or partially under, an obese chatterbox with halitosis, week old socks and a personal hygiene problem. Whoever comes up with Star Trek type transportation will be a God in my mind.  Beam me over, Scotty.

I mean I'll have my mp3 all charged up and full of all the pirated music I like.  I'll have about 30 movies to chose from.  I'll have the excitement of duty free and a couple of meals to break up the monotony.  But the time will STILL drag.  I'll be going at 500mph but it'll seem like my watch is in a time warp and only ticking every 5 seconds.  I'd watch the hands move round but it's digital.

Then it's a 3 hr drive from Miami to my winter home in Sebring, Florida.  Ok that's a total time of 12 hrs door to door.  That number is coming up too regularly for my liking.

I don't even want to think about the return trip at the end of March next year as it involves a 12 hr stop over in Heathrow.  Bloody Travelocity.  I'll never use them again.  What do you do for 12hrs in an airport if you're not Tom Hanks ?  Anyway that's next year so I'll think about it then.

I've had to put the central heating on today for the first time this year and tomorrow I'll be sitting beside an air conditioning unit trying to keep cool.  Or I may be by the pool.  It'll be a hard choice, I know, but one I'm prepared to make for Britain.

So be good, my UK friends and if the Virgin Atlantic pilots aren't drunk, nobody hijacks us to Kazakhstan and US immigration let me in again, I'll post next time from sunny (and 90F) Florida. 

I'll try not to mention the weather.